Form 1 NATIONAL RAILROAD ADJUSTMENT BOARD Award No. 7271
SECOND DIVISION Docket No. 7121
2-LI-EW-'77





Parties to Dispute: ( (Electrical Workers)




Dispute: Claim of Employes:





Findings:

The Second Division of the Adjustment Board, upon the whole record and all the evidence, finds that:

The carrier or carriers and the employe or employes involved in this dispute are respectively carrier and employe within the meaning of the Railway Labor Act as approved Tune 21, 1934.

This Division of the Adjustment Board has jurisdiction over the dispute involved herein.



Claimants were regularly assigned electricians working from 8:00 a.m. to x+:00 p.m. Monday through Friday. On Friday, December 27, 1974 Claimants worked their regular hours ending at 4:00 p.m. They were asked to work overtime that evening starting at 9:00 p.m. They commenced at 9:00 p.m. and worked until 12:00 noon the following day.







Form 1 Award No. 7271
Page 2 Docket No. 7121
2-ZI-EW-'77

The Organization, on behalf of Claimants, contends that Carrier violated the provisions of Rule 5 of the Agreement when it failed and refused to-pay Claimants double time for work performed between 12:00 midnight and 12:00 noon on December 28.







The Board finds that Carrier correctly compensated Claimants for service performed from 9:00 p.m. on December 27 to 8:00 a.m. on December 28, namely, time and one-half from 9:00 p.m. to 5:00 a.m. and double time from 5:00 a.m. to 8:00 a.m. It is clear that "service" is synonymous with "work". Claimants did nothing for Carrier between x+:00 p.m. (the end of their regular shift) and 9:00 p.m. (when they commenced overtime work). We would be putting an undue strain on the plain meaning of the English language if we were to consider this period of no work as "service" under the rule.

With respect to that portion of the claim for double time between 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon, the Board finds that it must be sustained.

Carrier erroneously takes the position that the requirement under the rule to pay double time ends at the expiration of the 24 hour period that began at Claimants' starting time, and it cites numerous denial awards to support its position. In all of the awards cited by Carrier, the agreements therein used the language "beyond 16 hours of service in a 24 hour pe riod computed from starting time of employe's regular shift." No such 2 hour period limitation is part of Rule 5 of this agreement. Moreover, Rule 5 requires that the double time payment "will be continued" if an employe is required to perform service beyond 24 hours computed from the commencement of an employe's regular shift.





NATIONAL RAILROAD ADJUSTMENT BOARD

By Order of Second Division

Form 1
Page 3

Attest: Executive Secretary
National Railroad Adjustment Board



Dated at Chicago, Illinois, this 5th day of April, 1977.

Award No. 7271
Docket No. 7121
2-LI-EGT- t 77