Farmworkers And Laborers, Crop

Job description

Workers will perform assign duties as instructed by their supervisor.
This role requires workers to perform manual labor to harvest watermelons by walking through field rows, identifying ripe fruit, and using hand tools such as shears and knives to hand-cut the product from the vine. Once cut, workers turn the watermelons to prepare them for a coordinated "pitching" or hand-to-hand tossing process, where fruit weighing 60 pounds is transferred to teammates for careful stacking inside transport vehicles. These vehicles are then moved to the on-farm packing house where workers manually unload the product onto conveyor belts to be graded and sorted by color, species, size, and quality. During the packing process, employees must discard inferior or defective products, apply labels, and pack acceptable fruit into containers or bins while accurately measuring, weighing, and counting materials.

Beyond primary harvest duties, workers are responsible for general field clean-up and maintenance, which includes removing debris and discarded fruit, pruning and maintaining plants, repairing irrigation equipment, and maintaining fence lines. Maintenance tasks also extend to the daily cleaning of floors, belts, and bathrooms, as well as building boxes and moving pallets to ensure compliance with Good Agricultural Practice (GAP) policies.

Some workers may be required to possess a valid CDL if they are responsible for transporting workers from housing to the work sites, and driving of farm equipment and other vehicles may be required on the farm only. The employer will verify the validity of the driver's license prior to the start of driving duties. All hours spent driving will be paid at the applicable hourly rate.

Workers must be able to perform strenuous manual labor outdoors in all weather conditions, including heat, cold, and rain, for a minimum of six (6) hours per day. The position requires physical strength and endurance to bend, stoop, and stand for extended periods, as well as manual dexterity to repetitively use hands at a sustained pace to meet production standards. The employer will provide all necessary tools and equipment at no charge to the worker. Consistent with applicable law, the employer may recover the reasonable cost of repair or replacement of tools if damage results from the worker’s willful misconduct or gross negligence after the damage has occurred and after gaining the employee's written authorization to make the deduction. At its sole discretion, the employer may pay a higher wage rate based on individual performance or tenure, which does not alter the entry-level requirements of this position.

When production needs require, the employer may offer hours in excess of the daily or weekly schedule stated in the ETA-790. These additional hours are strictly voluntary and not guaranteed; no worker is required to work beyond the contracted hours, on federal holidays, or on their Sabbath, and no worker will be penalized for declining such work. Due to the nature of agriculture, workers should expect occasional periods of little or no work due to weather, crop maturity, or other conditions beyond the employer's control. These periods may occur at any time throughout the season. In the event of a worker-requested leave of absence during periods of available work, all missed hours will be deducted from the actual hours worked but will be credited as "hours offered" toward the fulfillment of the three-quarter guarantee. Workers are responsible for providing their own suitable work clothing.

Special Requirements

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. A valid CDL is required only for those workers designated to transport employees in commercial-sized vehicles. For all other workers, a CDL is not a requirement of the job