"(f) If any trainee, regular apprentice, helper apprentice, or upgraded helper is injured while on duty and such injury causes this employee to lose time from his position as a trainee, apprentice (regular or helper) or an upgraded helper, which loss of time would delay the completion of his time relative to qualifying as a mechanic and establishing seniority as such, the so affected employee, upon his return to active service with Carrier and the completion of the necessary time to be granted a seniority date as a mechanic, shall be entitled to a retroactive seniority date as a mechanic, as of the date he would have acquired had he not lost time account of being injured while on duty. The same provision shall apply to trainees, apprentices (regular or helper) who lose time account active military service, National Guard service, or training or Reserve active duty training."

"(g) Present employees bidding or applying for a journeyman position in a class in which they do not hold seniority rights or have not satisfactorily completed an apprentice training program under prevailing agreements, must successfully pass an entrance examination mutually agreed to by the Carrier and the General Chairman before they are assigned the position. Such employees bidding or applying for a position which, by law requires a license, must possess the license before the examination may be taken. Prospective new employees must also have license required by law and successfully pass an entrance examination applicable to the position they are seeking.

The minimum passing grade of these entrance examinations shall be 70% and the applicants passing an examination and receiving an assignment will then be further required to participate in and successfully complete all portions of the applicable training program; however, those applicants who have received a grade of 87°/a or higher on the entrance

examination will not be required to participate in the correspondence portion of the training.

The employees subject herein shall establish seniority in accord with the provisions of Rule 27 (except upgraded apprentices electing option 2 of Rule 9), and will not be subject to entry rates.

It is understood that applicants for a journeyman's position who, within the probationary period of Rule 27, present documented evidence of having served a four-year apprenticeship in the class for which they are applying or who present valid IBEW journeyman's credentials for the class, will, at their option, be exempted from the classroom portion of the apprenticeship training."

Rule 27 Bulletining New Positions and Vacancies, referred to above:

"Rule 27. BULLETINING NEW POSITIONS AND VACANCIES

(b) Bulletins will be addressed to members of the class in which the vacancy exists, as well as to employees in all lower classes, and, in the event no bid is received from an employee in the class in which the vacancy occurs the senior qualified employee in the next lower class bidding for the same will be assigned and will establish a date in such higher class as of the date he first performs service therein provided he works on the position at least sixty (60) calendar days. The 60-day requirement may be waived by mutual agreement in case of individuals unusually qualified due to training and experience. If after a fair trial, an employee fails to qualify in a higher class, he may return to the lower class from which he came but may displace only the junior employee holding a regular assignment in such lower class, if his junior, and he will not establish seniority in the higher class.

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The Claimant obtained his Electronic Position under the provisions of Rule 25(g). That Rule, in pertinent part, provides that employees will "establish seniority in accord with the provisions of Rule 27."

Rule 27(b) noted previously, in relevant part, states "in the event no bid is received from an employee in the class in which the vacancy occurs the senior qualified employee in the next lower class bidding for same will be assigned and will establish a date in such higher class as of the date he first performs service therein provided he works on the position at least sixty (60) calendar days."

Therefore, an employee obtaining a position in a higher class will establish seniority in that class on the date that he first performs service. This is the situation that applies to the Claimant. The Claimant first performed service as an Electronic Technician on February 22, 1993 and, thus, established seniority in that class on that date. Counting back to establish seniority as provided by Rule 25(f) is applicable only when the employee completes the apprenticeship training program. This did not happen in this case. The Claimant obtained his Electronic Technician position, not because he completed an apprenticeship, but because he passed an entrance examination and obtained an FCC license pursuant to Rule 25(g).

.WARD