Farmworkers and Laborers, Crop

Work description

Workers will perform all tasks related to the planting and establishment of the watermelon crop, as assigned by the supervisor, with duties changing based on weather and crop stage. Primary duties include: manual and mechanical transplanting of seedlings into beds (requiring extensive stooping, bending, and walking), laying/retrieving plastic mulch, installing/maintaining irrigation/drip tape systems, manual weeding, and using hand tools (hoes, shovels). Hay: workers will perform duties related hay production. This includes operating farm equipment (tractors, balers, mowers, rakes, loaders) for tillage, planting, cultivating, and harvesting various types of hay. Duties also involve loading, stacking, and storing bales. Workers must be able to perform extensive manual tasks, including frequent lifting up to 60 lbs, walking, stooping, and working long hours in various weather conditions. Qualifying workers with appropriate training and under direct supervisor instruction may occasionally assist with moving trucks and tractors within the field, and operating forklifts for routine field transport and loading When primary harvesting or field work is temporarily unavailable due to weather conditions, crop conditions, physical work restrictions, operational needs, or other lawful business reasons, workers may be assigned miscellaneous incidental duties and general clean-up work directly related to the agricultural operation across the worksite, farm property, agricultural structures, housing, and fence lines. These activities will not replace or substantially reduce the availability of primary agricultural work and may include preparing land for planting crops; loading and unloading supplies; sprouting, pruning, and painting trees; debris, weed, and vine removal; fence and irrigation repair; routine installation and removal of plastic mulch and irrigation drip tape; basic irrigation inspection, maintenance, and adjustments; cleaning, disinfecting, and performing routine upkeep of harvest buckets, bins, trailers, hand tools, farm vehicles, and agricultural equipment; and basic cleaning and repair of common-use facilities, housing, and agricultural structures during paid work hours to maintain safe and sanitary conditions. Workers will not perform mechanical repairs, specialized servicing, or other skilled mechanical maintenance, and supervisors will instruct workers in the proper methods for all assigned incidental duties. Workers must be able to perform strenuous manual labor outdoors for extended periods in varying weather conditions, including heat, cold, humidity, wind, and rain, for the total hours offered in the work contract. Duties require physical strength and stamina to walk, bend, stoop, kneel, lift, carry, reach, and stand for prolonged periods. Workers must be able to perform repetitive hand and arm movements throughout the workday while maintaining a continuous workflow. The employer will provide, at no cost to the worker, all tools, supplies, equipment, and personal protective equipment required to perform the assigned duties. Consistent with applicable law, the employer may recover the reasonable cost of repairing or replacing tools or equipment damaged through a worker’s willful misconduct or gross negligence, provided any such deduction is authorized in writing by the worker after the damage occurs and does not reduce the AEWR or any applicable minimum wage requirement. At the employer’s sole discretion, workers may receive bonus compensation or pay above the offered wage rate based on factors such as tenure, attendance, or overall work quality, provided such payments apply consistently and do not modify the baseline terms and conditions of employment stated in this clearance order.