Four carwash workers filed suit Monday claiming that a family of carwash owners routinely withheld pay for overtime and denied them breaks during the summer.

The lawsuit is one of a series filed on behalf of carwash workers since 2008 in an attempt by unions and immigrant advocates to improve conditions in an industry in which competition is fierce, profit margins are low and workers are often undocumented immigrants from Mexico and Central America.

A Times report on the industry found it rife with nonpayment of overtime, false pay records and other abuses.

The Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund filed the lawsuit in L.A. County Superior Court on behalf of four workers at carwashes owned by Bijan, Edna and Kambiz Damavandi. The class action suit alleges that they forced employees to arrive for work early but only clock in when there were enough cars to wash.

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