NATIONAL RAILROAD ADJUSTMENT BOARD
THIRD DIVISION Docket Number SG-21323
Irwin M. Lieberman, Referee
(Brotherhood of Railroad Signalmen
PARTIES TO DISPUTE:
(Southern Pacific Transportation Company (Pacific Lines)
STATEMENT OF CLAIM: Claim of the General Committee of the Brotherhood of
Railroad Signalmen on the Southern Pacific Transportation
Company:
(a) The Southern Pacific Transportation Company (Pacific Lines)
violated the Agreement between the Company and its employes in the Signal
Department, represented by the Brotherhood of Railroad Signalmen, effective
October 1, 1973, particularly Rule 16 which resulted in violation of Rule 72.
(b) In addition to violation of Rules 16 and 72 cited in Local
Chairman's Claim, we believe that Rule 11 (Work Week) and Rule 19 were also .
violated.
(c) Mr. M. L. Burreson be reimbursed the amount of One Thousand
Four Hundred and Eight Dollars and Eighty Nine Cents, the amount of loss
suffered in accordance with provisions of Rule 72 of Current Agreement.
(Carrier's file: SIG 61-50)
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OPINION OF BOARD: Carrier established a new position of Signal Maintainer
with headquarters at Hayden, Arizona. Pending bulletining
and permanent assignment of an applicant to this position, Claimant was sent
from his home station of Tempe, Arizona (Signal Gang No. 9) to protect the
new vacancy. He was assigned to Hayden on March 25, 1974 and returned to
his permanent assignment on April 23, 1974. Claimant was given suitable
eating and sleeping accomodations at Hayden and was allowed actual necessary
expenses while on the temporary assignment. The assigned hours at Hayden
were first trick with Saturday and Sunday as rest days. With certain exceptions (which are not in di
for emergency duty from the end of his regular shift on each Friday until
the beginning of his regular shift on the following Monday. Carrier compensated Claimant at straight
received the overtime rate for service performed between 6:00 P.M. April 6
and 2:30 A.M. April 7th. The issue involved herein is whether Claimant
qualified for the overtime rate for the weekend hours specified in the claim.
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Rule 16 of the Agreement, relied on by Petitioner, is a standard
overtime rule which provides, inter alia, for time and one-half to be paid
for the sixth and seventh day of work in a week. Rules 19, 28 and 25 are
also cited; they provide in pertinent part:
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Award Number 21380 Page 2
Docket Number SG-21323
"RULE 19. SUBJECT TO CALL.
Employes assigned to regular maintenance duties recognize j
the possibility of emergencies in the operation of the
railroad, and shall notify the person designated by the
Management where they may be called and shall respond
promptly when called. When such employes desire to leave
their headquarters for a period of time in excess of three
(3) hours, they shall notify the person designated by the
Management that they will be away, about when they shall
return, and when possible, where they may be found. Unless
registered absent, regular assigned employes shall be called."
"RULE 25 - HELD OUT OVERNIGHT
Employes sent away from home station and held out overnight
shall be allowed actual time for traveling or waiting during
the regular working hours; in addition, travel or waiting
time outside of regular hours will be paid for at straight
time rate, until the employe is released from duty at location
where suitable eating and sleeping accomodations are available."
"RULE 28. (a) FILLING TEMPORARY VACANCY.
An employe when sent away from his home station to fill a
temporary vacancy in his own or lower class for one day,
shall be paid in accordance with Rule 24; if for more than
one day he shall be paid in accordance with Rule 25. While
filling such vacancy, he shall be paid for the hours worked
at the established rate for the position, but at not less
than his regular rate. If his regular position works in
excess of eight (8) hours, he shall be paid not less than if
he remained on his regular position."
Carrier contends that there is no rule in the Agreement under which
signal maintainers are compensated during time they remain available and
"subject to call" outside of their regular assigned hours, nor has it been
the practice to do so. It is argued that "available-for-call" time is not
time worked under Rule 16. Carrier claims that the situation in this case
was covered by Rules 28(a) and 25. Carrier, in support of its straight
time payment stated:
"In the instant case, in the context of Rule 25, the term
'duty' was interpreted to the benefit of the claimant as
being sufficiently broad to encompass the requirement that
claimant WAIT AT HIS MOTEL FOR A CALL, entitling him to
payment of straight time rate."
Award Number 21380 Page 3
Docket Number SG-21323
Carrier also maintains that if Petitioner's position is correct, and Rule 25
is not applicable, then Claimant was paid for many hours for which he was
entitled to no compensation. Either way, it is argued, since there was no
time worked, the claim is invalid.
Petitioner states that Rule 25 is inapplicable since Claimant was
released from duty on his first day at the temporary location with suitable
eating and sleeping accomodations. It is argued that Rule 25 was not intended to cover the type of s
weekends in question. Petitioner also urges that Claimant was denied the
privilege of registering absent outside of assigned hours which is the
normal prerogative of maintainers under Rule 19.
The issue in this dispute is not a novel one. The question of the
distinction between "work" and "service" has been before this Board on numerous
occasions
in
various contexts (e.g. Award 2032)., and we have found both to
be compensable. It is evident that Carrier construed the requisite standby
time as service to be compensated in view of its straight time. pay decision.
We find, however, that there is a distinction to be made between waiting and
traveling time and standby service as performed herein. The provisions of
Rule 25 are not applicable to this situation since in that Rule the waiting
time at straight time rate is only payable until "...the employe is released
from duty at location where suitable eating and sleeping accomodations are
available."
We have dealt with closely related disputes in Awards 826, 1875,
2640, 3290 and 4440. In Award 1675 we said:
"It is admitted by the Carrier that Ashford was definitely
told by his superior officer on the evening of December 23rd
that he would be subject to call and that he could not leave
his home station. He was not released from being subject to
call until 7:30 P.M., Sunday December 24th, 1939. Thus we
find that Ashford was required to be ready for service during
this period of time. It was stand-by service. It was of
value to the Carrier or otherwise it would not have required
Ashford to have been subject to call during this period of
time. As someone has said 'They also serve who only stand
and wait.'
Ashford performed a specific service for the Carrier and is
entitled to be compensated for this service under the provisions of the current agreement for the 23
service ....This payment is governed by the provisions of Rule
3 (L-1) stating that all service performed outside of the
regular work period shall be paid on the basis of time and
one-half."
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Award Number 21380 Page 4
Docket Number SG-21323
Similarly, in the dispute before us we find that Claimant performed campensable service d
been compensated in accordance with the terms of the Agreement: Rule 16.
For all the reasons indicated the Claim must be sustained. However,
the compensation due Claimant should only be the difference between what
he received from Carrier and time and one-half for the hours in question. j
FINDINGS: The Third Division of the Adjustment Board, upon the whole record
and all the evidence, finds and holds:
That the parties waived oral hearing;
That the Carrier and the Employes involved in this dispute are
respectively Carrier and Employes within the meaning of the Railway Labor
Act, as approved June 21, 1934;
That this Division of the Adjustment Board has jurisdiction
over the dispute involved herein; and
That the Agreement was violated.
A W A R D
Claim sustained to the extent indicated in the Opinion above.
NATIONAL RAILROAD ADJUSTMENT BOARD
By Order of Third Division
ATTEST:
49411,
Dated at Chicago, Illinois this 28th day of January 1977.