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Nail Salon Workers Suing Employers For Violating Labor Laws
By
Rebecca Fishbein
Published May 15, 2015
Modified May 15, 2015
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By
Rebecca Fishbein
Published May 15, 2015
Modified May 15, 2015
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Last week, the NY Times rattled fans of mani/pedis and fair labor laws with a damning report documenting the profuse exploitation of nail salon workers, triggering the implementation of a statewide salon task force and dozens of pieces examining the ethics of getting one's nails done. And yesterday, two manicurists filed a class action suit against four nail salons, claiming they were mistreated, underpaid and overworked.
Upper East Side salons Nailsway, Naulo Nails, Nailsmetic and Nailscure, who are all owned by the same proprietors, were named in the suit, which was filed in U.S. District Court in Manhattan yesterday. The plaintiffs claim they worked nearly twelve hour days and earned $60 or less for a day's work; they were not giving overtime pay or allotted time for meal breaks.
The plaintiffs' attorney told reporters that clients Blanca Fernandez and Gloria Marca planned to sue the salons prior to the Times exposé. The story did, however, appear to motivate the creation of a new nail salon task force, launched by Governor Cuomo earlier this week. That task force will investigate labor exploitation in salons statewide, as well as work with the state Health Department to ensure workers are not exposed to harmful chemicals or disease on the job.
Tagged
Exploitation
labor laws
nail salons
nailsway
Rebecca Fishbein
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