"Cuomo Orders Emergency Measures to Protect Workers at Nail Salons"

"Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo ordered emergency measures on Sunday to combat the wage theft and health hazards faced by the thousands of people who work in New York State’s nail salon industry.

Effective immediately, he said in a statement, a new, multiagency task force will conduct salon-by-salon investigations, institute new rules that salons must follow to protect manicurists from the potentially dangerous chemicals found in nail products, and begin a six-language education campaign to inform them of their rights.

Nail salons that do not comply with orders to pay workers back wages, or are unlicensed, will be shut down. The new rules come in response to a New York Times investigation of nail salons — first published online last week — that detailed the widespread exploitation of manicurists, many of whom have illnesses that some scientists and health advocates say are caused by the chemicals with which they work."

Sarah Maslin Nir reports for the New York Times May 11, 2015.


SEE ALSO:

Part 1: "The Price of Nice Nails" (New York Times)

Part 2: "Perfect Nails, Poisoned Workers" (New York Times)