Form 1 NATIONAL RATLFOAD ADJUSTMdT BOARD Award No. 7922
SECOND DIVISION Docket No. 7666
2-L8c1V-CM-' 79





Parties to Dispute: ( (Carmen)
- {



Dispute: Claim of Employes:











Findings:

The Seconi 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, 193..

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



Claimant was employed as Cayman at Carrier's, Strawberry Yards, Louisville, Kentucky. Under date of ..Tune 9, 1976 he wms suspended from service pending investigation into charges reading as :follows:
Form 1 Award No. 7922
Page 2 Docket No. `(666
2-h&N-CM-`79




FollowTing investigation, at which he was represented by the organization, Claimant was dismissed for conduct unbecoming an employee. Therefore, the instant claim was filed and processed on the property without settlement.

The record shows that Claimant eras one of several employes arrested by Jefferson County Police on various charges of theft from interstate shipments moving via Carrier's line, as well as theft of various items of Carrier's own property. He pled guilty to a reduced charge of receiving stolen property and received a suspended jail sentence of 6 months. His sole defense to the prima facie case presented against him at the Carrier's hearing and investigation eras that he had purchased all of the items in question from an establishment kno-vm as "Crazy Ied's". Absent his own basic assertion there is no evidence whatsoever on the record to support this defense. None of the alleged receipts were produced and indeed, the very existence of "Crazy Red's" remains doubtful on this record. We cannot conclude that Carrier acted arbitrarily and unreasonably in finding Claimant guilty as charged and in rejecting his defense. Nor considering the seriousness of the offense involved, can we deern~the penalty of dismissal overly harsh or inappropriate.






                          By Order of Second Division


Attest: Executive Secretary
National Railroad Adjustment Board

By ~G ~
    R semarie Brasch - Administrative Assistant


Dated t Chicago, Illinois, this 16th day of May, 1979.