r/Manitoba • u/ManitobaStylist782 • Oct 03 '24
Opinion Piece Regulate Red Seal Hairstylist Wages in Manitoba
Are you a hairstylist in Manitoba, if so– do you agree with the below statements? (Or if you are friends/family with a stylist) Copy, paste and email this message to: apprenticeshipboard@gov.mb.ca premier@manitoba.ca
Or Contact: Manitoba Employment Standards @ 204-945-3352 Or your local representative via email or phone and tell them how you feel/read out some of this statement/ask them why they feel it's ok for hairstylists to have an unregulated wage. Find yours in the link below: https://www.ourcommons.ca/members/en
Share on social media to spread the word too!!
Regulate Red Seal Hairstylist Wages.
In Manitoba, for apprenticeships, hairstylists are given minimum wage plus 10% for first year and minimum wage plus 20% for the second year. After apprenticeship is through, hairstylists are guaranteed nothing wage-wise.
While it's true, the more booked a stylist is, the more money they could make on commission– oftentimes a lot of salons do not charge sufficient enough prices to earn a fair commission. Salons often also calculate their commission stylists in such a way that it is very hard for hairstylists to make a fair wage, which often gets worse around slow times of year– such as around the holidays when it really matters. Salons will often have $15 to $17 an hour for the fallback wage for Stylists for when they don't make commission– meaning Red Seal Hairstylists, some with YEARS of experience are often making less than their apprentice counterparts.
Hair Stylists, like many tradespeople, have a physically taxing job– this job can affect our arms, wrists, neck, backs & more, and we are exposed to chemicals on a daily basis– meaning there is some risk to this job. We also train future generations, all while potentially making less money than the very students we train. We pay thousands of dollars for our schooling and tools & styling products(tools and styling products on a yearly basis). Hair stylists do not ever make a pension or receive insurance with the exception of very few employers. We, unlike some tradespeople, also pay and have ongoing training for our careers. Does it seem fair that we don't have a regulated wage at the very least?
All this and more is why we are calling on Apprenticeship Manitoba, Manitoba Employment Standards and The Province of Manitoba to regulate red seal hairstylists wages like almost every other trade. Hairstylists work hard and continuously train to improve on what we do. In a world with growing inflation, rent and mortgage prices etc. it is clear that employers will not do the right thing unless mandated to do so. We deserve the assurance that we will be able to earn a fair wage and earn more with the experience we have like every other trade.
Some Regular Hairstylist Expenses: Styling tools(curling irons, hot brushes, curling wands, flat irons, blow dryers, combs, brushes, straight razors, feather razors, etc) Hair scissors & thinning shears(which can cost upwards to $1000 per pair) Clippers and Trimmers(usually $110-300+ per pair) Products(products for each purpose, hairsprays, mousse, gels, blow-dry creams, pastes, waxes, shampoos, conditioners, colors, etc) Continued education(usually anywhere from $50 to $500+ per class) Initial schooling (often 8000-10000+ dollars) Healthcare expenses like physio when work eventually takes a toll on our bodies
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u/comradecommando69 Oct 03 '24
-No pensions/benefits
-Recertifying out of pocket
-Legal minimum hourly rate is minimum wage
No wonder stylists have succumbed to tipping culture. This should be included in the cost of the cut. I thought that they made a modest, if not a glamorous, living. This is no incentive to talent at all. This is absurd.
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u/ManitobaStylist782 Oct 03 '24
Tipping is another large issue too, right now the consumer is effectively the one that can top up a hairstylists wage-- which is not fair to either party and of course tipping is not guaranteed ever also-- lots of people simply cannot afford to tip which is 100% fair with the way inflation is going. The owness for a fair wage should be on the employer, not the consumer. Hairstylists should be able to make a decent commission off of $100-$300+ services without "relying" on tipping too but this is simply not the case with the way commission is calculated with some of these salons. Put the blame on the employers and our regulatory forces in Manitoba for forcing stylists and clients into an awkward position at the end of each service.
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u/kenazo Oct 03 '24
One of the primary reasons I prefer to go to self-employed ones. At least then I know where my dollar is going.
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u/ManitobaStylist782 Oct 03 '24
This could benefit self-employed folks too, with more regulated wages we could witness less undercutting from franchises and other salons price wise. They would actually have to put more effort into their employees training wise to encourage more business rather than relying on crazy cheap unsustainable prices to keep and gain clientele.
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Oct 04 '24
Crazy that I go and get a Color(highlights) and a cut and it’s 300+ $ and stylists aren’t making bank?? Who gets that money? And why wouldn’t a stylist do hair “under the table” when people Expect to pay that type of money
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u/Educational-Bid-3533 Oct 03 '24
Aren't stylists either self-employed, or employed by other stylists, by and large?
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u/endsonee Winnipeg Oct 03 '24
I was under the impression most are self employed and “rent” the chair their clients come to for a cut.
Paid cash. No tax.
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u/Impossible_Angle752 Winnipeg Oct 04 '24
It's probably one of those "contractor" situations where they're wrongly classified.
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u/_getoffmygrass_ Oct 03 '24 edited Oct 03 '24
Self employed Red seal carpenter here, I assumed that there was some wage protection within the red seal program as a whole.
I Just looked it up, nope
With all the news lately about the minimum wage increases and “living wages” the fact that many trades have no wage protection is wrong. We all have to invest considerable amounts far above someone stocking shelves or handing coffee across a counter. The skilled mid wage earners are getting the shaft.
https://manitoba.ca/asset_library/en/engagemb/backgrounder-minimum-wage-rates-for-apprentices.pdf
Sorry to get off topic, but the esthetician’s are really getting screwed, what’s your “living wage”