Mahoma Lopez and The Laundry Workers Center: Agents Of Change In A Dirty Industry
The pandemic was a point of no return, workers like Lopez are demanding change. “We are humans and immigrants. There’s no need for racism, threats, exploitation,” he said.
By Moses Bustos
Mahoma Lopez witnessed multiple instances of abuse in the workplace. At every job he found himself exhausted and doing work that was unsustainable. He said he saw a lot lot of wage theft and discrimination in the restaurant industry. Lopez didn’t think his working conditions were justifiable or humane, so he dedicated himself to learning ways to make them better.
“I saw a lot of labor exploitation there,” Lopez said. “Many female colleagues suffer sexual harassment and the verbal abuse is extreme.”
Lopez, 42, immigrated from Mexico City and now works as labor organizer for the Laundry Workers Center in New York City. He is a short, stout man with an easy way about him. He is friendly and smiles easily. In 2011, Lopez began working with close friends to improve the quality of their jobs in the restaurant industry. During that effort, they learned about the Laundry Workers Center and its fight against the exploitation of workers in a different industry.
Laundry workers are having a moment. They’ve endured a pandemic and their work is now grouped with that of “essential heroes” like doctors and nurses. But laundromat workers don’t have the same privileges as doctors or nurses. Laundromat employees couldn’t do their work from home during the pandemic. The sudden shift in public image did not come with hazard pay or special medical care and now, with the help of the Laundry Workers Center, laundromat workers throughout the city are organizing to get the protection they demand.
The Laundry Workers Center, located at 80 Broad street in New York City, is an organization designed to build leadership and legal knowledge among immigrant workers to help fight off labor exploitation in the city and New Jersey. Lopez said they’re organizing with 2,500 members. The group holds special training and educational sessions where workers learn about labor laws and work together to pool their resources and knowledge in a collective bargaining effort.
Lopez came to New York City in search of a better future and a better lifestyle for his family. He has two sons who think the work he does with LWC is very important. Throughout his speeches at rallies and marches, he is surrounded by family and friends. His work as a labor organizer binds him to the community that seems to trust him in return. Lopez is just like the laundry workers fighting to unionize, he knows the unique struggle of being an immigrant laborer in America today.
After he tried to improve conditions for himself in 2011 he soon learned that the battle for better labor conditions was fraught with challenges. Lopez recounts memories of a lonely fight, “the department of labor was no help”, he says.
“The LWC opened their doors to the struggle of restaurant workers”, says Lopez . A man named Virgilio, who was an organizer and founding member of LWC told Lopez that his organization fights for restaurants and laundry workers alike, Lopez said. In 2012, Lopez saw the LWC as an “opportunity to learn how to organize,” and together they gained “amazing victories for coworkers.”
Lopez started working as a volunteer for the LWC and is now a full-time employee. He’s now building awareness of the struggle between laundromat owner LIOX Cleaners and its employees and what he believes was the unjust firing of six immigrant women workers after a successful vote to unionize. Liox owners are known to close storefronts on the days laundry worker rallies assemble outside with signs protesting against allegations of union-busting.
Lopez’s advocacy tactics of choice are “direct action, protests, flyers, labor rallies, actions that resolve and help workers get justice,” he said. He feels the strength of unions is down all over the country. He said the unionization efforts from Amazon workers in the south has helped “reactivate spirits” everywhere, even though it failed. The struggle against Amazon, Lopez said, is huge because it consists of millions of workers, and this is inspiring for others who may find themselves alone like he once did.
Lopez said the fact that unions are not more popular in a country with such a rich history of unionization is worrisome. He and the LWC are taking their concerns straight to the National Labor Relations Board, an independent federal agency that investigates allegations of wrongdoings in the workplace and enforces the protections offered by the national labor relations act.
Lopez says he’s taking “direct action”, like organizing rallies and distributing pamphlets, against employers like LIOX.
“The pandemic has made organizing difficult, the social relationships are integral,’’ Lopez said, “I can take on a program over zoom but it’s missing a connection”. Lopez doesn’t think it’s impossible, but there are unique challenges ahead. When asked what laundry worker labor conditions would be like in a perfect world, he says “In a just world? minimum wage, legal rights, overtime, sick days, licenses for workers who are pregnant, protective gear, PPE, gloves, protection against chemicals.”
According to Lopez, the best way to help is to “become part of a group, get training, get informed about laws and the plights of others, work together, and know your rights. Usually workers who just got here [NYC], immigrants, they don’t know their rights”, he says.
The pandemic seems to be a point of no return, workers like Lopez are demanding change. “We are humans and immigrants. There’s no need for racism, threats, exploitation”, he said. Lopez enjoys his work because it allows him to be in contact with others who share the struggle. One goal is to grow the labor movement by taking small steps to recover the power of workers everywhere.
For now, LWC continues advocating for small business laundry workers in the city. Laundry unions do exist, but they operate only among the industrial giants. For this reason, Lopez has his eyes set on fighting for the underdog, no matter how much sleep it costs him.
“What keeps me going is knowing that what we’re doing is to build a better future.”
