5 Ugly Facts Behind NYC Nail Salons

Photo: Shutterstock

There’s nothing we love more than a fresh mani/pedi, but it may be time to go the DIY route. Just before the weekend, New York Times unleashed a shocking investigation into the New York nail salon scene, where workers are frequently exploited for cheap pay.

We’ve always assumed our neighborhood manicurists weren’t the richest of folk, but their troubles are go far beyond the workplace. From racial discrimination to docked pay and denial of basic human rights, it’s enough to make you rethink that next appointment. Read 5 ugly facts, including the city’s response, below:

1. Most salon workers earn below minimum wage…or sometimes, nothing at all.

Immigrant workers who come to the ‘manicure’ capital for a fresh start are often tricked into jobs that pay as little as $10 per day and sometimes, nothing at all, if they’re still in the “apprentice” stage. Unsurprisingly, they’re also forced to work insane hours; as much as 66 per week!

“You can be assured, if you go to a place with rock-bottom prices, that chances are the workers’ wages are being stolen,” said Nicole Hallett, a lecturer at Yale Law School who has worked on wage theft cases in salons. “The costs are borne by the low-wage workers who are doing your nails.”

2. Salon workers also suffer physical and verbal abuse from their employers.

Racial bias exists within the nails community, where workers often agree that their Korean counterparts are treated more fairly. In addition to 24/7 video surveillance, illegal practices such as stolen tips, denying simple necessities like water and verbal punishment are also reported.

Tips or wages are often skimmed or never delivered, or deducted as punishment for things like spilled bottles of polish. At her Harlem salon, Ms. Cacho said she and her colleagues had to buy new clothes in whatever color the manager decided was fashionable that week. Cameras are regularly hidden in salons, piping live feeds directly to owners’ smartphones and tablets.

3. Manicurists are usually charged a one time fee before getting hired.

Although most workers come to New York with little or no money, they are often charged a one time fee before starting a training program that doesn’t include pay. Additionally, their trial period after continues without a paycheck.

Ms. Ren spent almost three months painting on pedicures and slathering feet with paraffin wax before one afternoon in the late summer when her boss drew her into a waxing room and told her she would finally be paid…The next payday she learned her day wage would amount to under $3 an hour.

Photo: Shutterstock

4. Racial discrimination exists between salon workers.

Racial tension remains an ongoing issue for America, but a smaller net of discrimination also exists amongst salon workers, as most businesses are owned by Koreans.

Some bosses deliberately prey on the desperation of Hispanic manicurists, who are often drowning under large debts owed to “coyotes” who smuggled them across the border, workers and advocates say. Many Korean owners are frank about their prejudices. “Spanish employees” are not as smart as Koreans, or as sanitary, said Mal Sung Noh, 68, who is known as Mary, at the front desk of Rose Nails, a salon she owns on the Upper East Side.

5. Good news–Governor Cuomo has already responded to the shocking article.

As of today, Governor Andrew Cuomo has put several emergency policies in place that will include salon investigations, sanitary guidelines to protect workers as well as a program that will help the former understand their rights.

Per New York Times:

“New York State has a long history of confronting wage theft and unfair labor practices head on, and today, with the formation of this new Enforcement Task Force, we are aggressively following in that tradition,” Mr. Cuomo said in a statement. “We will not stand idly by as workers are deprived of their hard-earned wages and robbed of their most basic rights.”

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