Farmworkers

Job description

Work duties will include primarily pears and apples. Other duties may include apple blossom thinning, tree training, fire blight cutting and removal, general farm clean-up, and other duties customarily performed by a commercially viable agribusiness.

APPLE/PEAR PICKING: Worker will hand harvest fruit. Worker will attach harness, bucket or bag and pick low hanging fruit while standing on the ground and in higher branches while standing on a ladder up to 12 ft. Worker will pick according to grade, color and size by grasping fruit with the hands and removing from the tree in a motion so as not to harm adjacent buds on the tree branches. For some varieties, stem clippers must also be used to remove a portion of the stem. Care must be taken with clippers to not damage the fruit while clipping off a portion of the stem. Worker will carry harness, bucket or bag of up 60 lbs. and will place fruit in wooden or plastic bins, 4x4x3 which hold approximately 25 bushels of fruit. Care must be exercised at all times to prevent bruising of fruit or breaking of branches. Some workers may be required to examine harvested fruit in bins and sort out any fruit not meeting the grade, color and size specifications.

Other Apple/Pear Job Specifications Include: 1. Propping and tying of fruit trees and limbs. 2. Picking numerous varieties of apples and pears according to established company procedures accounting for difference in the treatment of different varieties. 3. Hand harvesters may be required to selectively pick only fruit of a certain color and/or size as instructed by the supervisor. 4. Hand harvesters will be required to handle fruit carefully and not bruise or damage fruit when it is placed in the bin. 5. Observation of bruised, damaged or cull fruit by the supervisor will result in a bad bin mark and after three bad bin marks, the employees will receive disciplinary action up to and including termination. A bad bin mark occurs when a bin is inspected and a significant number of culls, bruised or damaged are found by the supervisors. 6. Farm clean up tasks include picking up garbage around the orchard, removing old string and wire from trellis and orchard blocks, and other farm labor tasks. 7. Safely sets and use of ladders. Much of the picking will be done from an aluminum ladder up to 12 feet in height. 8. Use of hand tools, such as pruning hooks, shears, and picking bags will be utilized.

GRAPE HARVEST: Workers will hand wine or juice grapes. Worker will harvest numerous varieties of grapes according to established company procedures accounting for difference in the treatment of different varieties. The fruit will be placed in either a plastic tub or stainless steel bin or other container. Care must be exercised at all time to prevent breaking of grapes and to maximize the quality of the fruit. Some workers may be required to examine harvested fruit and sort out any fruit not meeting the grade, color and size specifications.

VINEYARD NETTING Hand application of protective netting on grapevines with care to not disturb grape clusters. Installing and removal of vineyard netting.

BLUEBERRY PRUNING Pruning of blueberry bushes with use of pruning equipment including: hand shears, hand loppers, and hand saws. The worker must possess ability to bend over for long periods of time. Workers may be required to selectively prune only bushes of a certain size and color as instructed by the crew boss.

Special Requirements

This job opportunity requires 3 months of previous tree fruit experience. There are general conditions of employment, general job specifications and individual requirements that are specific to each job duty. This type of work involves working conditions that require tremendous stamina, a high level of physical activity in cold or extremely hot conditions in direct sunlight and in adverse weather such as rain. The work requires a high level of physical conditioning. Drug testing may be conducted post-employment and at the expense of the employer as stated in accordance with Departmental regulations at 20 CFR sec. 6S5.122(b ).