Pasadena Car Wash First to be Unionized in LA County
Employees at a car wash in Pasadena are the first to join a union in Los Angeles County.
Pasadena Mayor Bill Bogaard, Councilman Victor Gordo and members from the Community Labor Environmental Action Network Carwash Campaign gathered at High Performance Auto Detailing to announce the new contract.
Victor Tamayo, owner of High Performance, offered his workers a chance to join the union. He himself was originally a car washer before opening up his business.
"I'm not the kind of person [who] because I'm the owner, I'm just going to do what I want to do," Tamayo said. "I give them the chance.. to listen to them, to ask what they want. We work together."
The new contract includes a 2 percent wage increase, Vannia De La Cuba, a field representative for Councilman Gordo, said.