Salon Workers Are Increasingly Becoming Victims of Wage Theft

According to the New York Times, a number of hair, nail, and waxing salons in New York and surrounding states are now defendants in three separate class action lawsuits claiming that they failed to pay minimum wages, failed to pay overtime compensation, and failed to maintain accurate work logs/time cards for many of their employees – all violations of state and federal labor laws.

In one lawsuit, manicurists (often immigrants reluctant to sue), claim that they were robbed of overtime and were paid a flat daily rate in cash every week. They also claim that their employers kept poor records and did not provide mandatory meal or rest breaks.

In another case, a class of more than 100 current and former hairstylists, employed by a group of hair salons operating as single enterprise, claim that they were cheated out of overtime compensation by being misclassified as sales employees. They are seeking more than $5 million for wage and hour violations.

The latest suit was brought by employees of a waxing salon chain who claim that they, too, were paid commissions or tips only, not regular or overtime compensation for actual hours worked. They further allege that were routinely asked to falsify time records by punching in and out only when customers arrived and left.

Employees across all service industries are entitled to fair and honest compensation for actual hours worked, including overtime. The attorneys in Sommers Schwartz’ Employment Litigation Group have handled hundreds of wage and hour disputes, and are ready to speak with you about any suspicions you have about wage theft or job misclassification. Please contact us today – we’re here to help.