A salon in Queens will pay more than $5,000 to a manicurist after allegedly telling a worker she was a “trainee” and not entitled to minimum wage or overtime. The employer also informed the woman she would have to pay a deposit to work at the salon.
According to a press statement by New York Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman, the worker was a Nepali immigrant who spoke limited English.
She was required to work as a “trainee” for 3 months, from March through May of 2012, during which time she was initially given only small amounts of money for food. About half way through her 3 months at the salon, she was paid $30 for what was often a 10-hour workday—which works out to a mere $3 per hour.