A group of workers associated with several community organizations conducted militant protests in front of two car washes, property of two different owners. The group chanted “Car Washers United Will Never Be Defeated” and “Workers United Will Never Be Defeated,” as well as many other militant slogans. We showed our solidarity with these mostly immigrant workers, some undocumented, who’ve had “enough” and have decided to form a trade union to fight for their rights and to be heard. These workers are fighting for a higher minimum wage and better working conditions.

Justice and Workers’ Rights

Just the mention of these two ideas got the owners of the car washes to retaliate against the workers, reducing their working hours and harassing them to force them to quit their jobs. The main issue here is the soon-approaching union elections.

One of the owners is called Gary, but workers call him “Claws” (which in Spanish rhymes with Gary). In spite of all his efforts, this abusive exploiter couldn’t break our consciousness and unity. His attacks only motivated us to chant louder in the last protests, which we hope are only the beginning.

At the Long Beach Car Wash, one of the workers, who at the time was drying a car, took the lead and raising a fist begun chanting our slogans in front of “Claws.” His arrogant expression and attitude when he didn’t meet the workers’ demands on time, showed his hatred towards those whose prompt, daily work, makes him richer.

This shows once again, that workers’ struggle against the bosses, whose only purpose is to increase their profits through thievery, exploitation and abuses of the working class, must grow. We have to win these workers to deepen the struggle, because the fight for simple demands under capitalism cannot solve our problems. Only communism can put an end to this scourge. This is why we must win the working class to fight for a revolution.