{"id":161,"date":"2026-05-03T21:32:58","date_gmt":"2026-05-03T21:32:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/openlab.macaulay.cuny.edu\/the-people-of-new-york-city-pub\/?p=161"},"modified":"2026-05-19T02:36:09","modified_gmt":"2026-05-19T02:36:09","slug":"labor-exploitation-in-nyc-nail-salons","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/openlab.macaulay.cuny.edu\/the-people-of-new-york-city-pub\/2026\/05\/03\/labor-exploitation-in-nyc-nail-salons\/","title":{"rendered":"Labor Exploitation in NYC Nail Salons"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

By: Emily Chang, Grace Curcio, John Franks, and Qinke Wu<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Introduction<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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New York City is one of the cheapest places in the country to get a manicure \u2014 the average price of nail salon services is only $13.71 (West, 4). Why are the prices for nail work so low? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Illegal practices were what gave nail salons a way to cut costs. Nail technicians were often paid far below minimum wage, endured dangerous working conditions, and made to work hours beyond what was legal. New York City is also an area where the population of immigrants is highly concentrated, and this extends to the nail salon industry \u2014 nail salons in NYC are majority immigrant-owned and employ immigrants, particularly those of Korean, Chinese, Vietnamese, and Latino descent (West, 29). Many of the immigrant nail technicians were also undocumented, which put them in a highly vulnerable position and allowed illegal practices to continue without being reported. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Therefore, the working conditions and labor practices of the nail salon industry went long unnoticed until an 13-month-long investigation by Sarah Maslin Nir was published in the New York Times in May 2015. The piece \u2014 published in two parts, \u201cThe Price of Nice Nails\u201d and \u201cPerfect Nails, Poisoned Workers\u201d \u2014 detailed the lives of several immigrant women working in nail salons across boroughs and the conditions they faced. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here, we will examine the complex situations of nail workers before the NYT article was published, then trace the effects that the expos\u00e9 had upon labor laws, nail workers, and nail salon owners. <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pre-2015 Conditions<\/h1>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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Flexible Labor, Unstable Lives<\/strong><\/h5>\n\n\n\n

One of the most dire labor crises that New York City had seen in its history was the immigrant manicurist abuse scandal in 2015. These manicurists were being abused in various ways: \u201chaving their tips docked as punishment for minor transgressions, constant video monitoring by owners, even physical abuse (Nir, 2015).\u201dManicurists were subject to wage theft, verbal or physical abuse, exposure to toxic chemicals, and intense pressure from outside human trafficking groups. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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\"workers
Fig 1.Manicurist protesting for better labor conditions issues in New York City.West, Zoe, et al. Nyhealthynails<\/em>, ILR Worker\u2019s Institute\u2019s , nyhealthynails.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/CORNELL_NailSalonWagesRept_FIN.pdf. Accessed 19 May 2026.
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The relationship between nail salon workers and salon owners was not an equal labor relationship, but rather one built on economic dependence and power imbalance. The workers’ income, working hours, and continued employment opportunities are determined by the salon owner. When employees are unable\u2014for various reasons\u2014to secure alternative sources of income, this dependency makes it difficult for them to refuse unfavorable work arrangements, while simultaneously undermining their capacity to resist unfair treatment. Meanwhile, the salon owner can flexibly control labor costs by adjusting working hours, scheduling shifts, or changing employment arrangements.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Physical Distress<\/h6>\n\n\n\n

Manicurists work with nail paints that contain numerous amounts of toxic chemicals. Because of the long exposure times that these manicurists work, the improper ventilation of these salons, and the lack of safety equipment or ability to purchase it, these workers often bear negative side effects from their exposure (Nir, 2015). The instances of miscarriages, ectopic pregnancies, termination of fetuses in the womb, and developmental abnormalities in children are significant in the New York city manicurist population compared to the rest of the population in the city (Van Buren et al.). It is because of the traumas of disrupted pregnancies that many of these immigrant manicurists decided to speak out with New York Times reporters. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dibutyl phthalate (DBP), toluene, and formaldehyde are three chemicals found in nail polish products that have been identified as toxic to human health (de Paula 3-4). However, they continued to be used at the time of the NYT story\u2019s publication. Under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act of 1938, cosmetic products did not need to be approved by the FDA to be on the market (U.S. Food and Drug Administration). The cosmetic industry established its own review panel, claiming it was unbiased, but it was funded with the industry\u2019s own lobbying group. Therefore, the panel only reviewed a few chemicals, determining they were safe in the manner in which they were used (Nir, \u201cPerfect Nails, Poisoned Workers\u201d). Efforts to increase regulation of chemicals in nail products had been unsuccessful because of industry lobbying. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Wage Theft and Labor Exploitation<\/h6>\n\n\n\n

Workers in the nail salons examined by the Times were found to be paid far below minimum wage and made to endure other illegal practices related to their pay. When starting a job at a nail salon, workers had to pay for their own supplies. They also paid a \u201ctraining fee\u201d on the order of $100 to begin working. Workers were not paid for their first few months and when their \u201ctraining period\u201d finally ended, their starting wages were illegally low: \u201cAt the two Iris salons on Madison Avenue on the Upper East Side, longtime workers described starting out at wages of $30 and $40 a day\u201d (Nir, \u201cThe Price of Nice Nails\u201d). Workers would \u201croutinely work up to 12 hours a day, six or even seven days a week,\u201d but overtime pay was rare (Nir). Illegal pay practices extended beyond these: \u201cTips or wages are often skimmed or never delivered, or deducted as punishment for things like spilled bottles of polish\u201d (Nir). The Times article described one manicurist who was fired from her job and $270 taken from her paycheck after \u201ca splash of nail polish remover marred a customer\u2019s patent Prada sandals.\u201d Workers also rarely had paid sick leave, and breaks during the workday were discouraged (West 40). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In order to receive higher pay, a common practice was to require workers to learn higher-end skills, but the workers would first need to pay to learn those skills. In one nail salon \u201c$100 for eyebrow waxing, $100 to learn how to apply gel and cure it with ultraviolet light\u201d was what was required of workers before they could be considered for a raise (Nir, \u201cThe Price of Nice Nails\u201d). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Because of these wage practices, the living conditions for many immigrant manicurists were extremely substandard \u2014 the Times article described a manicurist sharing a one-bedroom apartment with seven other people at one point (Nir, \u201cThe Price of Nice Nails\u201d). Nail salon owners, however, lived a very different life than the nail technicians they employed. The Times article details the lifestyles of some owners: one owned several properties including a luxury apartment over Columbus Circle and had her own art collection. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Racism and Discriminatory Practices <\/h6>\n\n\n\n

An ethnic hierarchy is also present in the nail salon industry which leads to discrimination at work and often worse working conditions for workers of \u201cless desirable\u201d ethnic backgrounds, the Times article found. \u201cSeventy percent to 80 percent of salons in the city are Korean-owned, according to the Korean American Nail Salon Association,\u201d and the Korean-owned salons very often imposed a hierarchy upon the workers. Korean employees were better treated and better paid \u2014 they would \u201croutinely earn twice as much as their peers\u201d \u2014 then Chinese workers were treated as next most valued, and strong prejudices kept Hispanic and other non-Asian workers at the lowest rung of the hierarchy. Due to racial prejudices, owners assigned more desirable tasks to workers of favored ethnicities and treated them better: \u201cAna Luisa Camas, 32, an Ecuadorean immigrant, said that at a Korean-owned Connecticut salon where she worked, she and her Hispanic colleagues were made to sit in silence during their entire 12-hour shifts, while the Korean manicurists were free to chat\u201d (Nir, \u201cThe Price of Nice Nails\u201d). Hispanic workers were often made to do less desirable tasks, such as cleaning jobs and pedicures, while Korean workers were taught more advanced work (West 44).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Human Trafficking Pressures<\/h6>\n\n\n\n

Along with the exploitation that many of these workers face, they must reconcile with the pressure from groups who\u2019ve helped them reach the United States. These immigrant manicurists often owe large sums of money charged by trafficking groups that helped them and their family across the border (Duguid, 2015). This incentivizes the salon owners to continue their abuses since they know that these workers must maintain their jobs to dig their families out of these debts. Many immigrant workers at nail salons still fear losing employment, as that would lead them to financial uncertainty and a greater inability to pay off debts to trafficking groups.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fear of Losing Everything<\/h6>\n\n\n\n

On the economic level, nail salon workers generally have low incomes and cannot save enough to deal with the risk of unemployment. Because of this lack of financial security, they often avoid conflict with employers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cI also think it’s fear, because we depend a lot on work. Honestly, you can’t have any savings with low wages. I mean, you can’t say, ‘I’m going to quit this job. Sometimes it takes me a month to pay the bills and I can’t save anything.\u201d<\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The perspective of nail salon workers in research conducted by the ILR and other organizations<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Economics\/Industry <\/h5>\n\n\n\n
\"Low-wage
Fig 2.This image demonstrates the percentage of “Low wage” workers(defined as two-thirds of the average hourly pay in the U.S.) compared to low wage earners in the nail salon industry(2017-2018 data), which has significantly more low wage earners than the total population. Sharma, Preeti, et al. \u201cNail Files: Low-Wage Work in the National Nail Salon Sector.\u201d Institute for Research on Labor and Employment<\/em>, UCLA College of Social Sciences , 7 Nov. 2018, irle.ucla.edu\/2019\/12\/19\/qa-diana-marquez-2-2-2-2\/.
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The nail salon industry in the city benefits greatly from the labor of all types of immigrants, fulfilling the high demand but low supply of manicurists in the city along with the rest of the United States (Nir, 2015).<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Graph
Fig 3.Average weekly wages that are paid(dark green) and are stolen by employers(light green) through minimum wage violations in U.S. states. Data is taken from Economic Policy Institute’s population survey outgoing rotation group from 2013-2015.Cooper, David, and Teresa Kroeger. \u201cEmployers Steal Billions from Workers\u2019 Paychecks Each Year: Survey Data Show Millions of Workers Are Paid Less than the Minimum Wage, at Significant Cost to Taxpayers and State Economies.\u201d Economic Policy Institute<\/em>, Economic Policy Institute , 10 May 2017, www.epi.org\/publication\/employers-steal-billions-from-workers-paychecks-each-year\/.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
Federal Immigration Policies In The United States<\/h5>\n\n\n\n

The ability for immigrants to obtain these visas and maintain them while working in the United States is often determined by their ability to keep earning money and maintaining employment due to fees. Also, if an immigrant had come to the United States through being sponsored by their employees such as many of the New York City nail manicurists were, they must maintain this employment for their sponsorship to remain valid (Carnegie Corporation of New York). This situation has been primarily caused by the strict immigration laws implemented by the United States Federal Government. These immigrants face problems if they do not save enough money to undergo the process of maintaining a visa. In order to enter the United States legally one must obtain a temporary visa which can be acquired in numerous ways. An immigrant could get an asylum claim approved for political or religious prosecution, be sponsored by an employer or a family member that is a citizen, and apply as an individual with a special talent deemed valued by Federal law (Carnegie Corporation of New York).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"The
Fig 4.The percentage of the low income earner in various U.S states that experience wage violations. The minimum wage amount next to the names of each state is from 2015. Federal Minimum wage was still $7.25 in 2015.Cooper, David, and Teresa Kroeger. \u201cEmployers Steal Billions from Workers\u2019 Paychecks Each Year: Survey Data Show Millions of Workers Are Paid Less than the Minimum Wage, at Significant Cost to Taxpayers and State Economies.\u201d Economic Policy Institute<\/em>, Economic Policy Institute , 10 May 2017, www.epi.org\/publication\/employers-steal-billions-from-workers-paychecks-each-year\/.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
Labor Laws<\/h5>\n\n\n\n

Prior to 2015, the legal structure for nail salons was composed mostly of federal wage and hour laws (U.S. Department of Labor). The Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) mandating the minimum wage and overtime, coupled with New York Labor Law on wage theft, offered legal safeguards for workers. Courts, in cases spanning decades, maintained that immigration status didn\u2019t make a difference and that laws preventing wage theft were \u201call encompassing regardless of legal status\u201d (U.S. Department of Labor). Violations persisted, however. Workers lacked the resources or were too scared to report abuses due to fear of retaliation or discrimination in an industry in which some fear going home would mean no job. Many weren\u2019t able to speak English well or even at all. So, despite laws to the contrary, protections never materialized. This implies that a legal loophole, specifically depending on the affected person filing a claim, leaves immigrant workers and other undocumented immigrants and illegal aliens with few options. Without the capacity to report violations, they\u2019ve limited to no legal protection against being victims. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Government Response <\/h1>\n\n\n\n

State Government Enforcement<\/h5>\n\n\n\n

Two days after the New York Times investigation was published, Governor Andrew Cuomo announced emergency measures to be taken to enforce workers\u2019 rights at nail salons, make investigations into working conditions at salons, and institute new rules to protect workers (Nir, \u201cCuomo Orders Emergency Measures\u201d). Salons were required to post signs in several languages informing workers of their rights, manicurists were required to wear protective equipment like gloves and masks, and salons needed to be bonded \u2014 contracting with a bonding agency to ensure that workers would be paid if the salon was found to be underpaying them (New York State). An education campaign would encourage workers to report mistreatment, and agencies would not inquire into the immigration status of workers when they reported on their conditions. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Enforcement of these new legal changes took place in several nail salons across New York State starting in July 2015, the same month as the emergency legislation came into force. This immediately resulted in hundreds of salons being investigated and nearly $300 million recovered for back wages owed to workers who typically made low minimum wages and were overworked and underpaid. However, these results also illustrated the sheer extent to which workers were being taken advantage of in the industry because laws had previously been seldom enforced (Nir, \u201cUnderpaid\u201d).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Governor Andrew Cuomo (D-NY) pushed policies to crack down on NYC nail salons that didn\u2019t have proper licensing and enacted a state of emergency so regulators could help enforce this new effort. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Andrew
Fig 5.Andrew Cuomo signing a measure that would enforce greater regulation on nail salon licensing. This occurred in July 2015.Nir, Sarah Maslin, and Paige Pagan. \u201cBenefits, and Some Resistance, as New York Cracks down on Nail Salon Abuses (Published 2015).\u201d Benefits, and Some Resistance, as New York Cracks Down on Nail Salon Abuses<\/em>, The New York Times, 16 July 2015, www.nytimes.com\/2015\/07\/17\/nyregion\/benefits-and-some-resistance-as-new-york-cracks-down-on-nail-salon-abuses.html.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
City Government Support<\/h5>\n\n\n\n

Former NYC Mayor Bill De Blasio (D-NY) responded within his jurisdiction which was to use city departments such as the Department of Immigrant Affairs to attempt to educate immigrants on their rights and encourage them to speak out against their abusive employers. 
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Effects Of Government Involvement<\/h1>\n\n\n\n
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