Shuttle Drivers/chauffeurs

Job description

The worker will perform job duties as assigned by supervisor. They will vary from time to time depending on crop ripening and weather. The watermelon harvesting and packing is temporary and will last from May to July.

Watermelon Hand Harvesting-In order to perform this kind of work, the worker must be able to walk down the field row and use a knife to hand cut ripe watermelons off the vine for harvesting. The watermelons are then loaded in a bus by forming part of an assembly line, in which the first worker bends down picks up the watermelon and it is passed on to consecutive workers by passing, catching, lifting, until it reaches the worker on the bus, who then sets it down and stacks them until the bus is considered full.

Watermelon Packing- The watermelon is transported by bus to the packing shed. Upon its arrival, it is unloaded by a group of workers and placed on a conveyer belt. The group of workers on the conveyer belt are responsible for sorting, labeling, and packing the watermelon in cardboard containers. While the workers are waiting on the next load of watermelons to arrive, they will be responsible for assembling cardboard containers.

Field Drivers-The field drivers will drive the buses out to the field where the field workers who are harvesting the watermelon will load the watermelon on to the bus until full. They will then drive the fully loaded bus back to the packing shed where the packing shed workers will unload them onto a belt. The process is then repeated again.

Farm Equipment and Vehicle Operation-The workers may need to use various farm equipment and vehicles to transport him/herself or other workers to and throughout the worksite to perform the watermelon harvesting work. The workers must use safety and precaution when using the farm equipment and vehicles. All passengers must be seated and practice safety and precaution when using the farm equipment and vehicles. The passengers must wait to exit the farm equipment and vehicles when the driver comes to a complete stop and gets off the vehicle. The
workers will keep the farm equipment and vehicles free of trash. The workers may also need to transport workers to and from work each day from the employer provided housing and serve as a team leader.

All of the watermelon harvesting, packing, and transporting labor is performed on the farms specifically in the worksites listed on the application and itinerary and are all a part of the watermelon farming operation. The field drivers, which are employees of Sunstate Harvesting, Inc. are the ones that drive the buses being used in the field to load the watermelons and take them to the shed for packing. The packing shed workers are employees of Sunstate Harvesters, Inc. The packing shed is located on the farms listed on the harvesting itinerary. The packing of watermelons is considered agriculture labor because the work is being done on a farm and the watermelons are a horticultural commodity that must be packed by grade before leaving the farm for selling purposes at the market. The watermelons are in unmanufactured state at the time of packing and all the watermelons are produced on the farm. Sunstate Harvesters, Inc. is the operator of the farms for the time period requested.

Special Requirements

The worker must be responsible and consistent on the job. The worker must be able to lift 0-75 lbs., do repetitive movements, extensive pushing and pulling, walking, frequent stooping continuously throughout the day, and work in all kinds of weather conditions.