(Brotherhood of Railway, Airline and Steamship Clerks, ( Freight Handlers, Express and Station Employes PARTIES TO DISPUTE: (Illinois Central Gulf Railroad Company



- (a) Carrier violated the Agreement when it wrongfully dismissed
R. E. Collins following an investigation held at Champaign, Illinois on
Wednesday, May 14, 1975, and that

(b) Carrier now be required to return R. E. Collins to active service with all rights and privil lost during the time he has been illegally withheld from service.

OPINION OF BOARD: This dispute involves the dismissal of Claimant, after an
investigation, for his responsibility for the disappear
ance of over $400.00 from Carrier's ticket office at Rantoul, Illinois on
March 18, 1975.

An examination of the handling of this dispute on the property reveals two fatal flaws in Petiti and including the handling with Carrier's highest officer. It is well established by a host of award that leniency is solely within the perogative of management. Second, the Claim as presented in the final handling on the property is distinctly different than that presented to this Board. It is noted that the allegation of a violation of the Agreement as well as the request for full pay for time lost was never raised on the property. Section 3, First (i) of the Act contemplates that the claim denied by the Chief Operating Officer on the property is the claim which may be referred to this Board. In a directly parallel situation, in Award 15712, we said:













That the Carrier and the Employes involved in this dispute are respectively Carrier and Employes the Railway Labor Act, as approved June 21, 1934;

That this Division of the Adjustment Board has jurisdiction over the dispute involved herein; an




        Claim dismissed.


                        NATIONAL RAILROAD ADJUSTMENT BOARD

                        By Order of Third Division

ATTEST: /z//a,

        Executive Secretary


Dated at Chicago, Illinois, this 33-st day of May 1977.