The California Labor Commissioner’s Office recovered more than $282,000 for wage theft violations affecting 22 car wash workers in Long Beach, who were not paid for the time they were on premises. The workers were reportedly not paid overtime or minimum wages.
An investigation into Classic Castle Car Wash Inc., which operates Klassic Car Wash & Detail Center and Castle Carwash in Long Beach, reportedly found some workers were forced to wait up to three hours before clocking in, while others were only paid for hours when they performed car wash duties and were asked to remain onsite without pay when it wasn’t busy.
The $282,000 recovered will pay workers roughly $229,000 for the overtime and minimum wages, liquidated damages and waiting time penalties owed. Another $53,000 in civil penalties will go to the state.
The monies were secured after a lien on real property was filed by the Labor Commissioner’s Office on Classic Castle Car Wash, Inc.
The Labor Commissioner’s Office opened its investigation into Classic Castle Car Wash in 2017 following a referral from the CLEAN Car Wash Campaign. The citations issued in 2017 for wage theft violations totaled $370,644. Classic Castle Car Wash Inc. appealed the citations, and a notice of finding issued by the hearing officer amended the total citations due to $241,641 on Dec. 4, 2020. Classic Castle Car Wash, Inc. made payments on the citation totaling $54,272.93 from 2017 to 2020 but eventually stopped making payments.
After a judgment was entered for the case at the end of 2021, workers learned that the business was going to be sold and reported this to the CLEAN Carwash Worker Center, which informed the Labor Commissioner’s Office. On June 17, the Labor Commissioner’s Office recorded a certificate of lien after the enforcement lien bill went into effect in 2022. Classic Castle Car Wash, Inc. had been named in the citations, so the Labor Commissioner’s Office was able to file a lien on the owner’s real property to ensure workers were paid.
One month later, the Labor Commissioner received payment on the Classic Castle Car Wash citations.
Topics California Auto
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