First, see a short previous post on the subject....
A 2010 Washington Post article gives conflicting accounts of conditions faced by the "girls" (aged 20-60ish?) who come to Maryland to pick crabs.
A 2012 report by an advocacy group describes poor conditions in homes, strange deductions from pay, heavy dependency on the hiring company, little training, and frequent layoffs without pay. They don't want to stop the program but have a set of recommendations that include enforcement of the minimum wage, health & safety training and outreach, education about rights as tenants, limit recruitment fees (which are illegal but widespread in Mexico, where many are hired), and allow women to change employers if they choose.
There's information here about a movie on the workers.
