Sarah Maslin Nir/New York Times
Vietnamese Americans make up a significant part of the nail salon industry so this story hits close to home. After an expose written by New York Times writer Sarah Maslin Nir exposed instances of wage theft, abuse and poor working conditions, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo ordered emergency measures to combat these allegations.
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo announced emergency measures to protect nail salon workers after an investigative report by the New York Times revealed many workers are exploited and under paid. (Photo: Andrew Burton/Getty Images)
Cuomo said effective immediately, a multi-agency task force will conduct individual salon investigations as well as institute new rules to protect manicurists. Salons will be required to publicly post signs that inform workers of their rights, including the fact that it is illegal to work without wages or to pay money for a job, which many who fall into the cycle have done. The signs will be in half a dozen languages, including those most spoken in the industry – Korean, Chinese and Spanish.
The nail industry is growing with many illegal and undocumented manicurists suffering from shady business practices in New York. (Photo:Colin McConnell/Toronto Star via Getty Images)
Nail salons that do not comply will be shutdown. Many workers are undocumented, making it tough to coax the real story out of them for fear of deportation and retribution by salon owners.
To read the full article, click here:
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/05/11/nyregion/cuomo-orders-emergency-measures-to-protect-workers-at-nail-salons.html
