Farmworker

Job description

Crops/Commodities:
apples, pears, cherries, asparagus, blueberries, peaches.
General

Workers will perform any of the following duties: Orchard maintenance, pulling weeds, picking up stones and roots, cleaning equipment, removal of strings and wire from trellises, removal of reflective tarps that are in the rows, and other hand tasks. Care of young non-producing fruit trees, including weeding, tree trunk painting, and hand clipping. Install/maintain irrigation systems and water lines. Move and install irrigation pipes and equipment. Dig and maintain ditches. Install and remove levee gates. Assist with farm building/field maintenance and repairs. Build/repair fences. Maintain/repair trellis systems, repair apple boxes and cherry tanks. Drive a forklift in orchards.

Instructions and overall supervision and direction of workers will be provided by a company supervisor. Workers hired pursuant to this labor certification must be able to comprehend and follow instructions of a company supervisor and communicate effectively to supervisors. Unusual, complex or non-routine activities will be supervised. Workers will be expected to perform basic duties in a timely and proficient manner without close supervision.

Work assignments will be made at the sole discretion of the employer conditional on unforeseen circumstances such as weather or other unscheduled/unexpected interruptions in regular work. Workers must perform the assigned work and may not perform duties not provided in this application, or work in areas not assigned without the specific authorization of the foreman or crew boss. Workers will be expected to perform any of the listed duties as assigned by his/her supervisor.

Workers will be required to attend an orientation on workplace rules, policies and safety information prior to beginning work on or after the date of need.

Workers should be able to work on their feet in bent positions for long periods of time. Work requires repetitive movements and extensive walking. Allergies to ragweed, goldenrod, insect spray, related chemicals, etc. may affect workers' ability to perform the job. Workers should be physically able to do the work required with or without reasonable accommodations. Work is to be done for long periods of time. Temperatures may range from 35 to 95 F. Workers may be required to work during occasional showers not severe enough to stop field operations. Saturday work required. Must be able to lift/carry 60 lbs. Employer-paid post-hire drug testing is required after a worker has an accident at work and upon suspicion of use.

Workers must obey all safety rules and basic instructions and be able to recognize, understand and comply with safety, pesticide warning/re-entry and other essential postings.

The job requires regular standing and walking. Employees are frequently required to use hands, handle or feel; reach with hands and arms, climb or balance. The employee is occasionally required to stoop, kneel, crouch, or crawl under trellis wires. Workers must be able to lift/carry up to 60 lbs. throughout the course of the day.

Tree Training

Workers may be required to perform tree training duties including but not limited to the following activities: hoeing, tree painting, weed mat application, tree tying – includes tying limbs to trellises and tying limbs together. Other tying activities will be determined by supervisor and communicated to all employees.

Pruning

Pruning numerous varieties of apple, pear, peach and cherry trees and blueberry bushes, according to established company procedures based on the difference in the treatment of different varieties. Work will be performed on trees for long periods of time using a variety of pruning equipment including hand shears, hand loppers, hand saws and 10-foot ladders.

Special Requirements

This job requires a minimum of two months of prior experience working in tree fruit orchards handling both manual and machine tasks associated with commodity production and harvest activities. Workers must be able to perform all work activities with accuracy and efficiency. Applicants must be able to furnish verbal or written statement establishing relevant prior work experience. Saturday work required. Must be able to lift/carry 60 lbs. Employer-paid post-hire drug testing is required after a worker has an accident at work and upon suspicion of use.