The nail industry is a growing, billion-dollar business, as women across a broad economic spectrum head into salons for manicures and pedicures. A widely shared two-part story from The New York Times uncovered egregious labor violations in the industry, including manicurists who were paid just $1.50 a day for a 66-hour workweek and others who were kicked and verbally abused as they sat on pedicure stools. Some medical research also shows a link between the ingredients used in beauty products and serious health problems such as cancer and recurrent miscarriages.
From the story:
Nora Cacho was paid about 50 percent of the price of every manicure or lip wax she did at a Harlem shop that was part of a chain, Envy Nails. She frequently earned about $200 for each 66- hour workweek — about $3 an hour.
Read the stories here (part 1) and here (part 2).