at FRESH HARVEST INC in Yuma, Arizona, United States
Job Description
Requirements: 2-months experience harvesting crops to avoid crop damage and personal injury. Written verification of experience is required. Cannot be color blind due to the need to distinguish colors of the product. Must be able to use shears, clippers and other agricultural tools (i.e., hand saw (can be powered by gas)); no smoking, illegal drugs, alcohol, or weapons of any sort in the housing or work fields. Worker safety on the job and in employer-provided housing is our top priority. Workers may not possess, consume, or be under the influence of alcohol, cannabis, illegal drugs, or other controlled substances at the worksite or in the employer-provided housing. Fighting, including but not limited to, verbal, physical, or through social media or texts, and any threats or act of violence, and/or disruptive behavior against another individual or against property will not be tolerated, particularly acts of violence committed while under the influence of alcohol or drugs.
H-2A and corresponding domestic workers must be available to perform each of the following job activities in connection with the harvesting and farming operations:
Field Workers: Spinach/Vegetable Harvest, General Farm Labor / General Ranch Maintenance, Tractor Driver, Forklift Driver, General Labor, Cal Van Driver and Crew Leader, Prepare freshly harvested crop for shipment to perform the following duties:
Crops / Leafy Crops / Leafy Greens: Spinach, Romaine, Romaine Hearts, Salanova Lettuce, Green Leaf, Red Leaf , Butter, Spring Mix, Iceberg Lettuce Spinach / Spring Mix
Specifications: Machine Harvest
Positions: Sprinklers, Quality/Checker, Machine Operator, Box Maker, Tractor Driver, Loader, Packers, thinning, cleaning, general labor
Under the direction of the supervisors, a field worker walks in uneven furrows in front of the machine cleaning (cleaning out) beds to ensure quality of product. Field workers (Packers) fill up totes with product on top of a harvesting machine, product is moved to a trailer and it is then transported out the field. Process is repeated. Prepare freshly harvested crop for shipment. Clean and Core Head Lettuce: Lettuce harvest workers will work as a member of a harvest crew and perform the following tasks: thinning, cleaning, general labor, and lettuce harvesting by walking in assigned furrows behind a harvesting machine platform or harvesting machine, selecting size and quality of lettuce to be harvested as specified by supervisor. Bends and grasps selected lettuce and cuts it from the roots using a harvesting knife. Trims outer leaves from the head and cores it with the coring knife. Employee inspects the head lettuce for defects. Employee places head lettuce onto the belt. The process is repeated. The cored lettuce is then carried down the belt to be dropped in a bin where employees inspect quality, core, remove loose leaves, and sort bin to capacity. Bins are constructed and sorted directly in the trailer on a pallet. Bins may weight up to 50 lbs empty. Pallets may weight up to 95 lbs empty, but are carried by two people. Prepare freshly harvested crop for shipment. Employee discards lettuce that does not meet specified quality standards. Place trimmed lettuce meeting quality standards as directed by supervisor. CFR)
Romaine Carton, Romaine Top and Tail and Mixed Leaf Carton: Field worker harvests romaine, mixed leaf, and head lettuce, thinning, cleaning and general labor. Employee cuts, bags, packs, and loads fresh romaine, head, and mixed leaf in the field. Cutting is done by walking in uneven furrows behind a harvesting platform machine or belt. Under the direction of the field supervisor, employee determines size and quality of the product to be harvested. Then, using a harvesting hand knife and bending at the waist, the employee cuts the head from the roots and trims the outer leaves from the head to prepare it to be placed into a carton or tote. Cutter places the product on a table for the packer to either or combination of tie, spot wash, wrap, seal, and place into a carton/tote, or top and place in wash bucket then dump into belt. The cartons or totes for the product are constructed by unfolding and bending the material as designed to form a box. Carton is labeled and marked as required. The process is repeated. The cartons, totes, or bins are then stacked onto pallets on the deck of the harvester or trailer. Prepare freshly harvested crop for shipment. Cartons or totes with product can weight up to 50 lbs. Empty pallets can weight up to 95 lbs but are carried by two persons.
CALVAN DRIVER SPECIFICATIONS:
1. Employee may drive Cal Van over the road. 2. Employee picks up workers from different housing sites/pick up points and takes them to an assigned work site and at the end of the day takes them back to the housing site/pick up point. 3. In order to drive a Cal Van, Employees must possess valid driver’s license (state issued) and must be able to pass Class B Physical exam and register as an FLCE driver. The employer will be responsible for the cost of the Driver’s License, Class B Physical Exam, and registration as an FLCE driver (if any).
The employees will perform van driving duties for less than 50% of total work hours over the contract period, and accordingly for less than 50% of full workdays.
All employees in this position (H-2A as well as corresponding domestic workers), will be given the opportunity to obtain a driver’s license (DL) and register as an FLCE driver on a voluntary basis. The DL 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 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 or FLCE Certificate.
CalVan drivers may be H-2A or corresponding domestic workers. The employer assures that employees who drive the CalVans are compensated for their time driving. CalVan drivers perform MSPA and related paperwork (i.e., logging) as required by law which they are compensated for. Drivers pick up workers from the housing sites/pick up points and drop them off at the worksite. At the end of the workday, the CalVan driver takes the workers back to the housing sites/pick up points. Drivers are also responsible, during the workday, for filling the vehicle with gasoline and keeping it clean. The employer assures that drivers are paid the AEWR for actual driving time and to the extent applicable, processing CalVans paperwork, trips to the gas station, and cleaning the vehicle.
Crew Leader:
- Record information about crops, such as pesticide use, yields, or costs.
- Direct and monitor the work of casual and seasonal help during planting and harvesting.
- Participate in the inspection, grading, sorting, storage, and post-harvest treatment of crops.
- Inform farmers or farm managers of crop progress.
- Identify plants, pests, and weeds to determine the selection and application of pesticides and fertilizers. •Record information about plants and plant growth. •Maintain inventory, ordering materials as required.
- Examine and inspect containers, materials, or products to ensure that product quality and packing specifications are met. Record product, packaging, and order information on specified forms and records.
- Direct and monitor the activities of work crews engaged in planting, weeding (long-handled hoe), or harvesting activities.
