It’s a long process to get a law drafted and adopted into legislature, even on a state level. They need to be written, introduced, recommended, lobbied, voted on, lobbied again, approved, and finally (hopefully) passed.
They are there for your benefit. They are there to protect you. They are there to give you the means to hold others accountable for the wrongs they commit against you.
Use them.
When you prosecute a bad business owner for wage and labor abuses, you aren’t just standing up for yourself, you are standing up for everyone in your industry. You are playing a small role in a huge, nationwide production. You are setting an example. You are making a firm statement that we deserve better.
You don’t deserve to be stolen from.
You don’t deserve to be overworked without compensation.
You don’t deserve to be treated like a second-class citizen.
You don’t deserve to be taken advantage of in any capacity.
You deserve fair, living wages.
You deserve reasonable contract terms.
You deserve employment benefits.
You deserve to be classified appropriately.
You deserve overtime pay.
All of these things are guaranteed to you by federal (and in some instances, state) laws.
A lot of you have become aware of the massive change required to correct this industry. These changes happen gradually. We need to fight for it together a little bit at a time. Spread information. Refuse positions that don’t honor the laws of this country. Walk away from exploitative owners. Question authority.
Most importantly, report and enforce.
If you want to be actively involved in changing this business for the better by influencing legislation by aggressively pushing for changes (instead of passively responding to proposed changes), I’m in the process of making that much easier for all of us. For now, you can join our Facebook militia or become a fan of this blog on Facebook to receive updates. You can also subscribe via email in the box on the right sidebar if you prefer to automatically receive emails when new posts are made.
Fight for yourself, fight for your industry, and fight for fair treatment. We deserve it.
Thank you so much for this Tina!
I contacted you about this issue and you answered me promptly and I appreciate it!
It’s not easy to stand up as , especially where I live, labor violations in the salon are accepted as industry standard.
I keep hearing it’s “just the way it’s done” and part of “paying your dues until you have a full book”(these are quotes from coworkers who are being ripped off and exploited too but are afraid to do anything about it ).
What is going on is NOT ok. It is a huge reason why stylists in my area are flocking to “salon suites” and we are watching many established salons close their doors (and these owners are blaming the corporations who own these suites instead of realizing that stylists are sick of pouring their heart and soul into their work only to be used and abused and not paid legally or fairly and that is why they would rather rent a suite and handle their own business!).
Changes need to be made but until the employees stick up and stand up for their rights the majority of owners aren’t going to make changes!