Farmworkers And Laborers

Job description

Workers will perform assigned duties as instructed by their supervisor. Duties may vary from time to time. Following the supervisor's instruction, workers will harvest, load, and grade various citrus, and vegetables. The worker will require the use of hand tools such as shears and knives. All workers are required to wear a mask in common areas, while on the bus and in the field when social distancing is not possible. This work can require standing, walking, stooping, bending, and lifting up to 100 pounds for long periods outdoors in all weather conditions. It also includes making important decisions based on size, coloring, and ripeness according to prescribed standards. This work requires adherence to important food safety and quality standard operating procedures and the ability to work quickly and consistently alongside fellow workers with a positive, professional, team-based attitude and a consideration for the safety and health of fellow workers and of the consumers who will purchase and consume the fresh produce grown, harvested, and shipped from the farm.

Citrus Harvesting: Workers will perform assigned duties as instructed by their supervisor. Duties may vary from time to time. Following the Supervisors instructions, the worker will place a picking sack over their shoulder and carry an 18' to 20' ladder from the field truck to the particular area of the grove to be harvested. The picking sack is a canvas bag equipped with a shoulder strap for support, an opening for the insertion of fruit, and an opening to remove the fruit. A fully loaded sack weighs between approximately 80 and 100 pounds, depending upon the size, condition, and variety of fruit. Worker positions ladder against the tree and within reach of the fruit in a leaning position, taking care not to break limbs, damage the tree, knock off fruit, or interfere with other workers, in a secure position to prevent slipping or falling and possible injury to themselves or other workers. The worker will remove the fruit from the tree and place it in the pick sack. When the pick sack is full take the full sack to the fruit tub located in the grove and drop the fruit from pick sack into the tub. In order to perform this kind of work, the worker must be able to work outside for at least 7 hours a day in all kinds of weather and be in possession of the requisite physical strength and endurance to repeat the picking process rapidly, working quickly and skillfully with their hands, and carrying a large number of sacks of fruit from the area in which the fruit is being harvested to the location of the tub. After harvesting is complete at each grove, workers will help clean all equipment, including but not limited to, fruit tubs, and any harvesting equipment from all leaves, limbs, and debris. Workers will then load ladders back into ladder truck.

The employer will provide the tools necessary to perform the described job duties without charge to the worker. The employer will charge the worker for reasonable costs related to the workers refusal or negligent failure to return the tools or due to such workers wilful damage or destruction of the tools. The employer will provide the first pick sack free of charge to the worker. Any sacks destroyed intentionally, outside normal wear and tear, must be replaced by the worker. All Citrus harvesters are required to wear a special safety hat that contains a mesh front for eye protection free of charge. Any safety hats that are lost or destroyed, outside of normal wear and tear, must be replaced by the worker at a cost of $10.00. All strawberry harvesters will be required to wear an ID badge on a lanyard that will be provided by the company. Any ID card and or lanyard that is lost or destroyed, outside of normal wear and tear, must be replaced by the worker at a cost of $3.00

Special Requirements

Drug/Alcohol Testing: Citrus Harvesting may conduct a drug/alcohol test post- employment at the employers expense