--- description: The new measures aim to protect New York State nail salon workers from exploitation and potentially dangerous chemicals title: Nail Salon Workers Get Emergency Protection Order By Gov Andrew Cuomo image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt9a08b9483263c5bd/6987ef2e3c163903d5455f26/nail-salon.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [U.S.](/section/us/) ## U.S. Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [Workplace & Careers](/tag/workplace-careers/) ## Workplace & Careers Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # New York Governor Acts to Protect Exploited Nail Salon Workers by [Sam Frizell](/author/sam-frizell/) ## Sam Frizell Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close May 11, 2015 12:07 PM CUT  A customer receives a manicure at Castle nail salon in New York City on Jan. 8, 2015. A customer receives a manicure at Castle nail salon in New York City on Jan. 8, 2015.Bebeto Matthew—AP by [Sam Frizell](/author/sam-frizell/) ## Sam Frizell Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close May 11, 2015 12:07 PM CUT New York Governor Andrew Cuomo unveiled emergency measures on Sunday to protect thousands of workers in his state’s nail salon industry from wage theft and health hazards. A new multiagency task force will immediately conduct salon-by-salon investigations, protect manicurists from chemicals in nail products, and educate workers on their rights, Cuomo said in a statement. The measures come days after the New York _Times_ [published online](http://www.nytimes.com/2015/05/10/nyregion/at-nail-salons-in-nyc-manicurists-are-underpaid-and-unprotected.html "undefined") an indepth investigation into the exploitation of nail manicurists, many of whom are severely underpaid and regularly exposed to potentially dangerous chemicals. “We will not stand idly by as workers are deprived of their hard-earned wages and robbed of their most basic rights,” Cuomo said in a statement, according to the [New York _Times_](http://www.nytimes.com/2015/05/11/nyregion/cuomo-orders-emergency-measures-to-protect-workers-at-nail-salons.html "undefined"). Nail salons that do not comply with orders to pay workers back wages will be shut down, according to the new rules. \[[_NYT_](http://www.nytimes.com/2015/05/11/nyregion/cuomo-orders-emergency-measures-to-protect-workers-at-nail-salons.html "undefined")\] ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3853517/nail-salon-new-york-protections/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3853517/nail-salon-new-york-protections/"},"headline":"New York Governor Acts to Protect Exploited Nail Salon Workers","datePublished":"2015-05-11T12:07:03.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-22T07:05:10.079Z","description":"Andrew Cuomo's emergency measures include a multiagency taskforce conducting immediate salon-by-salon investigations","url":"https://time.com/3853517/nail-salon-new-york-protections/","keywords":["Workplace & Careers","Labor","New York"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt9a08b9483263c5bd/6987ef2e3c163903d5455f26/nail-salon.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Sam Frizell","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/sam-frizell/"}],"articleSection":"U.S.","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt9a08b9483263c5bd/6987ef2e3c163903d5455f26/nail-salon.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"A customer receives a manicure at Castle nail salon in New York City on Jan. 8, 2015.","caption":"A customer receives a manicure at Castle nail salon in New York City on Jan. 8, 2015.","creditText":"Bebeto Matthew—AP","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/us/","name":"U.S."}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/workplace-careers/","name":"Workplace & Careers"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/3853517/nail-salon-new-york-protections/","name":"New York Governor Acts to Protect Exploited Nail Salon Workers"}}]}] ```