Farmworkers And Laborers

Job description

Duties include field and greenhouse work: seed sowing, planting (by hand and mechanical), weeding, staking, trellising crops, harvesting, irrigation maintenance/installation, greenhouse crop culture, washing and packing produce in totes and boxes, occasional packing organic produce, and loading and unloading trucks of harvested produce. Crops include eggplant, pepper, tomato, tomatillo, okra, potato, sweet potato, onion, cucumber, squash, green bean, lettuce, cabbage, greens, kale, spinach, cauliflower, broccoli, celery, carrot, radish, beet, snap pea, strawberry, watermelon, various herbs and spices, ginger, turmeric, leek, roselle, and flowers.

Duties also include maintaining records relevant to work such as recording harvest weight and quantities; taking inventory of produce and farm supplies; operating mechanical equipment on the farm including trucks or tractors to move products and supplies, conduct soil tillage, row prep and fertilization, planting activities, and field cleanup activities; and driving produce trucks to deliver produce or transport to storage or market. Other duties include weeding (with weed wacker, hoe and by hand); fertilizing and spraying with backpack; and other general farm labor. Workers who possess a valid driver's license may also be requested to drive other workers to and from work and to the store, using employer-provided passenger vehicles.

This will be done under extreme weather condition. Heavy bending, stooping and lifting will be involved on a daily basis. Experience with harvesting, greenhouse work and crop trellising required.

Workers will perform assigned duties as instructed by their supervisor. Duties may vary from time to time. In order to perform this kind of work, the worker must be able to work outside for at least 8 hours a day in all kinds of weather and be in possession of the requisite physical strength, working quickly and skillfully with their hands. The employer will provide specific instructions in the proper way to perform the crop activities. Thereafter, the worker will be expected to perform the task with diligence as instructed. Workers will be expected to maintain pace and to perform the work in a manner specified by the employer.

Seed Sowing in Field: Workers will use a push-seeder and walk behind as the seeder drops seeds into ground.

Seed Sowing for Greenhouse: Workers will fill trays with soil and either add seeds by hand or machine and water.

Planting by Hand: Workers will carry plant trays and walk down row, placing plants or bulbs into each hole ensuring good contact between the roots and the soil. Gently cover exposed roots with soil. For direct seeded crops, workers need to weed and separate them into a standard spacing in three manhours per row.

Mechanical Planting: One worker will sit on water wheel transplanter while another worker drives. Worker sitting on transplanter will have tray and will place plants in transplanter hole. It is vital to place the transplant firmly into the hole so the roots make good contact with the soil and surround the roots with hand while doing so to protect them.

Stake Tying: Workers will in one hand use a tying stick and in the other hand attach string to the tying stick. Then they must take the tying stick and loop the string around the stake, stand plant between stakes, and pull string tight to hold the plant up between the stakes.

Tomato Trellising: In the greenhouse, workers will use a ladder to reach the top of the trellising wire for tomatoes. They will prune the tomatoes and secure the plant to the twine, using a clip. Finally, they will lower and lean the plant on the wire using a trellising hook.

Snap Pea Trellising: Workers will set up metal t-post stakes down the row. They will secure hortanova trellising to the t-posts using zip ties to train the vines.

(Continued on Addendum C)

Special Requirements

Eight (8) hours per day, Monday through Friday is normal, however, the worker may be requested but not required to work additional hours per day and the Sabbath and/or federal holidays and Sunday depending upon the conditions of the crop, weather, maturity of the crop and market conditions.

Workers must adhere to all safety rules as instructed by the supervisor. Employer is a drug-free workplace.