Justicia Lab, in collaboration with the New York Legal Assistance Group, has unveiled Reclamo AI, a multilingual mobile digital assistant aimed at empowering low-wage and immigrant workers to recognize, document, and tackle workplace and wage theft violations.
Justicia Lab, the Pro Bono Net nonprofit organization focused on technological innovations for worker and immigrant rights, has partnered with the New York Legal Assistance Group to proudly introduce Reclamo AI. This mobile-first digital assistant is designed to assist low-wage and immigrant workers in New York in preventing, assessing, and documenting workplace violations.
Initially launched in 2022, Reclamo served as a tool to evaluate and submit wage theft complaints. Its original design catered to nonlawyer advocates, such as worker organizers and staff within worker and employment centers, particularly in the construction and building sectors. Since its introduction, the tool has been instrumental in filing over $1.5 million in wage theft claims on behalf of workers.
The latest version allows workers to access the assistant directly via text or voice on any smartphone browser or through WhatsApp. It is optimized in both English and Spanish and is available in an additional 50 languages. The platform comprehensively addresses New York State employment law and specifically targets industries where wage theft is prevalent, including construction, hospitality, domestic work, retail, and child and elder care services.
“Reclamo AI comes at a time when workers often feel powerless, and we want to remind them that they possess both power and support,” stated Rodrigo Camarena, Director of Justicia Lab.
Through AI-driven tools developed alongside worker-centered organizations, Reclamo AI aims to broaden access to accurate legal information and resources for a significantly larger audience of low-wage and immigrant workers than traditional methods can achieve alone.
Wage theft remains a critical issue across the nation, hitting New York particularly hard. Over 127,000 New Yorkers have faced wage theft, losing millions in earned wages collectively. The burden disproportionately impacts low-wage workers, immigrants, women, and communities of color.
Several factors perpetuate the problem of wage theft, including a lack of awareness regarding wage and hour laws, complex and inadequately enforced complaint procedures, and a scarcity of free or affordable legal support. The process of filing a wage theft claim can be time-consuming and confusing, particularly for non-English speakers, which often leads to unfiled valid claims.
Reclamo AI assists workers in grasping their rights and available options, accelerating their ability to take action. The tool offers education on both state and federal wage theft laws, covering minimum wage requirements, overtime regulations, and illegal deductions. It also allows workers to verify whether a current or prospective employer has a history of wage theft violations and connects them with pro bono legal services and nonlawyer advocates for additional support.
The platform utilizes vetted workplace justice resources provided by NYLAG attorneys, along with data from Documented NY’s Wage Theft Monitor, which tracks over 35,000 confirmed wage theft claims submitted to state and federal labor authorities. Furthermore, proprietary materials developed by Justicia Lab and its partners are integrated, ensuring that workers access reliable legal information from trusted sources rather than unverified content from the internet.
“There is a tremendous need for advocacy support for workers, yet nearly every legal service organization in New York is overwhelmed,” remarked Mel González, director of NYLAG’s Employment Law Project. “By leveraging AI and collaborating with technology partners like Justicia Lab, we can ensure that a greater number of low-wage and immigrant workers receive precise and timely legal education and resources.”
Reclamo AI is built on a customized generative artificial intelligence application that prioritizes privacy and security in its design. User data is anonymized and purged every 48 hours, ensuring that no personally identifiable information is retained. The system employs enterprise AI models and does not share user data for retraining purposes. Justicia Lab intends to continually enhance the tool by incorporating feedback from workers and advocates in future iterations.
The launch of Reclamo AI marks a significant step toward empowering low-wage and immigrant workers in New York. By providing accessible resources and support, the platform aims to combat wage theft and promote workers’ rights effectively.
