Effective
immediately, every nail salon in New York will be required to post a
manicurists’ bill of rights in clear sight of customers and employees,
the latest effort by city and state leaders to curb the widespread exploitation of workers in the sprawling nail salon industry.
The placards, unveiled on Friday by Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo
and the New York City public advocate, Letitia James, are poised to
become a new fixture of the city’s interior landscape, like the
ubiquitous posters in restaurants that show first aid for choking
victims and the printed encouragements in restrooms for employees to
wash their hands.
In large fonts and bright colors, the posters
describe minimum-wage requirements for tipped and untipped workers, and
include a list of safety measures that salon owners are legally
required to provide to employees, like a face mask and gloves.
“These
are your rights regardless of immigration status,” the posters read, in
an acknowledgment by New York officials that undocumented salon workers
are especially vulnerable to exploitation. A telephone number to call
to report violations is also listed.
The posters will be printed in 10 languages, including Chinese, Korean and Spanish, according to the governor’s office.
To
increase consumer awareness, officials also plan to distribute an
information card, listing the “top five things to ask when entering nail
salons.” The card includes questions about adequate ventilation, the
presence of a business license and whether the manicurists’ bill of
rights is clearly visible.
“We’re
asking New Yorkers to help; we’re asking New Yorkers to get involved,”
Mr. Cuomo said at a news conference in Midtown Manhattan, with Ms. James
at his side. He urged salon customers who spotted violations to “walk
out the door, go down the block, patronize another business.”
The
process of reforming the industry, Mr. Cuomo said, could happen more
quickly if customers spent their money only at salons that appear to
meet proper standards. “Nobody can do it faster than the consumer can do
it,” he said. “Nobody can do it faster than the marketplace can do it.”
The
governor has also introduced legislation that would give regulators
more authority to penalize, or in some cases shut down, salons that are
found to have mistreated workers.
Ms.
James, the public advocate, said in an interview on Friday that she was
pleased with the efforts to keep salon patrons and workers better
informed.
Ms.
James, whose office published a report last year highlighting the poor
conditions for salon workers, said she would also urge state officials
to significantly increase the number of inspectors to enforce new
regulations.
Customers,
Ms. James said, may not always speak the language of the workers they
meet at a salon, and she expressed concerned that some patrons would not
take the time to check on their surroundings.
“The
best efforts are going to be made on the ground with community-based
organizations and advocacy groups that have a relationship with these
workers, and speak their native language,” Ms. James said.
The public advocate’s office is sponsoring a bill
in the City Council that would require salons to register with the city
and would provide incentives to businesses to meet higher safety
standards.
The office of Mayor Bill de Blasio sponsored an event last week in which hundreds of volunteers visited more than 1,000 salons
around the city to distribute information to workers about wages, paid
sick leave and how to limit exposure to potentially harmful chemicals in
nail products.
At
Friday’s news conference, Mr. Cuomo said that New York had about 3,300
salons, “more per capita than any state in the nation.”
“If
the owners of the illegal nail salons see that they are losing
business, I think that is the most effective compliance mechanism we can
use,” the governor said.
Mr.
Cuomo opened his remarks by saying with a smile, “I have no great
amount of personal interaction with nail salons, I want you to know.”
But
the governor conceded that he had “paid more than my share to nail
salons” on behalf of his three daughters, whom he described as manicure
and pedicure enthusiasts.
“I thought they were their friends, ‘mani’ and ‘pedi,’ ” the governor said, to laughter.