5 Milford Nail Salons Shut Down By State

MILFORD, CT — Five Milford-based nail salons were issued stop work orders this week by the state Department of Labor, officials announced Friday. A total of 24 nail salons across Connecticut were issued the stop work orders.

According to the agency’s Division of Wage and Workplace Standards, nail salons in six towns including Milford were issued Stop Work orders for violations that included no worker’s compensation coverage, cash payments without maintaining required payroll records, and misclassifying employees as independent contractors.

The five Milford locations are: Nailopia & Spa Inc., dba Pink Nails, 115 Gulf Street; Elegant Nails & Spa LLC dba Elegant Nails, 232 Boston Post Road; Clover Nail & Spa., 1680 Boston Post Road; Milford Pinky Nails, 404 Bridgeport Avenue; Pearl Nails & Spa, 100 Lansdale Avenue.

“Although we recognize the importance of keeping businesses open and employees on the job, our first responsibility is to ensure that workers are being paid correctly for the jobs that they do, and proper protections are in place should they get injured while on the job,” State Labor Commissioner Kurt Westby said in a news release. “In promoting workplace compliance, we help create a level playing field so employers doing the right thing can remain competitive.”

Westby noted that the agency is working with the businesses to get them into compliance with state laws, with the goal to get many re-opened by this weekend.

In 2018, the agency issued 118 Stop Work orders. When a Stop Work order is issued, a business is unable to reopen until it provides proof that all deficiencies have been corrected. Under state law employers are fined for those days the business operated in violation. Under state statute, this is $300 per worker per day of the violations.