Bellmore Nail Salon to Pay Nearly $15,000 in Back Wages

An investigation by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division’s Long Island District Office has resulted in the recovery of more than $178,000 in back wages and damages for 95 nail salon workers underpaid between 2012 and 2015 at six Nassau and Suffolk County nail salons, including one in Bellmore. In addition, the salons will pay $24,640 in civil monetary penalties as part of their settlement.

Nails & Relaxation Spa III, located 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.

This latest investigation is part of the division’s ongoing strategic enforcement initiative to eliminate wage violations and help educate vulnerable workers in the low-wage nail salon industry about their employment rights.

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

Many nail salon workers are not paid overtime. Typically, they are paid a flat rate – in cash – for each day they work, in an attempt to avoid both paying overtime and keeping accurate time records. The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports annual average earnings for a manicurist in Nassau and Suffolk counties is $20,670 with an hourly wage of $9.94.

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