Please remember that all VIP Members are welcome to email me with their questions or concerns at any time, for free. These emails come directly to my phone and receive hasty replies during office hours on week days. I typically don't like to promise prompt weekend responses, but I definitely will be checking and replying whenever I can, so please take advantage of it. 

MD: Salons Can Serve Essential Workers Only

GA: Guidelines for Salons, Spas, and Barbershops

NH: Governor's Re-Opening Task Force Discusses Safety Guidance for Salons, Barber Shops

ME: Maine's Hair Salons Reopen May 1st

CO: Open With Restrictions May 1st

TN: Rules for Reopening During Coronavirus

As you'll see in a few of the articles that follow, a lot of salon owners and professionals are telling on themselves. They are foolish to assume this (and the unemployment applications so many beauty professionals are currently filing) won't draw the attention of law enforcement agencies, or that the circumstances will result in them being granted any leniency. The legal community is taking notice and you can be certain federal authorities are as well. Already, there are rumblings about new state laws being drafted to address the issues.

IF YOU ARE NOT IN COMPLIANCE, YOU NEED TO MAKE IMMEDIATE CHANGES.

I urge you to consider participating in the Wage & Hour Division's Payroll Audit Independent Determination program and the Voluntary Classification Settlement Program offered by the Internal Revenue Service.

Independent Contractors and COVID-19: Working Without Protections

What has resulted is millions of workers who are out of work during this pandemic—construction workers, manicurists and hairdressers, retail and restaurant workers and others—or whose work is needed more than ever—cleaners, homecare workers, delivery drivers—but who have been told over and over by their employers that they are “independent contractors” who are not entitled to unemployment insurance benefits, paid sick days, health and safety protections, or paid family and medical leave protections.

Workers in "Contractor" Limbo at Risk in COVID-19 Jobless Wave

The coming tsunami of unemployment claims driven by the Covid-19 pandemic will make it harder for workers who claim they’re misclassified as contractors to get the legal help often needed to prove they’re eligible for unemployment benefits, legal observers said.

The Coronavirus is Expanding the Safety Net

“While you’re putting yourself at risk, the companies you work for are denying you basic job protections by misclassifying you as independent contractors,” Warren said. “I want to be loud and clear on this one: You are employees and you should have all of the rights and protections that come with that. These companies are boosting their profits by denying you basic protection, and it is putting your health and your economic safety at risk and it is putting the health and economic safety of your families at risk.”

These Workers Are Going Without Pay During the Coronavirus Pandemic

You probably won't be shocked to find we're on this list.

"On Monday, there were so many people applying for unemployment benefits in New York that the influx of requests crashed the Department of Labor's website several times throughout the day. The DOL hotline was reportedly also jammed."

Uber, Lyft Hit with $630 Million in Back Wages

More than 2,000 California ride-hailing drivers have filed wage claims against Uber and Lyft since February.

NJ: Unemployment Compensation Update

A FAQ issued by the NJDOL, entitled “Self Employed NJ Workers: Frequently Asked Questions During the Coronavirus Emergency,” suggests that individuals who believe they have been misclassified by their employers as an independent contractor apply for unemployment benefits and that they may report their potential misclassification to the NJDOL.

Self-Employed Workers Stuck Waiting for Help

The delay is not sitting well with many self-employed workers, who are eager to sign up for benefits but find they are unable to apply or are getting denied.

"When I found out that the stimulus included independent contractors being able to file for unemployment, I saw a glimmer of hope," said Jackson, 33, whose hope was "shattered" when she was initially denied.

TX: Some Salons, Barbershops Feel Cut Out of Texas Reopening Orders

Lulu Benavidez of Lulu’s the Salon and Day Spa, 5205 Ave. U in Galveston, is busy training her 12 employees in new protocols for reopening post-COVID-19, she said. In business for 40 years, Benavidez’s shop employs 12 people and her stylists are employees, not independent contractors, so they have been able to receive unemployment benefits during the shutdown, she said.

HI: Salons and Barbershops Anxious to Reopen

MA: Hairstylists in Massachusetts Stuck Waiting for Unemployment

MT: Salons Take Different Approaches to Reopening After Quarantine

TX: Two Women Arrested for Breaching Lockdown Rules and Offering Home Beauty Services

Employees Revolt After Salon Owner Receives PPP Loan

“It’s a windfall they see coming,” Black-Lewis said of unemployment. “In their mind, I took it away.”

“I couldn’t believe it,” she added. “On what planet am I competing with unemployment?”

Small Businesses Face Hard Choices

How to Apply for Unemployment Benefits if You're a Freelancer or Self-Employed

Kudlow: Businesses Shouldn't Be Held Liable for COVID