Chinese workers have talked about facing discrimination and ostracization in Korean-owned salons. In 2012 a group of Chinese workers sued the Korean nail salon chain Babi Nail Salons for paying them $3.00 or less a day, suffering abusive behavior from the owner, not being allowed to take breaks, and dealing with racist comments. They won the lawsuit and were supposed to collect over $400,000 in damages, but the owner has only paid them a small portion, citing that he does not have the money. The president of the Korean Nail Salon Association of New York denied any widespread racial or ethnic prejudice from Korean business owners toward non-Korean workers. Language, employers, and customer service For Korean immigrant women entering the nail salon industry, it can be very helpful for them to have an employer who also speaks their language and sometimes it is the only way they can get work; but it often comes at a cost. A worker's inability to find another job because of their low English proficiency can be taken advantage of by employers because they know that their workers cannot leave. So they will mistreat them, pay them low wages, and have them work for long hours. Language is also a source of tension and contention between workers and customers in Korean nail salons. It is common for manicurists to talk to each other in Korean when they are working, often to the irritation and discomfort of customers. Customers can feel that they are being slighted and excluded by workers when they do not speak English, or that it is improper to speak Korean when they are around Americans. Clients also tend to feel suspicious that they are being talked about or made fun of by workers. Customers often think of workers speaking Korean over English as a choice and a show of obstinance instead of something necessary for them to easily communicate. Sometimes workers purposely do not learn English or let on that they can understand and speak it, despite the fact that they usually get better tips if they do. The reasons for this vary. Some workers find small talk burdensome, as they want to finish their jobs and move on to the next customer; carrying a conversation is hard when they struggle with English, and they are often already exhausted by their work. Others feel a sense of community when they speak Korean