Nursery Worker

Job description

Crops/Commodities: nursery stock, trees, shrubs, perennials

Activities include working in a nursery handling both manual and machine tasks associated with commodity production and harvest of nursery stock, trees, shrubs and perennials. Workers must be able to perform manual as well as mechanized activities with accuracy and efficiency. Workers will perform work including but not limited to planting, digging, mulching, transplanting, mowing, watering in nurseries and seasonal holding houses. Fertilize, prune, spray, space, water, tag and perform other plant maintenance. Count and inventory plants. Propagate plants from cuttings. Load plants onto wagons, trailers and trucks. Transport and unload plants. Remove plastic from seasonal holding houses in spring and cover seasonal holding houses with plastic in fall. Assist with building seasonal holding houses. Fill, lift and carry various size pots with soil and plants weighing as much as 70 pounds. Plants must be handled carefully so that minimal leaves, limbs and roots are not broken during transplanting process.

Workers must have an understanding of nursery quality control standards and a working knowledge of nursery production procedures. Workers must be able to harvest crops according to predetermined, customer specific standards. Must select and harvest crops which are suitable for various clients.

Work will also include mechanized field work using agricultural equipment. By way of example and not limitation power equipment will include small tractors, planters. sprayers, blowers, weed eaters, mowers and other equipment. Workers will be expected to be able to operate agricultural equipment with or without direction. Workers with a clean MVR and able to obtain an insurable driver's license may be requested to operate employer-owned box trucks to transport products to market. No applicants or workers will be rejected for not possessing a driver’s license or who may be unwilling to drive company vehicles.

The employer may discipline the worker, including brief suspension of work activities {''time out") for a period determined by the supervisor, suspension from employment for a set period of days or termination of employment as described in the -work Rules."

While the employer does not require prospective applicants to take and pass a drug test prior to a hiring decision, the employer has a no-exceptions drug policy requiring newly hired employees to take and pass an employer-paid drug test. Every new hire must undergo testing before starting work with the company. All testing is conducted uniformly after an initial job offer has been extended and accepted by the new hire

Special Requirements

Working in a nursery handling both manual and machine tasks associated with commodity production and harvest of nursery stock, trees, shrubs, and perennials. Saturday work required. Must be able to lift/carry 70 lbs. Employer-paid post-hire drug testing is required at random, upon reasonable suspicion of use, and after a worker has an accident at work. Any employee who declines to take or fails a drug test will be immediately terminated. Employer-paid background check is required.