Contratados

Contratados is an art, tech, and social justice initiative that seeks to inform thousands of H-2A and H-2B Mexican-born migrant workers about their rights. Led by Centro de los Derechos del Migrante, Inc., with support from RAD and Studio REV-, the initiative consists of on-the-ground advocacy, a powerful, interactive website that involves workers in mapping the recruitment industry to identify fraudulent or reputable worksites, a series of punchy and artfully designed pocket-sized comics and audio novelas (accessible by radio and any kind of phone), and a series of radio shows broadcast on the Radio Bilingue network. The project’s name refers to the process of being contracted — or “contratado” in Spanish — by a U.S. employer to work in agriculture, construction, harvesting crab, seasonal fairs, or other low-paying work that US-born workers typically reject.

By identifying migrant labor recruiters, employers, and their networks and by assessing the trends in their interactions and practices, Contratados is generating previously unavailable information about pre-employment and post-employment conditions of migrant workers. Using this data, CDM, migrant workers, and cross-sector allies are addressing major, systemic abuses in guestworker recruitment through outreach and education, strategic litigation, and policy advocacy. For more information about CDM’s Justice in Recruitment project, see more info at www.cdmigrante.org. You can also check out the Contratados site.