CROWN HEIGHTS — Several Brooklyn nail salons closed their doors for a one-day strike this week to protest new fines implemented by the state to regulate the industry, owners and workers said.
The salons, located on Nostrand Avenue in Crown Heights, Eighth Avenue in Park Slope and Flatbush Avenue in Prospect-Lefferts Gardens, hung identical signs in the windows of their shuttered shops Tuesday depicting Uncle Sam next to the words “I want your money.”
The posters directed customers to an open letter published on NailGlobal.com that asked customers to “tell Governor Cuomo and elected officials” that new fines and enforcement from the state were hurting their businesses.
“What we need now is guidance and support to get us into compliance, not harsh fines,” it read. “What we need now is government collaboration, not intimidation to shut us down.”
In July, Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed legislation that would allow higher monetary fines for violations at nail salons. The legislation followed the creation of a Nail Salon Task Force, created in response to a multi-part report from The New York Times depicting widespread wage theft and health issues connected to the industry.
But the owners of the salon that closed its doors in protest Tuesday said the report was overblown and insisted the regulations that followed it are doing more harm than good.
“The new tax is so crazy,” said Rebecca Chen, owner of New Pearl Nails at 758 Nostrand Ave. “If the chair is old, they charge a ticket. If your floor is dirty, they charge. They charge everything.”
Chen said her own shop has not yet been inspected or fined, but she has heard from several friends at other Brooklyn salons who have had run-ins with regulators, though it's unclear which agency is enforcing the fines. The Departments of State, Health and Labor are among those responsible for bringing more regulation to the industry.
An inquiry to Cuomo's office was not immediately returned on Wednesday.
Mitch Ji, a worker at Fancy Nails and Spa at 638 Flatbush Ave. in Prospect-Lefferts Gardens said the salon and several more on the busy commercial strip put the strike sign in their window to ask for "more time" from regulators.
“I know there’s a new law coming, but we need time to fix things,” he said, adding that compliance is particularly hard because workers are “not really good with English.”
Other salons that participated in Tuesday’s one-day shut-down included Bling Bling Nails and Ali Nails in Crown Heights and Dolphin Spa in Park Slope. Workers couldn’t say how many salons participated in the strike in total; as of Wednesday afternoon, 1,700 people had signed an online petition supporting their effort.
Chen of New Pearl Nails hopes the strike raises awareness of the enforcement issue, especially at a time when fewer customers are coming through her door.
“Before … last year, in August, we’re very busy before Labor Day,” she said, sitting in one of a dozen empty manicure stations in her store. “Now, it’s so slow.”
Nail salon workers are encouraged to call the Nail Salon Task Force to report concerns about safety, wages or working conditions at 888-469-7365.
