FARMWORKER, X240, Yakima, Wapato, Zillah, Selah, Royal City, Othello, Moxee, Eltopia, Mesa, Quincy This is a job order for field work and labor for growing and maintaining Blueberries and Cherries. This job opportunity is limited to qualified, available workers that are currently eligible to work in the United States, per federal regulation. Crops/Commodities: Blueberries and Cherries. Job Duties: Planting: Propagate plants by placing buds/scions. Plant seedlings or 'liners' by hand or with a mechanical planter. Clear cull stock, brush, and debris. Dig holes and shovel dirt. Tree Training: hoeing, tree painting, and weed mat application. Tie/position trees and limbs, together and to trellises, using string, tape, wire or other fasteners and supports. Thinning: Hand thin to control the size and quality of fruit. Remove fruit blossom, bud and/or identifiable fruit from within a cluster of other fruits. Must accurately identify and remove misshapen, damaged or otherwise unmarketable fruit. Pruning: Hand pruning is based on fruit variety. Use manual and mechanized pruning tools and equipment. Identify and remove stubs or broken branches, downward-growing branches, branches rubbing against each other, shaded interior branches, dead wood and shoots-suckers. Use/handle ladders up to 12 ft. in length or perform work on motorized platform. Harvest: Spot and/or strip pick fruit based on seasonal need. Snap fruit off tree with thumb and palm of hand to avoid stem pulls, punctures, bruising, or other damage. Pick culls and peelers. Fill fruit buckets and place fruit in bins. Follow supervisor/foreman's instructions on color/size requirements. Must be able to differentiate between colors and fruit varieties accurately. Cherries: Hand pick fruit leaving stems attached. Place harvested fruit at bottom of basket/bucket. Avoid stem pulls, punctures, bruising, or other damage. Identify defects (bird pecks, limb rubs, splits, sunburn) and other damage. Follow supervisor/foreman's instructions on fruit quality. Must be able to differentiate between colors and sizes accurately. Workers can also: 1.Operate equipment used in agricultural production and field preparation such, as tractors, forklifts, pallet jacks, irrigation equipment, 4-wheelers, trucks, and other commonly used vehicles. 2.Spray and mix chemicals and fertilizers 3.Operate trucks & vans to carry farm equipment, crops and farmworkers. 4.Perform general repair of agricultural equipment. 5.Pack crops into containers. THINNING: Thinning is a manual process used to control the size and quality of grown fruit. The Worker must be able to use scissor like clippers. This process requires the Worker to remove, in some cases not limited to the smallest fruit blossom, bud and/or identifiable fruit from within a cluster of other fruits. The Worker will be expected to be able to identify and remove fruit that is misshapen, damaged and/or with other quality problems as directed by supervisors. Thinning may be performed from a motorized platform and/or from the ground. TRAINING: Training is a process in which the fruit tree is manipulated to increase yield and/or quality. Some example training tasks are but not limited to: *Tying, taping or clipping blueberry branches to wires. *Tying up or down blueberry branches. *Training and branch positioning of blueberry bushes. *Shoot thinning, sucker removal, cluster thinning, shoot positioning, hedging, or leaf removal. *Propping and supporting blueberry bushes. PRUNING: Pruning numerous varieties of blueberry bushes according to established company procedures based on the difference in the treatment of different varieties. Work will be performed on bushes for long periods of time using a variety of pruning equipment including but not limited to hand shears, hand loppers, hand saws. Pruning may be done from the ground or from a motorized platform. The Worker may be required to selectively prune only bushes of a certain size and color as instructed by the crew supervisor. The Worker is expected to possess or acquire pruning skills in order to identify and remove stubs or broken branches, downward-growing branches, branches which rub against each other, shaded interior branches, dead wood and shoots/suckers with hand pruning saws and clippers, mechanized equipment in pruning activities. Other Job Specifications Include: 1.The Worker will care for young non-producing fruit bushes including but not limited to weeding, hoeing, trunk painting, hand fertilizing and growth selection by hand and clipping. 2.Hand thinning of blueberry bushes to ensure proper fruit load on tree. 3.Pruning blueberry bushes. 4.Training of blueberry bushes to trellis, including clipping and tying branches and shoots to wire. 5.Training and branch positioning of blueberry bushes. 6.Provide general labor to assist in the establishment of new orchard properties by clearing property, planting bushes, building trellis, repair and spreading of composted material and any other labor considered necessary for the efficient structure of new orchard properties. 7.Care for bushes during growing process- recognize disease 8.Propping and tying of blueberry bushes and branches. 9.Pruning and thinning may be done from the ground or from a motorized platform. 10.Repair sprinklers and/or irrigation system. 11.Hand tools, such as pruning hooks, shears, and/or picking bags will be utilized. THIS IS A DESCRIPTION FOR BLUEBERRY ORCHARD LABOR HARVEST BLUEBERRY Harvest: Worker will spend time bending and crouching while hand harvesting blueberries at locations indicated by supervisor. Care must be exercised at all times to prevent bruising of fruit or breaking of branches. Workers will pick blueberries from bushes and place the blueberries in buckets attached to the body. Worker will pick according to grade, color and size by grasping the berries with fingers and remove the berries so as to not harm the adjacent berries and buds or bruise the picked berries. Worker will carry plastic buckets and will place berries into flats, trays or pack directly into clamshells. Plastic picking buckets will hold 12 pounds of blueberries. Some workers may be required to examine harvested fruit in bins and sort out any fruit not meeting the grad, color and size specifications. Packaging: Worker may work in cold storage location to sort and clean debris from berries and place berries into clamshells. Workers may be responsible for placing clamshells into cardboard boxes and stacking boxes and pallets. BLUEBERRY HAND PICKING: Worker will spend time bending and crouching while hand picking blueberries al locations indicated by supervisor. Care must be exercised at all times to prevent bruising of fruit and breaking of branches. Workers will pick blueberries from bushes and place the blueberries in buckets attached to the body. Worker will pick according to grade, color and size by grasping the berries with fingers and remove the berries so as to not harm the adjacent berries and buds or bruise the picked berries. Worker will carry plastic buckets and will place berries into flats, trays and pack directly into clamshells. Plastic picking buckets will hold 12 pounds of blueberries. STACKING FLATS/LUGS/BINS: Workers may stack flats, lugs, and/or bins of fruit on blueberry picking machines. Workers may need to lift or load up to 60Ibs consistently. JOB REQUIREMENTS - Workers must have three (3) months of work experience in tree fruit.
- Must be able to work through extreme temperatures.
- Must be able to push/pull and stoop/bend repeatedly.
- Saturday work required.
- Ability to lift/carry 60 lbs.
HOURS/DAYS/SCHEDULE Contract period is February 15, 2024 to November 15, 2024 6 hours per day, Monday through Friday 5 hours Saturdays SALARY/WAGE/BENEFITS Wage offer $17.97/hour No work will be performed at less than the Adverse Effect Wage Rate (AEWR) of $17.97 AEWR The payroll period is weekly. HOUSING The Employer will offer housing at no cost for the Workers if applicable, and to those in corresponding employment who are not reasonably able to return to their residence within the same day in accordance with 20 CFR 655.122(d). Currently, laundry facilities are provided in each housing location at no cost to workers. TRANSPORTATION The workers will be picked up at the housing locations; the time of pick-up depends on variable factors, such as weather, field location, job duties, etc. They will be returned to the housing in the same manner after their shift is done; time-varying depending on the same factors. Employer will provide one weekly trip to workers to purchase groceries and perform other errands. The daily transportation provided by the employer is only available to workers residing in Employer-provided housing. MEALS The Employer will furnish cooking facilities with working appliances, hot water, a place to prepare food at no cost to employees occupying employer-provided housing. Employees will purchase their own food and prepare their own meals. In the event that it becomes necessary for the employer to provide 3 meals a day to the workers, (i.e. workers residing at the Fairbridge Inn) the employer will charge $15.46 per day or the current allowable charge as designated by the DOL. All breaks and lunches will be subject to local, state, and federal regulations. (See 17. C. of the Conditions of Employment and Assurances for H-2A Agricultural Clearance Orders.) THREE-FOURTHS Employer agrees to offer the worker employment for a total number of work hours equal to at least three fourths of the workdays of the total period beginning with the first workday after the arrival of the worker at the place of employment or the advertised contractual first date of need, whichever is later, and ending on the expiration date specified in the work contract or in its extensions, if any. TOOLS Employer agrees to provide to the worker, without charge or deposit charge, all tools, supplies, and equipment required to perform the duties assigned. CLOSING DATE/DEADLINE Employer will accept referrals until July 2, 2024 HOW TO APPLY/REQUEST A REFERRAL This employer has asked WorkSource to refer only fully qualified applicants for this job. If you would like to request a referral, please contact any WorkSource office for detailed instructions on how to apply. Job ID: 266758050 WorkSource is an equal opportunity employer and provider of employment and training services. Auxiliary aids and services are available upon request to persons with disabilities. Washington Relay Services: 711 In view of the statutorily established basic function of the ES as a no-fee labor exchange, that is, as a forum for bringing together employers and job seekers, neither the ETA nor the SWAs are guarantors of the accuracy or truthfulness of information contained on job orders submitted by employers. Nor does any job order accepted or recruited upon by the ES constitute a contractual job offer to which the ETA or a SWA is in any way a party. Staff Special Instructions Please link to access the side by side checklist, Workers' rights trifold and a copy of the complete job order for inspection. |