Department of Labor announces expansion of migrant workers' rights websites

May 16 (UPI) -- The U.S. Department of Labor on Thursday announced major expansions of its migrant workers websites.

The department in a statement said migrantworker.gov now offers content in six new languages, Arabic, simplified Chinese, Haitian Creole, Portuguese, Tagalog and Vietnamese, on top of its English and Spanish options.

The new additions will give workers access to information on federal regulations protecting their rights to a safe workplace free from discrimination or harassment, the right to unionize and the right to question pay and workplace practices, according to the department.

The site also provides instructions for how to file a complaint for a workers' rights violation.

The department's Spanish site, trabajadormigrante.gov, also features new Spanish videos on common challenges for migrants, including safe transport to job sites, illegal recruitment fees and the right of nursing employees to have appropriate space and time to breastfeed, the department said.

There already are numerous videos discussing wage theft, heat exposure and unsafe working conditions on the department's websites.

The Department of Labor in April cited Florida-based McNeill Labor Management Inc. after an investigation found a migrant worker had died from heat-related injuries while working in an open sugar cane field.

McNeill Labor Management provides contract laborers for agricultural markets throughout the United States.

The man, who was on a federal H-2A program for temporary or seasonal non-immigrant workers was working in Palm Beach County, where the heat index reached 97 degrees Fahrenheit.

The department said the man's death could have been avoided if the contractor implemented heat-related safety rules to protect workers.