Form 1 NATIONAL RAILROAD ADJUSTMENT BOARD Award No. 7365
SECOND DIVISION Docket No. 7198
2-BRCofC-CM-' 77





Parties to Dispute: ( (Carmen)




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 June 21, 1934.

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



This claim is based on the Carrier's action of abolishing certain wrecking crew positions which action allegedly violated rule 93 of the Agreement between the Carrier and the Organization. It is the position of the Organization that rule 93 considered along with the past practice of the parties vests the work in question in the Carmen.

The Carrier's first argument in response to the claim is that it should be dismissed in that it was not appealed from the Carrier's highest designated officer within 9 months from his decision to deny the claim.

The facts do not support the Carrier's allegation of a procedural defect. The letter to Mr. Crawford, the Director of Personnel, dated May 23, 1975, was not a letter appealing to the highest officer designated to handle claims as contemplated by Article V of the August 21, 1954 National Agreement. The Organization did process a claim through the proper channels
Form 1 Page 2

Award No. 7365
Docket No. 7198
2-BRCofC-CM-' 77

and ultimately to Mr. Crawford as the highest officer of the Carrier designated to handle claims. That claim was denied by Mr. Crawford, which denial was appealed within nine months.

The claim as presented is rather confusing in terms of what the violation alleged to have been committed actually is; the abolishment of the positions or the use of outside contractors to perform all wrecking service.

There is no provision in the agreement that makes the abolishment of the positions per se a violation of the agreement. No violation can b e sustained solely on that basis. Further, there is nothing in the record to support the statement in the claim that outside contractors have been used to perform wrecking service.

Based upon the record before us we are unable to find support for the claim of the organization set out in the statement of claim.

A W A R D

Claim denied.

Attest: Executive Secretary
National Railroad Adjustment Board

NATIONAL RAILROAD ADJUSTMENT BOARD

By Order of Second Division


By _,
semarie Brasch - Administrative Assistant

Dated at Chicago, Illinois, this 7th day of October, 1977.