On May 26, Vietnamese American Initiative for Development (VietAID) and Greater Boston Legal Services (GBLS) launched a report as part of the Massachusetts Nail Salon Project. The report, titled “From Our Own Voices,” sheds light on the experiences of Vietnamese nail salon workers in Massachusetts before and during the pandemic. It is a collection of findings from 52 qualitative interviews with workers from 2016-2020, survey responses from 51 workers and 15 owners, and informal stories from community partners.
“Nail salon owners and workers faced income and employment instability, both before and during the pandemic,” said Thao Ho, legal organizing fellow with VietAID and GBLS. The organizations understood the need to learn about the Massachusetts nail salon industry many years ago.
“Although some nail salons often operate on a wage basis, most operate on a commission basis, with workers receiving a share of profits… This creates a high-risk, high-reward pay system that benefits workers when there are a lot of customers coming through the doors — and hurts workers when there are no customers. Furthermore, the seasonal nature of the industry means that workers earn more in busier seasons like the summer and prom season, and much less in slow seasons such as the winter.”
The pandemic, said Ho, exposed the fragility of this existing system. During the shutdown, both workers and owners relied on relief, which was not enough to support the industry. 40% of workers said that unemployment assistance was not enough to cover living costs. Because of the commission system, workers and owners could not generate other income during the shutdown, while delayed reopening created a shorter busy season. These conditions forced 70% of the surveyed owners to reduce staffing during COVID-19. Owners tried to respond to the slowdown by raising services prices, but this was not enough to compensate for a loss in customer volume.
Workers and owners also had strong concerns about safety during the pandemic. While different funding sources helped businesses meet COVID-19 protocols through reopening, these funds were only a short-term solution to the long-term demand for costly Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), including masks, gowns, gloves, and face shields. In addition, language barriers and lack of eligibility information in non-English languages delayed much-needed benefits for nail salon workers while they quarantined. Furthermore, there was a lack of effort to prioritize the nail salon industry for vaccinations.
“We also witnessed anti-Asian violence occur within the nail salon space, both before and during the pandemic,” said Ho. “The nail salon industry faced racism and violence from customers because of the devaluing of low wage, immigrant, Asian women labor. And at the same time, we see media equating nail salon work with sweatshops without actually highlighting that nail salons strive to keep up with rapidly changing health and safety protocols for the workplace. We saw this racism manifest during the pandemic. In the beginning, in May of 2020, Governor Gavin Newsom of California declared that the state’s community spread of COVID originally came from within a nail salon. Although this statement was later revoked, it caused irreparable harm to the nail salon industry.” Workers also reported that they encountered verbal insults, customers refusing to pay or tip workers, spitting on workers, and yelling. While there are initiatives to help combat anti-Asian violence, which involve law enforcement, workers often have turned to community alternatives because of “vulnerable conditions, such as lack of immigration status.”
Janet Vo, a staff attorney from GBLS, said that she hopes the report launch will spark a conversation on how to support workers in the personal service and care sector. She said that she recommends that elected officials advocate for policies that prioritize an equitable COVID recovery plan for immigrant and BIPOC communities. She also said that she believes nail industry workers, who have often remained unseen, should be heard in the formation of decisions and proposed regulations.
“Vietnamese Americans make up a majority of the nail salon industry, locally and nationally. But the most vulnerable members of this group are often left out of decisions that impact their health, safety, and livelihood,” said Vo. “Any proposed measures that are issued by government agencies should be community informed and should include input from workers and businesses in the industry, who have often remained invisible.”
