Following a New York Times investigation into the treatment of workers in the city’s nail salons, the Labor Department has ordered 40 percent of New York salons reviewed in an investigation to pay $1.1 million in back wages to underpaid workers. Governor Andrew M. Cuomo ordered the industry to clean up its act last year following the Times’ exposé, which revealed a bevy of labor laws in violation, including poor working conditions and low pay.
According to the Times’ explanation of the investigation findings, at least 85 percent of the salons kept improper payroll records and a quarter of the salons paid wages that were less than the state minimum wage. One employee was reportedly paid $30 a day for 10-hour shifts and more than 10 percent of the salons charged manicurists for supplies necessary to the job, like gloves or clippers, which is illegal.
Read the full report at The New York Times.
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