Orchard Worker

apples. Workers must be able to perform manual as well as mechanized activities with accuracy and efficiency. Workers will manually plant root stock, cultivate and harvest apples. Use hand tools, including but not limited to, shovels, trowels, hoes, tampers, pruning hooks, shears and knives. Duties include tilling soil and applying fertilizers, transplanting, weeding, thinning or pruning crops; applying pesticides or herbicides; cleaning and loading harvested products. There are no packing duties involved. Construct trellises, repair fences and farm buildings or participate in irrigation activities. Repair and maintain farm vehicles, implements and mechanical equipment. Clear and maintain irrigation ditches. Record information about crops, such as pesticide use, yields or costs. Pruning: Prune trees seasonally to promote optimum growth of tree and fruit. Gathers pruned branches from area for disposal. Performs summer pruning and suckering by cutting terminal growth and water sprouts from inside of tree using hand pruner. Thins trees from orchard to eliminate diseased or nonproductive trees using chain saw. Pick apples for fresh market and/or processing. Worker places ladder firmly against or within tree in a secure position so as not to break limbs or knock off fruit and to prevent slipping or falling. All fruit to be handled with care to avoid causing bruising. Apples injured by bruising during picking shall not exceed 0% (WNY) for fresh and 1% (WNY) for processing. Each worker's picked fruit will be inspected according to instructions given each day by the orchard foreman. Under the direction of a supervisor, workers will be instructed to strip all fruit from tree at one picking or to spot pick (selective picking) according to size and color depending on crop conditions and state of maturity. Fruit picked as drops is never mixed with tree fruit. Productivity must be at least 6 bins (120 bushels) fresh market and/or 8 bins (180 bushels) processing fruit per day. Workers failing to produce a sufficient number of piece rate units to earn the Adverse Effect Wage Rate (AEWR) for all hours worked during a pay period will be paid on an hourly basis at the AEWR for that pay period. Worker will be disciplined through our Progressive Disciplinary Policy as outlined: 1: Documented Verbal Warning and Counseling/Training 2: Written Warning 3: Final Written Warning and possible Suspension 4: Recommendation for Termination of employment Workers will be instructed in safety and operation of the tractor before driving/operating. Tractors should be driven in a manner to protect operator, other workers, trees, crops and equipment. Repeated failure to obey safety requirements and operating instructions may result in termination. The vehicles provided to workers are for multi-purpose use on an as-needed basis (e.g., driving workers from housing directly to the farm, around the farm properties during the work day, possibly carrying equipment/supplies). This may require workers to operate the vehicles on public roads in order to reach the other locations (no CDL w/ passenger endorsement required). These multi-purpose vehicles have a capacity or less than 13 tons, may be used on or off-farm by the workers (e.g., drive to the grocery store, bank, etc. at their discretion). Workers are not required or expected to arrange for the routine pick-up of other workers or groups of workers on a regular schedule.Workers will be compensated at the correct rate of pay for all hours worked, including when they are driving on behalf of the company. This task is voluntary, compensable, and not a mandatory job duty. Workers without a valid driver’s license or doctor’s certificate will still be fully eligible for employment and are not disqualified from any other job responsibilities outlined in this application. These multi-purpose vehicles have a capacity or less than 13 tons, may be used on or off-farm by the workers.

Salary : $17