Farmworkers And Laborers

Job description

Pull weeds/chop: Workers will walk along rows as specified by employer and remove weeds and grass from fields by hand or using a hoe. Cultivate and harvest sweet potato, pickling cucumbers, soybeans, melons and flue-cured tobacco. Load and unload sweet potato, pickling cukes, soybean, melons and flue-cured tobacco grown on the farm. May operate forklift to load and unload harvested crops. Grade and sort pickling cukes grown on the farm. May operate and perform minor maintenance on farm vehicles or equipment. May drive farm truck, van, tractor, all-terrain vehicle (ATV) on the farm. May drive van over the road. Though not a hiring requirement, if a worker drives a company vehicle during the period of employment then at the time of operating the company vehicle the driver must possess a valid driver’s license issued by a U.S. state or foreign equivalent and operate the company vehicle in accordance with the license restrictions and vehicle classifications applicable to that license. Prolonged walking, standing, bending, stooping, and reaching. Job is outdoors and continues in all types of weather. Workers may be requested to submit to random drug or alcohol tests at no cost to the worker. Failure to comply with the request or testing positive may result in immediate termination. All testing will occur post-hire and is not a part of the interview process. Negative result may be required post-hire and before commencing work. Must be able to lift 75 lbs. to shoulder height repetitively throughout the workday and able to lift and carry 75 lbs. in field. Must not hinder another worker’s productivity. Use of personal cell phone or other personal electronic device during working hours strictly prohibited except for work-related calls or emergencies and violation may result in immediate termination. Requires one month verifiable farmworker experience in the crop activities listed. Must commit to work entire contract period.

Pickling Cucumbers: Move along row, stoop and bend to pick all cucumbers ¼ inch in diameter and larger. Discard all jumbo cucumbers (over two inches in diameter) in the row middle and place remaining cucumbers in a 5/8 bushel bucket. Carry full buckets to a nearby truck for dumping, receive ticket or token in emptied bucket and return to assigned row to continue task. Workers must “clean the vines” (pick all cucumbers of marketable size) and larger as specified by employer. Workers will be required to stay on their assigned row. Worker must be careful to avoid damaging vines, blooms and smaller cucumbers. May be required to block and thin cucumbers and perform general cultivation work and move tractors or trucks on the farm incidental to picking. It is extremely important that the workers remove and discard all cucumbers over two inches in diameter from the vine. Workers may be required to perform other duties as required by employer. Hand harvesting pickling cucumbers will be paid on a piece rate.

Sweet potatoes: Sweet potato plant pullers will stoop, bend and kneel to pull sweet potato plants from beds, exercising care in selecting plants of appropriate size as specified by supervisor. Selected plants will be boxed in an orderly fashion in field crates and crates windrowed and loaded on trailers for transport. May ride mechanical transplanter. May walk behind transplanter to reset missing plants. Sweet potato transplanting will be paid hourly. Sweet potato harvest workers will walk along row that has been previously plowed. Workers will stoop, bend and kneel to pick up sweet potatoes using hands and fingers to dig out unexposed potatoes. Workers may grade in the field separating #1’s and #2’s into separated 5/8 field hampers. Canners, when harvested, will be placed into a separate bin. Damaged or diseased potatoes will not be harvested. Worker will be required to stay on assigned row. Full hampers weighing up 35 lbs. will be carried to truck row to be

Special Requirements

Prolonged walking, standing, bending, stooping, and reaching. Job is outdoors and continues in all types of weather. Workers may be requested to submit to random drug or alcohol tests at no cost to the worker. Failure to comply with the request or testing positive may result in immediate termination. All testing will occur post-hire and is not a part of the interview process. Negative result may be required post-hire and before commencing work. Must be able to lift 75 lbs. to shoulder height repetitively throughout the workday and able to lift and carry 75 lbs. in field. Must not hinder another workers productivity. Use of personal cell phone or other personal electronic device during working hours strictly prohibited except for work-related calls or emergencies and violation may result in immediate termination. Requires one month verifiable farmworker experience in the crop activities listed. Must commit to work entire contract period.