Lawmaker Who Crafted Protections for Nail Salon Workers Now Opposes Them

It didn't take long for state and city officials to act after The New York Times published a scathing report on the systematic abuse and exploitation of nail salon workers.

But now, one Queens lawmaker who worked to craft a law protecting workers has become one of its fiercest critics. According to the Times, after rapidly organizing protests to oppose the new regulations, salon owners gave tens of thousands of dollars in political donations to Democratic Assemblyman Ron Kim who represents Flushing, Queens.

Kim now opposes a portion of the law that requires salon owners to buy a wage bond. He has also said he feels the law is being applied too selectively.

"The timing of protests and push back is very interesting," said Times reporter Sara Maslin Nir, who was behind the paper's investigation into the nail salon industry. "It coincides with the deadline when these products, wage bonds, when everyone was required to have them. So the timing isn't coincidental, the minute these things came into play, people started to push back and Mr. Kim started to receive very significant contributions from the nail salon owners."

Sarah Maslin Nir spoke with WNYC's Richard Hake.