Farm Laborers: Citrus Harvest

Job description

Citrus harvesters to perform the following duties:

Workers will harvest citrus (lemons, mandarins and oranges) by hand and by mechanical aid. Workers will also prune, irrigate, and perform grove maintenance.

Row Boss: Worker is responsible for citrus row quality and row cleanliness. The Row Boss is the Foreman’s assistant. The Row Boss ensures that the workers are doing their exercises, washing their hands and carrying out their work. The Row Boss assists the Foreman with the scanning of the workers for start and end times and lunch and break time and also scans the individual bins of each worker. The Row Boss fills out documentation for Food Safety, Production and Quality Control. Over the course of the day the Row Boss does quality control reviews and constantly checks that the workers are using the sack and ladder properly. The Row Boss checks the bins with product, so people do not damage the product during the harvesting. In general, the Row Boss assists the Foreman with all of its responsibilities.

Agricultural equipment operator (forklift) loading and unloading citrus bins from trailer and place bins throughout orchard for harvest. Employee must conduct daily maintenance check prior to operating tractor/machine. Required to have basic knowledge of driving a forklift, must pass forklift safety training and demonstrate ability to operate tractor/machine/forklift in a safe manner.

The employer will provide training, the forklift driver certification, and all costs will be responsibility of the employer. Training will be provided by the area supervisor who holds a forklift trainer certificate. The supervisor will conduct training at the worksites on the first day of work. Once the training is completed, the employer will issue the certificate to the employees.

Workers may occasionally and/or sporadically perform duties associated with and directly related to the primary duties. Such work will be temporary and unsubstantial agricultural labor.

Bus Driver Specifications:

1. Driver may drive over the road in passenger vans or buses with a GVW (Gross Vehicle Weight) capacity of more than 26,000 pounds.
2. Driver will drive designated vans or buses to transport harvest crew workers to and from housing and worksite locations.
3. Driver will be responsible for filling bus or van with fuel and keeping vehicle clean.
4. Driver will be required to complete and process periodic driving reports as required by state laws.
5. Driver will be required to follow all California traffic laws and if applicable, vanpool rules.
6. Drivers must possess a valid authorized driver’s license and must be able to pass DOT (Department of Transportation) recognized medical exam and fulfill all other DOT requirements.
7. The employer will pay for all required licensing and training.

Drivers are compensated for these activities.

All employees in this position (H-2A as well as corresponding domestic workers), will be given the opportunity to obtain a driver’s license or commercial driver’s license (DL or CDL) and register as an FLCE driver on a voluntary basis. The DL or CDL 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, CDL 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, CDL or FLCE Certificate.

Special Requirements

1 month of citrus harvest experience. Cannot be color blind due to the need to distinguish colors of crops for proper ripeness and maturity, able to use shears, clippers and other agricultural tools, no smoking, illegal drugs, alcohol, or weapons of any sort in the housing or work fields. Ability to communicate 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 20 degrees F to over 100 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.