Two Sacramento car washes (among dozens statewide) hit in labor law sweep

[Omaha Steve]

http://www.bizjournals.com/sacramento/stories/2009/05/04/daily36.html

Wednesday, May 6, 2009, 2:37pm PDT

by Kelly Johnson Staff writer

Two Sacramento car washes were among dozens statewide that were cited or fined as part of a California Labor Commissioner’s Office sweep last week to enforce a variety of labor laws.

The state issued more than $770,000 in fines to businesses in the car wash industry for violations that included failing to register the business with the state and failing to carry workers’ compensation insurance, a news release said Tuesday.

Luxury Detail on Bell Street and 5 Star Auto Detail on Lexington Avenue each were fined, according to a report on the sweep. Luxury Detail was fined $2,000 for failing to carry workers’ compensation insurance and $6,300 for failing to register the business with the state. 5 Star Auto Detail was fined $3,000 for failing to carry workers’ compensation insurance, the report showed.

“Our efforts are directed at illegally operating car wash businesses as part of the underground economy,” California Labor Commissioner Angela Bradstreet said in a news release. “These underground operations do not provide the protection workers are legally afforded, have a negative impact on our state’s economy and an unfair advantage over competitors who do follow the law.”

In the sweep, 40 investigators conducted 231 inspections in 29 counties across the state on April 29 and 30. Of the 88 employers cited, 66 failed to register or renew registration of their car wash business with the state, the release said.

FULL story at link.