Workers at four car washes, including one in Elizabeth, got checks totaling $5 million Thursday for back wages they were owed by their employer, per a settlement, after a years-long legal fight.

The New Jersey workers were earning an average of $3.50 to $4 per hour, some for decades, while employed at Bayway Hand Car Wash on South Broad Street, the only one of the shops that the owner, Jose Vazquez, leased. (It is currently operating under new ownership).

The other three were located in Harlem, the Bronx and on Broadway in Manhattan.

It was from the Manhattan location that workers were transported daily to the Elizabeth shop, said Steven Arenson, an attorney who represented the workers.

“The New Jersey workers were the most exploited of all,” he said, adding that they would show up at 7 a.m. at the Manhattan location, take a 45-minute ride to Elizabeth and work for 12 hours, earning $35 to $40 per day in cash with no lunch break.

If business was slow, the workers would only be paid $5 or $10 for the day, he said.

Attempts to reach Vazquez for comment were unsuccessful.

One nearly 70-year-old worker would wear three pairs of pants and two face masks in the winter, Arenson said, and the boss would point him out as a model employee because he kept crackers in pockets so he didn’t have to stop working to eat.

The “mostly” documented workers emigrated from Mexico, the Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Nigeria and elsewhere, he said.

The civil case evolved over two phases. The first one involved 18 workers who won a $1.65 million settlement in June 2016. During the course of that proceeding the car wash owner filed for bankruptcy -- despite owning $20 million worth of real estate and having $1.2 million in cash in a safe at his house. Court-appointed trustees took control of the businesses and Vazquez’s personal finances. Through that process, 88 more workers who were cheated of fair wages were discovered, Arenson said.

That group of plaintiffs agreed to a more than $5 million settlement in August. It was officially approved November 7 and they received the money Thursday, with veteran employees collecting about $90,000 and many others receiving more than $60,000 in back wages and overtime pay.

“This is life-changing money. It’s a vindication of the rights of these workers. And it’s a great example for other workers that they have rights,” Arenson said.

Allison Pries may be reached at apries@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @AllisonPries. Find NJ.com on Facebook.