Blueberry Harvester And Agricultural Equipment Operators

Job description

The work is performed in the field on the farm:

The role of the Blueberry Harvester and Agricultural Equipment Operator is to hand harvest blueberries in varying weather conditions. The Blueberry Harvester and Agricultural Equipment Operator will pick blueberries in an assigned row and will pick facing the blueberry plant. The Blueberry Harvester and Agricultural Equipment Operator will walk laterally down the row picking from blueberry bushes and filling plastic containers. Once containers are full, the containers, weighing up to 14 pounds, are turned in to the checker. Occasionally, the Blueberry Harvester and Agricultural Equipment Operator will harvest blueberries directly into a plastic container and will place the container into cardboard crates. Once the crate is completed, the crate will be turned in to checker for scanning.
The Blueberry Harvester and Agricultural Equipment Operator can perform packing activities at the farm. They will receive the harvest in 2-gallon buckets, and they will have the task of packing them into crates in the field on the farm.
The Blueberry Harvester and Agricultural Equipment Operator will perform other tasks including weeding.

Additionally, the Blueberry Harvester and Agricultural Equipment Operators (Machine Operators) operate various types of farm equipment, such as a blueberry harvester machine, front-end loader and tractor. The position follows company policies and standards and adheres to all safety practices and requirements. The position ensures clean work areas that are free of objects that may cause accidents.

The Blueberry Harvester and Agricultural Equipment Operators (Machine Operators) will perform routine maintenance checks of the blueberry harvester machine at the beginning of the shift and throughout the day to ensure they are functioning properly. The Blueberry Harvester and Agricultural Equipment Operators (Machine Operators) will be driving and running the blueberry harvester machine through the blueberry furrows. Once the blueberry harvester machine is loaded with trays, the Agricultural Equipment Operators (Machine Operators) will run a frontend loader and will take the trays with blueberries off the blueberry harvester machine and will place them on to semi-trailers. Additionally, Blueberry Harvester and Agricultural Equipment Operators (Machine Operators) will be responsible for washing the blueberry harvesting machine daily at the end of every shift using a power washer and chlorine to disinfect.

Blueberry Harvester and Agricultural Equipment Operators (Machine Operators) responsible for handling the fruit (blueberries) trays. They will ensure that the empty trays are getting filled onto the blueberry harvester machine. Once the trays are full, they will grab them and stack them up on pallets.

Workers are responsible for following Crew Leader instructions. These include completing daily warm-up exercises.

The employer hereby confirms that the amount of time spent hand weeding is intermittent and is estimated at 10% of the workers' scheduled hours. The workers are provided with gloves and training at no cost. Specifically, they are given time each day to warm up, and are given training regarding avoiding work-related injuries on a regular basis. The workers are not provided knee pads because the workers will not be kneeling for any of the job duties.

The workers are provided with gloves and training at no cost. Specifically, they are given time each day to warm up, and are given training regarding avoiding work-related injuries on a regular basis.

Special Requirements

Workers are responsible for harvesting blueberries, using field pack or bulk packing methods in the field on the farm, ensuring that the plant is clean of defected blueberries and/or vines following Food Safety policies and Covid-19 rules.

Three (3) months of experience in harvesting blueberries or blackberries. 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. 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.

See Addendum C.