Farmworkers & Laborers

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 be asked to fill and close boxes of green tobacco and push boxes into the barn which requires standing for long periods and physical endurance. Workers may assist in removing tobacco from barn, loading dried tobacco in trailers, unloading onto a picking belt, working to pick out undesirable material from the tobacco, operate a baling machine and assist loading bales on trucks. 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 forPull weeds/chop. Workers will walk along rows as specified by employer and remove weeds and grass from fields by hand or using a hoe. Transplant, top and sucker, cultivate and hand-harvest flue-cured tobacco and sweet potatoes. Perform post-harvest field clean up. Load and unload crops and farm materials. May operate and perform minor maintenance and repairs on farm vehicles, implements and equipment. May repair fences, greenhouses and other farm buildings and structures. 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. 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.

Salary : $13