Citrus Harvester And Driver

Job description

Harvesters to perform the following duties:

Workers will harvest citrus by hand and by mechanical aid. Workers will also net, grove maintenance, perform weed control, prune, and irrigate. Weeding by hand is occasional/intermittent (less than 20% of weekly work time). Employer complies with the California health and safety rules applicable to hand weeding.

Agricultural equipment operator (forklift) loading and unloading citrus bins from trailer and place bins throughout orchard for harvest. Employee must conduct daily maintenance check prior to operating tractor/machine. Required to have basic knowledge of driving a forklift, must pass forklift safety training and demonstrate ability to operate tractor/machine/forklift in a safe manner.

The employer will provide training, the forklift driver certification, and all costs will be responsibility of the employer. Training will be provided by the area supervisor who holds a forklift trainer certificate. The supervisor will conduct training at the worksites on the first day of work. Once the training is completed, the employer will issue the certificate to the employees.

Workers may occasionally and/or sporadically perform duties associated with and directly related to the primary duties. Such work will be temporary and unsubstantial agricultural labor.

Cal Van Driver Duties:

1. Employee may drive Cal Vans which are not buses over the road.
2. Employee picks up workers from different housing sites/pick up points and takes them to an assigned work site and at the end of the day takes them back to the housing site/pick up point.
3. In order to drive a Cal Van, Employees must possess valid driver’s license (state issued) and must be able to pass Class B Physical exam and register as an FLCE driver.

The employer will be responsible for the cost of the driver’s license, Class B Physical Exam, and registration as an FLCE driver (if any).

All employees in this position (H-2A as well as corresponding domestic workers), will be given the opportunity to obtain a driver’s license (DL) and register as an FLCE driver on a voluntary basis. The DL and FLCE Certificate are not a pre-hire job requirement. No job applicant will be denied an employment opportunity due to a lack of a DL or FLCE Certificate at the time of application and/or hiring. Further, no worker (H-2A or corresponding domestic worker) will be terminated for failure to obtain a DL or FLCE Certificate.

CalVan drivers may be H-2A or corresponding domestic workers. The employer assures that employees who drive the CalVans are compensated for their time driving. CalVan drivers perform MSPA and related paperwork (i.e., logging) as required by law which they are compensated for. The CalVan driving job duty is not a different job and the drivers perform harvesting job duties when not driving. Drivers pick up workers from the housing sites/pick up points and drop them off at the worksite. At the end of the workday, the CalVan driver takes the workers back to the housing sites/pick up points. Drivers are also responsible, during the workday, for filling the vehicle with gasoline and keeping it clean. The employer assures that drivers are paid the AEWR for actual driving time, processing CalVans paperwork, trips to the gas station, and cleaning the vehicle. La Alianza will pay for any fees associated with obtaining a driver's license, if necessary.

Driving is optional and only about 10% of the daily duties, in addition to all the farm duties.

Special Requirements

Requirements: 1 month of citrus harvest experience. Cannot be color blind due to the need to distinguish colors of crops for proper ripeness and maturity, able to use shears, clippers and other agricultural tools, no smoking, illegal drugs, alcohol, or weapons of any sort in the housing or work fields. Ability to communicate in English or Spanish is required for training and safety purposes. Work is performed outdoors in open fields and can involve exposure to sun, wind, mud, dust, heat, cold and other elements of the normal field environment. Temperatures can range from 20 degrees F to over 100 degrees F during the period of employment. Workers should come prepared with appropriate clothing and footwear for the work and working conditions described.