HARTFORD -- After several complaints from nail salon employees about questionable health and employment practices, the Connecticut Department of Labor's Wage and Workplace Standards Division recently investigated 25 nail salons across the state. They issued stop-work orders and shutdown 23 of them for wage violations.
The wage division recovered more than $47,350 in owed wages for the employees and expects to collect additional money, according to state Department of Labor Commissioner Sharon Palmer. The businesses were charged an additional $79,000 in civil penalties for under-reporting payroll and for paying employees in cash; as well as $21,300 for wage and hour violations.
The salons included in the crackdown are:
- Hartford: La Nails, American Nails, Modern Nails, Pink Nails, Touch Nails
- New Haven: Magic Nail and Spa, Fashion Nail and Spa, Outo Nails
- Stamford: Fiji Nail Salon, Cozy Nail Salon, Classic Nails, Lux Nails, Ace Nails
- Branford: Oasis Nails, Pretty Nail and Spa, Sera Nail Salon, Town Nails, Simply Nails
- Westport/Darien/Southport: Posh Nail and Spa LLC (3 locations), Queen Nail and Spa, Finger Nails
Investigators determined that workers were being paid in cash with no payroll records, wages were below the minimum wage of $9.15 per hour, and no overtime pay was being provided, according to Gary Pechie, director of the Wage and Workplace Standards Division. Additionally, several salons did not have proper worker’s compensation coverage.
"We've had one individual getting paid $40 for a 10-hour day," said Pechie, who said the salon owner thought tips made up the difference. Pechie said he is planning a wage practices seminar for nail salons owners.
All 23 salons are now in compliance with state workplace laws and have been allowed to resume operations.
"They've all gotten back to work, they've all paid the penalties, they've all agreed to put their employees on a payroll, keep proper records, get the proper worker's compensation coverage, which is very important so they're all back to work now," said Pechie.
He said this crackdown, a one-day affair with five teams of two investigators each won't be the last one.
"We're going to continue to monitor them obviously," said Pechie. "Certainly we will be out there doing spot checks periodically."
He added that this investigation was spawned from both complaints and media reports. The New York Times recently wrote about unpaid manicurists.
If you feel like you are not being paid the appropriate amount, or were not paid at all, you can download a complaint form here.