FORM 1 NATIONAL RAILROAD ADJUSTMENT BOARD Award No. 28066
THIRD DIVISION Docket No. MW-26610
89-3-85-3-360
The Third Division consisted of the regular members and in
addition Referee Edward L. Suntrup when award was rendered.
(Brotherhood of Maintenance of Way Employes
PARTIES TO DISPUTE:
(Delaware and Hudson Railway Company
STATEMENT OF CLAIM: "Claim of the System Committee of the Brotherhood that:
(1) The Agreement was violated when Track Department employes
(Section Gang T-44) from the Pennsylvania Division were used to perform track
work on the Susquehanna Division on January 25, 26, 27 and 30, 1984 (Carrier's
Files 9.84, 10.84, 11.84, 12.84).
(2) Because of the aforesaid violation, furloughed Trackman W.
Hurley, E. Jones-, E. Knapp and M. Gardner shall each be allowed twenty-three
(23) hours of pay at the trackman's straight time rate and furloughed Trackmen
V. Miner, III and T. Clapper shall each be allowed seventeen (17) hours of pay
at the trackman's straight time rate."
FINDINGS:
The Third 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 employes 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.
At the time of this claim the Claimants held seniority as Trackmen on
the Carrier's Susquehanna Sub-Division. They were on furlough. In January
1984, there was a derailment at the Carrier's East Binghamton Yard in Conklin,
New York. There is no dispute that this yard is within the Susquehanna SubDivision. The Carrier used
Sub-Division to repair track damage in Binghamton Yard on the days of January
25-27 and 30, 1984. A claim was subsequently filed with the Carrier by the
organization on the grounds that the Carrier should have used the furloughed
Claimants, rather than the regularly assigned Trackmen from the Pennsylvania
Sub-Division, to have done the repair work after the derailment.
Form 1
Page 2
Award No. 28066
Docket No. MW-26610
89-3-85-3-360
The Rules at bar in this case are the following:
(a) Seniority rights of employes, except as
provided in (b) and (c), are confined to the
sub-department and class in which employed and to
the sub-division on which they are located as
herein defined.
Track Department:
Pennsylvania Sub-division
Susquehanna Sub-division
Saratoga Sub-division
Champlain Sub-division
Bridge and Building Department:
Pennsylvania Sub-division
Susquehanna Sub-division
Saratoga Sub-division
Champlain Sub-division
(b) Seniority rights of trackmen and laborers will
be restricted to their respective gangs, except
that, when forces are reduced, they may exercise
displacement on their seniority sub-division.
(c) Seniority rights of steel bridge men and
equipment operators as such, shall extend over the
entire system.
Rule 42(1)
The carrier shall have the right to use furloughed
employes to perform extra work, and relief work on
regular positions during absence of regular occupants, provided such employes have signified in the
manner provided in paragraph 2 hereof their desire
to be so used. This provision is not intended to
supersede rules or practices which permit employes
to place themselves on vacancies on preferred positions in their seniority districts, it being under
filled, on the last position that is to be filled.
This does not supersede rules that require the
filling of temporary vacancies. It is also understood that management retains the right to use the
regular employe, under pertinent rules of the
agreement, rather than call a furloughed employe."
Form 1 Award No. 28066
Page 3 Docket No. MW-26610
89-3-85-3-360
The Organization argues that the Carrier inappropriately transferred work from one seniority dis
assigned employees from the Pennsylvania Sub-Division to do the work at bar.
In denying the claim the Carrier argues that its right to have used the employees it did was protect
work." According to the Carrier, this Rule gives it options to go to either
regularly assigned employees of another seniority district, or to furloughed
employees in the district in which "extra work" is found.
The Agreement Rules and factual particulars of this claim parallel
those of Third Division Award 28065 already heard and ruled on by this Board.
The only differences are the dates in question when the violations took place,
and the remedy requested by the Organization. The six (6) Claimants to this
case were also party, among others, to the claim considered under Third
Division Award 28065.
Conclusions arrived at and rationale presented in "hard Division
Award 28065 hold here by reference thereto. The claim is sustained on the
merits.
Relief to be paid by the Carrier shall be twenty-three (23) hours at
the pro rata rate to Claimants W. Hurley, E. Jones, E. Knapp and M. Gardner,
and seventeen (17) hours at the pro rata rate to Claimants V. Miner, III and
T. Clapper.
A WAR D
Claim sustained in accordance with the Findings.
NATIONAL RAILROAD ADJUSTMENT BOARD
By Order of Third Division
Attest:
4~ncy J. -Executive Secretary
Dated at Chicago, Illinois, this 10th day of August 1989.