Workers who were locked out of Marina Car Wash in Venice following a labor dispute will stage a protest tonight at Bonus Car Wash on 2800 Lincoln Blvd. in Santa Monica. The owner of the Bonus Car Wash, Dipu Haque Sikder, also owned Marina Car Wash, which has since closed due to the dispute.

A prayer vigil will be held at Bonus Car Wash starting at 5:30 p.m. It will be followed by a procession to The Church in Ocean Park. Chloe Osmer of the Community-Labor-Environmental Action Network (CLEAN) Carwash Campaign told Santa Monica Patch on Monday afternoon that she expects about two or three dozen participants, despite the rain.

Workers at the Marina Car Wash and Bonus Car Wash have been organizing for better work conditions over the past couple of years, Osmer said. After a series of their paychecks bounced, they went on strike, according to Osmer.

On December 9, Marina Car Wash shut down. "Workers came in and found the doors shut—no notice," Osmer said. "They believed this was done to intimidate them against organizing. The workers heard they were closing down with the intention of reopening with a whole new set of workers."

Early Monday afternoon, Santa Monica Patch called Bonus Car Wash in an effort to get in touch with Haque Sikder. A security guard answered the phone and said the car wash was closed due to the rain, and that Haque Sikder could not be reached. Santa Monica Patch also called Sikder Holdings, the corporate office of the Sikder family, and was told that Haque Sikder was not available for comment.

In early October, the Sikder family was named in a $6.6 million lawsuit filed by the California Attorney General's office. It accused Haque Sikder's eight California car washes—including Bonus and Marina—of exploiting workers and engaging in illegal business practices.

Last week, CLEAN organized a car wash fundraiser "both to call attention to what happened, and to raise money for their families for the holidays," Osmer said.

"Essentially, it's 30 guys without jobs before Christmas."