Laundry and Dry Cleaning Workers may:

Sort and mark garments so that each item can be matched with customer's receipt at some later time

Wash by machine and adjust controls for different fabrics

Dry clean by machine, including prespotting before and spotting after dry cleaning

Sort laundry and verify count on laundry ticket

Finish (pressing) clothes

Inspect items for finished quality

Mend garments

Assemble or collect laundry by matching sales invoice with the identification marks

Bag items in bags or boxes for storage

Depending on the work performed, Laundry and Dry Cleaning Workers may work under direct or general supervision. Generally, the work is done in well lighted, sanitary plants. The constant use of pressurized steam makes the work area hot and damp, even though the areas may be ventilated by exhaust fans. Workers may be subject to skin irritations, burns, and toxic fumes.

Most Laundry and Dry Cleaning Workers perform their duties 5 days per week, 8 hours per day. Overtime may be required during peak seasons such as spring and autumn.

Three major unions represent the Laundry and Dry Cleaning Service Workers. Union members must pay dues. These unions are: Laundry, Dry Cleaning, and Dye House Workers International Union, Laundry and Dry Cleaning International Union, and The Union of Needletrades, Industrial and Textile Employees.

You Should Prefer:

• Activities of a routine, organized nature

You Should Be Able To:

• Understand and apply dry cleaning and washing processes

• Meet set standards by following instructions

• Work in hot, humid surroundings

• Perform the same work continuously

Math Problem You Should Be Able to Solve:

If a customer brings five shirts in to be dry cleaned at $4.99 a shirt and they have a 20% off coupon good for one shirt only, how much will the total be for the five shirts?

Reading Example You Should Be Able to Read and Comprehend:

Labels indicating various types of materials, such as faille, crepe de Chine, satin, taffeta, wool crepe, rayon, gabardine, silk brocade, chintz, batiks, damask, pique, and sateen.

Writing Example You Should Be Able to Produce:

Prepare a customer's dry cleaning bill.

Thinking Skill You Should Be Able to Demonstrate:

Analytical and decision-making skills in assessing clothing to be laundered and determining how they should be laundered.

Some employees may be required to have a valid driver's license.

NOTE: On-The-Job Training provided by the employer and a High School Diploma or Equivalent may qualify a person for this occupation.

The following education and preparation opportunities are helpful in preparing for occupations in the MOIScript:

***SCHOOL SUBJECTS***

0700 CAREERS , 0900 COMMUNICATIONS , 1400 FASHION , 2200 MATH , 3300 TECHNOLOGY

***VOCATIONAL EDUCATION PROGRAMS***

There are no Vocational Education Programs related to this MOIScript

***POSTSECONDARY PROGRAMS***

There are no Postsecondary Programs related to this MOIScript

Basic laundry and dry cleaning skills may be learned on the job. You may gain experience in this field through summer or part-time employment in cleaning plants.

                School-to-Work opportunities include:

informal apprenticeships

mentorships

job shadowing experiences

touring a local Laundry and Dry Cleaning Worker employer

internships

volunteer work with a Laundry and Dry Cleaning Worker employer

community service work with an agency

To enter this occupation, apply directly to employers or at civil service offices. Assistance may be obtained from local offices of Michigan Works!, local unions representing laundry workers, and school placement offices. Newspaper want ads may list openings. In addition, you should access and search the Internet's on-line employment services sites such as:  

Factors affecting wages in the laundry and dry cleaning industry include job specialty and size, type, and geographical location of the employer. Generally, workers in industrial and metropolitan areas receive the highest wages. Some workers may be paid on piecework basis.

Nationally, the median weekly earnings of all Laundry and Dry Cleaning Workers were $287 or $6.48 per hour in 1998. The average hourly rate for non-supervisory workers in this industry was $8.60 in 1998.

Unionized Laundry & Dry Cleaning Workers in the greater Detroit metropolitan area earned the following hourly wages in early 1996:

Dry Cleaning

Laundry

Depending on the length and place of employment, benefits received by Laundry and Dry Cleaning Workers may include life and health insurance, paid vacations, paid holidays, sick leave, and pension plans. These benefits are usually paid for, at least in part, by the employer. Some also receive paid personal days off.

Advancement in this industry is limited. Some workers may advance to supervisory or managerial positions. 

Nationally, about 179,800 Laundry and Dry Cleaning Workers were employed in 1996. Employment is expected to grow about as fast as the average for all occupations through the year 2006. Population growth and increases in personal income are expected to create a growing demand for dry cleaning and laundry services, although dry cleaning occupations might decline. About 12.0% of them were self-employed. The industry distribution for Laundry and Dry Cleaning Workers looked like this:

Approximately 5,900 Laundry and Dry Cleaning Workers are employed in Michigan.

Employment of Laundry and Dry Cleaning Workers in Michigan is expected to grow about as fast as the average for all occupations through the year 2005. An average of 190 annual job openings is expected with 50 due to growth and 140 due to replacement of Workers who retire or leave the labor force for other reasons. Additional openings will occur as workers change jobs or occupations.

As new technology is introduced, the occupational distribution in the laundry and dry cleaning industry will shift in the direction of more indirect labor, eliminating certain jobs. An increasing population, larger incomes, more white-collar workers, and more women employed outside the home are factors expected to increase business in the laundry and dry cleaning industry. Overall, this increased business is expected to ease the impact of technological developments on employment.

MICHIGAN'S EMPLOYMENT OUTLOOK TO 2005

Printed Occupational information is available upon written request from the sources below.