Nail Salon Workers Research Paper

The New York City (NYC) metropolitan area has more than 2,000 nail salons as reported by the United States (U.S.) Census Bureau, which is unrivaled by any other metropolitan area in the U.S. A vast majority of the nail salons are owned and operated by immigrants with the workforce largely comprised of employees with Asian or Hispanic descent. Since a large concentration of immigrant nail salon workers are deficient in the English language and illiterate to worker rights, they are vulnerable to substantial exploitation from nail salon employers. According to several lawsuits filed in the New York City (NYC) metropolitan area, nail salon workers are allegedly working in unsafe environments and getting paid much less than the required minimum

The results determined the vast majority of workers are paid less than minimum and have to endure various types of humiliation, such as having tips dropped as punishment for minor infractions, constant monitoring by owners, and even physical abuse. Among the more than 100 nail salon employees interviewed, only about 25% insisted they were getting paid the required state minimum wage. Furthermore, the long exposure to the chemicals used in nail salons are suggested to be very harmful, especially if the salon has poor ventilation, and salon employers have not taken precautions to ensure the environmental safety of the workers. Due to new legislation surrounding the allegations, certain rights are protected, but a refined policy that further protects nail salon workers is still needed to hold nail salon owners that break the law

In the short-term, the nail salon industry may experience a stagnation or decline in hiring, and a profit loss due to the expense increase required to compensate employees appropriately. The concern of large-scale liquidation in the nail salon industry has its merits, but nail salon prices have remained constant since the early 1990’s despite yearly inflation. Therefore, the cheap manicure cost is maintained through the sacrifice of nail salon workers’ rights. Additionally, the New York Times has stated that many nail salon owners are living a luxurious life, which is quite the opposite of those in which they employ. For example, a nail salon owner’s wife proudly bought a $2 million dollar painting in 2012, but ironically, she was sued by her employees for not paying off overtime in 2010. The U.S. Census has shown rapid nail salon industry business growth in the NYC metropolitan area over the last decade, but the industry’s growth should not emanate from the violation of employee rights. All policy changes regarding workers’ rights place financial burden on the employers in the short-term, but the new checks and balances policy will create a better overall work environment for all parties involved in the long-term. Additionally, a foreseen benefit of the proposed policy for