6 Long Island Nail Salons Ordered to Pay More Than $200K in Back Wages, Penalties

Six Long Island nail salons will pay a total of $178,000 in back wages and damages in addition to $24,640 in civil penalties as part of a settlement after an investigation revealed that a total of 95 workers were underpaid, the U.S. Department of Labor announced Wednesday.

The investigation–which began following a bombshell New York Times report last year that exposed the poor treatment many salon workers across New York face–also revealed that the salons had overtime and record-keeping violations of the Fair Labor Standards Act, authorities said.

“Nail salon workers cannot afford to be underpaid,” Irv Miljoner, director of the Wage and Hour Division’s Long Island District Office said. “The industry employs vulnerable workers less likely to complain about unfair labor practices because of language barriers and fear of losing their jobs.”

According to the U.S. Department of Labor, many nail salon workers are not paid overtime but rather paid a flat rate in cash for each day they work, in order to avoid both paying overtime and keeping accurate time records.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the annual average earnings for a manicurist in Nassau and Suffolk counties is $20,670 with an hourly wage of $9.94.

The following Long Island salons are part of the settlement:

• Nails & Relaxation Spa 1 at 80A Merrick Road in Copiague will pay 19 employees $31,365 in back wages and an equal amount in liquidated damages. The salon will also pay $5,544 in civil monetary penalties.
• Nails & Relaxation Spa III at 2790 Sunrise Highway in Bellmore will pay 27 employees $14,912 in back wages and an equal amount in liquidated damages. The salon will also pay an additional $8,316 in civil monetary penalties.
• Nails & Relaxation IV 601-12 Portion Road in Lake Ronkonkoma will pay 13 employees $21,532.
• Nails & Relaxation V at 2332 North Ocean Ave. in Farmingville will pay six employees $9,045 in back wages and an equal amount in liquidated damages. The salon will also pay $1,848 in civil monetary penalties.
• M B Relaxation Spa at 4650 Merrick Road in Massapequa will pay 13 employees $17,986 in back wages. The salon will also pay an additional $4,004 in civil monetary penalties.
• Aegean Spa & Nails at at 757 Montauk Highway in West Babylon will pay 17 employees $14,384 in back wages and an equal amount in liquidated damages. The salon will also pay $4,928 in civil monetary penalties.

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