Ayon v. Cintas

  • Ayon v. Cintas Corporation (2007)

    DREDF joined a coalition of civil rights, workers’ rights and environmental organizations in signing on to an amicus brief in a case involving a challenge to the Living Wage Ordinance of the City of Los Angeles. Ayon v. Cintas Corp. is very similar to other recent cases involving similar ordinances in Berkeley and Hayward. As does many California cities, Los Angeles has a city ordinance that requires any private business entering a contract to perform work for the city to pay a “living wage” to employees involved in the performance of the contract. In this most recent case, Cintas, a private business that offers uniform and laundry services, is arguing that the ordinance cannot legally extend to Cintas operations to the extent that Cintas performs the work outside the geographic jurisdiction of the city. The amicus brief argues that municipalities in California have the power to mandate various minimum legal requirements be met by contractors when they are performing city contracts, even if the contract work is done outside the geographical limits of the city. The case has implications for a wide range of progressive legislation including environmental protections, worker protections, and civil rights protections.