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    Chet ManleyAleksander Chan
    5/11/15 10:22am

    Cue outrage from people who don’t way to pay an extra $5 for a luxury.

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      StenchofaburnerChet Manley
      5/11/15 10:29am

      That right there is the problem: I know several women who regularly go to a salon and do not consider it a luxury. It’s more like a “necessity” to them which, I suspect, is one of the reasons why this abuse has been so rampant for so long. The kind of hardcore demographic that patronize these places see it as a “right” to get cheap mani pedis. Pretty much in the same way that they see it as a “right” to get a low wage cleaner/ nanny/ doorman, etc etc

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      MizJenkinsChet Manley
      5/11/15 10:39am

      It’s a lot more than $5 extra to make up the difference. If we catch up to the average price nationwide it will be more like $20.

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    BeyonSayKnowsAleksander Chan
    5/11/15 10:30am

    I now feel horrible about every manicure/pedicure I’ve ever gotten.

    I’ve also never gotten a decent mani/pedi at a salon run by Americans.

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      MizJenkinsBeyonSayKnows
      5/11/15 10:39am

      I feel like an asshole for not taking two seconds to think about it and realize there was no way the prices could be that low and be fair.

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      stacyinbeanMizJenkins
      5/11/15 10:45am

      Same. I even go to a place that’s considered more expensive than most in my city, mostly because it is impeccably clean and I’m a stickler for that, and I still feel like an asshole.

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    MizJenkinsAleksander Chan
    5/11/15 10:38am

    The reporters who undertook this investigation must feel really fantastic about themselves right now and I do too. That, my friends, is journalism at its finest. Kudos!

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      lewis55MizJenkins
      5/11/15 11:45am

      What’s sad is that it took a NYT story to get the state agencies to pay any attention. We shouldn’t kid ourselves into thinking this is only a problem at nail salons. Similar kinds of labor violations re probably extensive in other industries that use primarily non-English speaking undocumented immigrant labor as their backbone to keep prices down. And they’re probably also subject to only very minimal enforcement.

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      MizJenkinslewis55
      5/11/15 12:54pm

      I agree. My brain has been working overtime all weekend to identify what jobs/industries those might be so I can be vigilant. I would guess that barbacks get a pretty shit deal, given how many of them seem to be recent immigrants from Spanish speaking countries.

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    Medieval KnievelAleksander Chan
    5/11/15 10:21am

    Yoga-pant-clad Tribeca moms applaud these measures, as long as they don’t slow down their mani-pedis, because fuck-all if they’re going to pay their nannies an extra hour under the table.

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      dothedewMedieval Knievel
      5/11/15 10:53am

      Haha. So true. It is amazing how many rich people have bragged to me how little they pay for their childcare. Ummm. Ok. Congrats?

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      ThisismyBurnerdothedew
      5/11/15 11:08am

      I know of someone who runs a nanny agency and hear of the times she has to tell these families “No I will not help you break federal labor laws and help you hire a slave”.

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    lethekkAleksander Chan
    5/11/15 10:32am

    “it is illegal to work without wages or to pay money for a job”

    So next week the salons will be advertising for internships instead?

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      amtAleksander Chan
      5/11/15 10:19am

      - Posting signs about workers rights.

      - Reminding employees that it’s illegal for companies to not pay them for their work.

      - Posting signs in Spanish, Chinese and Korean as opposed to Amurican.

      I can just feel the blood boiling of the raging right and look forward to the angry trolls. Thanks Gawker for the Monday morning gift!

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        sunhorsemoonAleksander Chan
        5/11/15 10:18am

        I noticed this weekend that my nail salon on the UES has a sign posted that they pay the 8.75 minimum wage, next to all their certifications and such. That was a nice to see, and may be something posted at other salons who pay fair (though not 100% sure.) Worth keeping an eye out for though.

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          BotanyBuffAleksander Chan
          5/11/15 10:35am

          And this is why we need real investigative reporting, folks.

          Also, enforced labor laws.

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            SterilizeAllRepublicansBotanyBuff
            5/11/15 11:28am

            But but but but... that might.... *GASP* take away tax cuts from the 1%!

            WE CAN’T HAVE THAT WE JUST CAN’T WE CAN’T WE CAAAAAAAN’T!

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          IStillCallitSheaAleksander Chan
          5/11/15 10:49am

          There are no less than 10 nail salons in my neighborhood. They are all busy, all the time. If you happen to be by one at opening you will see a 15 passenger van pull up and unload at least that many, if not more Asian women for their day of work. Right off the bat, you know that they are working the entire time the place is open, and that they are all living either in close proximity or together. I'm shocked its taken this long for someone to notice that these people are treated like indentured servants.

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            lechat55Aleksander Chan
            5/11/15 10:50am

            How hard is it to paint your own nails and toenails. I never ever understood why people consider this a necessity. Oy

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