Harvesters (jal)

Job description

Employee picks strawberries in varying weather conditions, while adhering to quality and production standards determined by Company, using physical body motions, including picking fruit, pushing carts and carrying crates weighing up to 10-13 lbs. when full. Crate sizes are as follows:

• 20 in Long x 16 in Wide x 3.425 in High
• 20 in Long x 16 in Wide x 2.75 in High
• 20 in Long x 16 in Wide x 4 in High”

Employees will be required to harvest strawberries using the the Mercado Harvest Aid. The employee harvests by walking behind the harvest aid as the harvest aid moves across the row from one end to the other. When the employee completes a crate, he/she places the full crate on a platform on the harvest aid and begins anew.

When working with the harvest aid, the employee is required to work as part of a team of harvesters and the employee is expected to maintain a similar pace to the harvest aid team members. The aid harvest team is able to control the speed at which the harvest aid moves across the field. Employees will be responsible for ensuring the quality of the harvested berries meets quality and inspection
requirements.

Employees will be required to perform the responsibilities of Strawberry Ground crew. The employee will harvest by walking in the furrow from the middle of the block towards the road where the harvest trailer is located. Once the worker completes the full box of strawberries, he/she will walk to the harvest trailer to place the harvested box on the table for quality inspection and will take an empty box to repeat the process.

Special Requirements

Three months of experience in harvesting berries. Cannot be color blind due to the need to distinguish colors of crops for proper ripeness and maturity, no smoking, illegal drugs, alcohol, or weapons of any sort in the housing or work fields. Proficiency in English or Spanish is required for training and safety purposes. 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 50 degrees F to over 90 degrees F during the period of employment. Workers should come prepared with appropriate clothing and footwear for the work and working conditions described.

See Addendum C.