New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo launched a special task force today to crack down on nail salons in New York City that underpay workers and but their lives in danger. The move came after a New York Times expose on how manicurists are exploited in the city.
On May 7, the Times published a report that found that many workers are paid less than minimum wage and some weren’t paid at all. Some even have their tips taken away for minor violations, as they are constantly under video surveillance. Despite that, few employers are ever punished for labor violations.
On May 8, the Times published another report on illnesses that workers often deal with due to exposure to chemicals.
In response to the reports, Cuomo announced on Monday that he has created an Enforcement Task Force just to look into these violations, with the Departments of Health, State, Labor, Taxation and Finance working with the Workers’ Compensation Board.
“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,” 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. This Task Force will crack down on these kinds of abuses in the nail salon industry, enforce all of New York’s health and safety regulations, and help ensure that no one – regardless of their citizenship status or what language they speak – is illegally victimized by their employer.”
According to The Times, salons need to post signs to tell workers their rights and will be in multiple languages. That way, workers will know that they cannot work without being paid.
Workers will also need to wear masks to protect them from exposure to dangerous chemicals. The New York State Health Department will also do a study to find the best safety practices.
There are over 2,000 nail salons in New York City alone, but the Times found that only 29 were inspected by the New York State Labor Department in May 2014, with 116 wage violations discovered.
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