Farmworkers & Laborers

Work description

Pull weeds/chop: Workers will walk along rows as specified by employer and remove weeds and grass from fields by hand or using a hoe. Cultivate and harvest flue-cured tobacco. Load and unload flue-cured tobacco. Perform farm, field and shed sanitation duties. Mow grass and operate trimmer around farm buildings. Direct and monitor the work of casual and seasonal help during planting and harvesting. May operate and perform minor maintenance on farm vehicles or equipment. Operate farm vehicles to haul crops and drive other farmworkers from place to place around the farm properties (including on public roads to reach farmer?s fields) during the workday. Though not a hiring requirement, if a worker drives a company vehicle during the period of employment then at the time of operating the company vehicle the driver must possess a valid driver?s license issued by a U.S. state or foreign equivalent and operate the company vehicle in accordance with the license restrictions and vehicle classifications applicable to that license. Prolonged walking, standing, bending, stooping, and reaching. Job is outdoors and continues in all types of weather. Workers may be requested to submit to random drug or alcohol tests at no cost to the worker. Failure to comply with the request or testing positive may result in immediate termination. All testing will occur post-hire and is not a part of the interview process. Negative result may be required post-hire and before commencing work. Must be able to lift 75 lbs. to shoulder height repetitively throughout the workday and able to lift and carry 75 lbs. in field. Must not hinder another worker?s productivity. Use of personal cell phone or other personal electronic device during working hours strictly prohibited except for work-related calls or emergencies and violation may result in immediate termination. Must commit to entire anticipated period of employment. Requires one month verifiable prior work experience in flue-cured tobacco. Tobacco: Harvest workers will move into a row of mature tobacco plants. Each row may be as long as 1500 feet. The tobacco plant may be from 4 to 6 feet tall and spaced about 20 inches apart in each row. Starting at the bottom of the plant, the worker will bend over at the waist and pick the bottom two or three leaves from each plant. Staying bent over, the worker will move down the row of mature tobacco repeating the above-process. (The bottom leaves may be as low as two inches from the ground.) The worker will place the picked leaves under his arm. Once the worker has gathered an armload of leaves, he will carry it to a field sled. The leaves must be laid neatly onto the field sled. The worker then will return to the row and repeat the process. All workers must be able to distinguish ripe tobacco by observing the color of the leaves. Care must be exercised to prevent breaking of the plants. Workers must be able to move quickly along the rows and move in unison with the field sleds. Worker may ride mechanical transplanter and mechanical harvester. Workers may walk behind transplanter to reset missing plants. Workers must remove all flowering tops and suckers from tobacco plants. Workers may assist in removing tobacco from barn, placing on sheets to be bound and loaded on trucks. Weight of sheets of tobacco may be 300 lbs. Workers are required to work in fields when tobacco leaves are wet with dew or rain. Worker should be able to stand for prolonged periods of time to prime (pull) leaves which are from two to ten inches from the ground. Workers may be exposed to noxious plants and insects. Temperatures in tobacco fields during working hours may range from 40 to over 100 degrees Fahrenheit. Workers must be able to perform the job as described above. Workers may be required to perform other duties as required by the employer. The pay rate for all tobacco work is hourly paid.