Citrus Hand Harvester

Job description

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 a 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 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. Worker will remove fruit from the tree and place into pick sack. When pick sack is full take full sack to fruit tub located in the grove and drop fruit from pick sack into tub. In order to perform this kind of work, worker must be able to work outside for at least 6 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.

Grove Clean-up: Workers may be required to perform miscellaneous grove clean-up work. These activities include pruning, painting trees, repair and or replace irrigation equipment, removal of debris, and other general grove clean-up work as required. Workers performing grove clean-up work will be paid the adverse effect wage rate, the prevailing rate or the minimum wage rage whichever is higher.

The harvester must be able to harvest citrus, fill their assigned sacks, and transport it to the tub. The worker must be able to climb ladders with the extra weight of the sack. The workers should be able to harvest on the average of 1.5 tubs per hour (15 bushels per hour), which is on average the medium rate of a crew.

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 worker's refusal or negligent failure to return the tools or due to such worker's willful damage or destruction of the tools.

Special Requirements

Training will be given to workers for 5 days and workers will be permitted 14 days to reach the production standards.

The orange picker/farm laborer will be trained to inspect their ladder for defects. The employee is expected to perform the inspection at the start of each workday.

The orange picker/farm laborer will also be trained to be aware of moving vehicles in the field. Machines that empty tubs are always present and travel through the citrus groves.

High voltage power lines may be present at or near some groves. Employees will be trained to avoid this hazard.

Each orange picker/farm laborer will be assigned one picking sack and one ladder. Only if the items become unsafe or unusable they will be replaced free of charge.