Berries Machine & Ground Harvest

Job description

H-2A and corresponding domestic workers must be available to perform each of the following job activities in connection with the harvesting and farming operations:

Berries Machine & Ground Harvest, Indirect Labor (Crew Leader, Puncher/Checker/QC), Harvest Machine Driver, Forklift Operator, Box Scanner, Machine Stacker to perform the following duties:

Strawberry Stripping: cleaning old, rotten, non-usable fruit from the plant either into the furrows or juice tubs.
Workers will also perform duties associated with and directly related to strawberry harvest work, including but not limited to picking and packing strawberries in the field for fresh market, cannery, and freezing/juicing; distinguish quality and ripeness; pick, and place in tray / packing containers in the field.

Ground Harvest (strawberry): Working in rows, the worker bends over and picks strawberries with hands, places the strawberries in a box, walks and carries the box with strawberries to the packing table located at the end of the row in the field, presents their box to quality control for inspection. After passing the quality check, they palletize the box, grab an empty box along with necessary clamshells and returns to the row to continue ground harvest. Worker may also perform harvest for cannery: picking berries and running the green ends through a blade which cuts the calix off of the berry. Berries are then put into an RPC and presented to the checker for inspection in same fashion as fresh harvest.

Machine Harvest (strawberry): Workers will perform duties associated with and directly related to berry harvest work, including but not limited to picking and packing berries in the field for fresh market and freezing/juicing; distinguish quality and ripeness; pick and place in tray/packing containers in the field. Pickers will work on berry picker machine to aid harvest: working in rows, worker bends over and picks berries with hands; places berries in clamshell and stacks full boxes on machine floor. Empty boxes are retrieved from top of machine. The machine will transport filled boxes to the end of the row - workers using machine aid do not carry full boxes to the end of rows. Workers may be required to adjust to Ground Harvest while machine is turning of when machine is being repaired for breakdown/maintenance. Worker may also perform harvest for cannery: picking berries and running the green ends through a blade which cuts the calix off of the berry. Berries are then put into an RPC and presented to the checker for inspection in same fashion as fresh harvest.

Indirect Labor:

Crew Leader: Handles pre-harvest processes and audits. Checks product quality. Serves as quality control person. Helps coordinate daily production. Checks that the harvest crews are not leaving marketable fruit on the plants. Organizes harvesters’ into the appropriate rows for machine and ground crew harvest.

Puncher/Checker/Quality Control: Quality control person makes sure that product meets standards of quality. They examine and weigh product baskets to be of the weight and quality required. Some quality control inspections are routine and quick, others are more complex and lengthier. Quality control person may be responsible for declaring that a product (basket) is not below the specified quality. Quality control person may also inspect that a picker is not leaving good product in the furrow or are putting incorrect/bad product in baskets. They may make recommendations for improvements. May also be responsible for small, quick adjustments to quality of packing. May also be responsible for small, quick adjustments to quality of packing. Often times they sort empty clamshells into empty boxes for distribution to pickers. Will pick up trash, lay out cardboard on the ground for packed boxes to be stacked.

Special Requirements

Workers must stand, sit, crouch, bend, reach, lift and carry items weighing up to 20-60 pounds in the course of performing required activities. Workers must be able to listen, understand, and follow instructions of company supervisors and managers.

The company's Employment Arbitration Agreement is set forth in this Clearance Order outlining the procedures to follow in raising concerns to seek their prompt resolution with an option to arbitrate unresolved matters. The employer assures that its Arbitration Agreement shall not preclude the workers from filing claims with the Americas Job Center of California offices (AJCCs) under the Employment Services Complaint System and the workers will not face retaliation.