(Brotherhood of Railroad Signalmen
 PARTIES TO DISPUTE:
 (Missouri Pacific Railroad Company

On behalf of Assistant Signalman C. W. Conley, who has worked the proper amount of days, and is seeking a Signalman's position, for the difference of a top rate Assistant and a Signalman's rate of pay from September 12, 1975 until C&EI Signalman D. D. Edwards is removed from his CHI position in the Sedalia, Missouri Signal Shop. (Carrier file: K 225-697)

 OPINION OF BOARD: The January 21, 1970 agreement between the Chicago
 and Eastern Illinois Railroad Company (C&EI)
 Missouri Pacific (MP) Railroad Company and the Brotherhood of Fail mad
 Signalmen implementing the agreed upon staffing and workload assign
 ments at the Sedalia Shop is the controlling instrument which governs
 the resolution of this grievance. Accordingly we will eschew reviewing
 the rationale of the Chicago and Eastern Illinois and Missouri Pacific
 merger and instead assess and apply the provisions of this agreement to
 the fact patterns of this case.

 The language of this arrangement was to provide a qualified, albeit limited job protection accommodation to a specified number of C&EI Signalmen at the Sedalia Shop. This formula established a maximum complement of C&EI si location rather than a minimal number and was pragmatically synchronized with the workload levels. A institutionalize a static staffing-workload relationship. In fact, the following sentence from Sec. 2(a) Supra confirms this analysis: "Employees so transferring will have prior rights to regular assignments in the shop at Sedalia in < performed in the shop at Sedalia in a one year period."
                    Docket Number SG-22084


Conversely, contrary to claimant's assertion that the agreement required the abolishment of both C&EI positions in response to the recessed economic c the parties intention.

 The agreement certainly does not provide anyone with permanent job security. It does on the other hand require the observance of a work force to workload ratio.

 The elimination of one (1) of the C&E7 Signalman positions represented a measured work force reduction; it was not inconsistent with its contractual obligations under the January 21, 1970 Agreement.

          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

          The Agreement was not violated.

                    Award Number 22012 Page 3

                    Docket Number SG-22084

                    A W A R D


          Claim denied.


                        NATIONAL RAILRMD ADJUSTMENT BOARD

                        By Order of Third Division


ATTEST:
          Executive Secretary


Dated at Chicago, Illinois, this 14th day of April 1978.