"1. That in violation of the governing Agreement, Rule 27, 76 and 98 in particular, the Burlington Northern Railroad Company arbitrarily assigned members of the BLE and UTU Organizations to perform Electrical Craft work at Springfield, Missouri.

2. That accordingly the Burlington Northern Railroad Company should be ordered to compensate. Mechanical Department Electrician Bob Wallin of Springfield, Missouri three (3) hours at the punitive rate of pay for said violation."

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.

Parties to said dispute waived right of appearance at hearing thereon.

As Third Party in Interest, the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and The United Transportation Union, were advised of the pendency of this dispute but chose not to file a submission with the Board.

The Organization's complaint concerns connecting electrical cables between locomotives. On December 22, 1989 a Locomotive Engineer added one unit to two other units that were a part of the consist of Train No. 124 because that train needed additional power. In making this addition it was necessary for the Engineer to disconnect and reconnect electrical cables.

This Board has decided scores of cases involving allegations of the Organization that disconnecting and reconnecting locomotive electrical cables was work exclusively reserved to its Craft. Our awards are almost uniform in holding that it is not a violation of the IBEW Agreement when Engineer's connect and disconnect electrical cables between locomotives utilized in their own trains. The Claim is without merit. It will be denied.

A W A R D