The Immigration Advocates Network (IAN), a program of Pro Bono Net, has won The Workers Lab 2021 Innovation Fund award for ¡Reclamo! – a digital tool to combat wage theft. ¡Reclamo! was developed in partnership with workplace justice advocates from Make the Road New York and is designed to help workers and non-lawyer advocates navigate the complexities of employment law, safely, in plain language, and from any mobile phone. 

Winners of this prestigious award were selected from a diverse pool of nearly 400 applicants from across the country with ideas at all stages of development and from all types of organizations. 

“¡Reclamo! was designed to reduce the prevalence of wage theft in America by leveraging the power of data and organizing to take on wage violations at scale. Support from The Worker’s Lab Innovation Fund will enable us to add and train additional partners and launch a campaign targeting the high-violation construction industry in New York State” – said Rodrigo Camarena, Director of the Immigration Advocates Network

“The Workers Lab is excited to have ¡Reclamo! as one of our 2021 Innovation Fund winners. Their worker-informed digital tool is combating wage theft head-on while making it easier for workers to independently identify their risk and start the process to recover wages. We applaud this innovation and look forward to seeing their impact grow in the service of workers.” – Jeshua John, Program Manager, The Workers Lab

Other 2021 Innovation Fund winners include Los Deliveristas Unidos, Let’s Get Set, the Sex Worker Liberation Project, Solidarity Tech, and United for Respect Education Fund’s WorkIt Platform. 

About ¡Reclamo!

¡Reclamo! is a tool from the Immigration Advocates Network designed to help workers and organizers easily identify and tackle wage theft by automating the data collection process and facilitating access to legal support. This innovation builds worker power by allowing workers to independently identify their risk of wage theft, initiate the wage recovery process, identify opportunities for organizing, and use data to uncover patterns among employers throughout New York state and beyond. ¡Reclamo! was developed with support from the New York Community Trust and the Open Society Foundations. Other supporters include the 21st Century ILGWU Heritage Fund. 

About the Immigration Advocates Network

The Immigration Advocates Network (IAN), a program of Pro Bono Net (PBN), is a nonprofit leader in developing technology solutions to increase access to justice for immigrants and strengthen the capacity of advocates and organizations serving them. For over ten years, we’ve worked hand in hand with partners in the immigrants’ rights movement to bring new tools and resources to the field. Our team of designers, strategists, and attorneys work with leading immigrant advocacy organizations to help them bridge the digital divide, launch new campaigns, and bring the tools of justice to hard to reach communities. Whether it’s by supporting Legal Permanent Residents with naturalization, helping undocumented communities know their rights, preparing the community and advocates for immigration reform, or facilitating access to legal assistance nationwide, IAN works to take on big problems and bring new technology and resources to where they’re needed the most.


Press Contact: Rodrigo Camarena, rcamarena@immigrationadvocates.org