Field Worker (wine Grape)

Job description

Agricultural Field Worker (Wine Grapes)

This job offer includes the following crop activities: hand pruning, hand tying, hand suckering canopy, hand suckering trunks, hand canopy management, hand leafing laterals, weed control with shovel, hand vineyard maintenance, hand crop thinning.

Description of specific work duties:

Vineyard Work
- Suckering by hand – removal of any extra unwanted shoots on cordons/canes, trunks, removal of any short canes and shoots from the cordon/cane
- Hand Pruning: Pruning with Shears by hand.
- Hand Tying: Tying by hand with or cordons.
- Canopy management by hand – moving wires to position shoots within the trellis system to maintain a vertical growing grapevine
- Leafing and lateral removal by hand – removing leaves from the fruit zone during the growing season; removing lateral growth from the canes within the fruit zone and growing canopy
- Weed control by hand – using mechanical string trimmer for weed abatement and or a shovel (long-handled) to cut weeds from under the vines and for weed control around slopes of vineyards and along adjacent roads
- Crop thinning by hand – removal of clusters during specific times of year to enhance fruit quality

Driving – Only drivers who possess valid driver’s licenses pursuant to California law will participate in driving. Drivers will be engaged in daily inspection of bus security, driving the workers to the work site locations on work days, returning the workers to the housing facilities when the work day is finished, driving workers to the grocery store once per week. 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. The employer will be responsible for the cost of the California Driver’s License, Class B Physical Exam, and registration as an FLCE driver (if any). Driving is not a separate job from the agricultural field worker position and workers engaged in driving activities also work in the vineyards.

Hand Vineyard Maintenance: Ranch clean up

Special requirements: One month wine general vineyard work experience. Workers must be able to lift 50 lbs frequently. No smoking, drinking alcohol, or illegal weapons or controlled substances in the fields or in housing. Able to stoop, bend, and work in cold and wet conditions. Able to use tools such as pruning shears, grape knives, hand saws, weed eaters, hedgers, shovels. Safety use and training provided by employer. Workers must abide by Employer housing rules. Proficiency in English or Spanish is required for training and safety purposes. (i.e. Workers must listen to, understand and follow instructions of Employer crew leaders, supervisors and managers.)

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 95 degrees F during the period of employment. Workers should come prepared with appropriate clothing and footwear for the work and working conditions described.

This work may entail exposure to plant pollens, insects and noxious plants, and to fields and plant materials which have been treated with insect and/or disease control sprays. The employer will comply with all worker protection standards and re-entry restrictions applicable to pesticides and other chemicals used in the fields. Workers are also required to comply with all applicable worker protection standards and re-entry times.

See Addendum C.

Special Requirements

One month wine general vineyard work experience. Workers must be able to lift 50 lbs frequently. No smoking, drinking alcohol, or illegal weapons or controlled substances in the fields or in housing. Able to stoop, bend, and work in cold and wet conditions. Able to use tools such as pruning shears, grape knives, hand saws, weed eaters, hedgers, shovels. Safety use and training provided by employer. Workers must abide by Employer housing rules. Proficiency in English or Spanish is required for training and safety purposes. (i.e. Workers must listen to, understand and follow instructions of Employer crew leaders, supervisors and managers.)

See Addendum C.