Form 1 NATIONAL RAILROAD ADJUSTMENT BOARD Award
No.
28936
THIRD DIVISION Docket
No.
MW-27735
91-3-87-3-206
The Third Division consisted of the regular members and in
addition Referee Gil Vernon when award was rendered.
(Brotherhood of Maintenance of Way Employes
PARTIES TO DISPUTE:
(CSX Transportation, Inc. (Seaboard System Railroad)
STATEMENT OF CLAIM: "Claim of the System Committee of the Brotherhood that:
(1) The Carrier violated the Agreement when, without a conference
having been held between the Chief Engineering Officer and the General Chairman as required by Rule
Structures Department on the Lakeland Subdivision, Tampa Division, to outside
forces on August 23, 28, September 6, 13, 16, 23 and October 7 and 8, 1985
(System File 37-SCL-85-42/12-2(85-339) I].
(2) Because of the aforesaid violation, Foreman R. E. Naught, Apprentice Foreman T. L. Roberson,
Trackmen K. L. Traywick, W. Knight, Jr. and K. Davis, Jr. shall each be allowed pay at their respect
share of the three hundred twenty (320) man-hours expended by outside forces
in performing the work referred to in Part (1) hereof."
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.
The basic facts are undisputed although the parties construe them
very differently.
Without conducting a meeting between the General Chairman and the
Chief Engineering Officer, Carrier contracted with an outside firm to place
and compact asphalt paving material as part of the reconditioning of eleven
road crossings on its Tampa Division between August 23 and October 8, 1985.
Form 1 Award No. 28936
Page 2 Docket No. MW-27735
91-3-87-3-206
Other than the paving, all of the work on the track structure was performed by
employees subject to the Agreement. Claimants were all fully employed throughout the duration of the
The Organization cites the following Rules among those allegedly violated:
"Rule 1 Scope
These Rules cover the hours of service, wages and
working conditions for all employees of the Maintenance of Way and Structures Department **~
Rule 2 Contracting
This Agreement requires that all maintenar-i work
in the Maintenante of Way and Structures Department is to be performed by employees subject to
this Agreement except it is recognized that, in
specific instances, certain work that is to be
performed requires special skills not possessed by
the employees and the use of special equipment not
owned by or available to the Carrier. In such
instances, the Chief Engineering Officer and the
General Chairman, will confer and reach an understanding setting forth the conditions under which
the work will be performed."
The Organization contends that the disputed paving work was traditionally and historically assig
The Carrier, diametrically opposed, says that the paving of road
crossings has historically been performed by parties other than Railroad
employees. It says the question to be decided is not whether Maintenance of
Way employees have performed the work of paving road crossings, but rather,
if they have exclusive rights thereto. Since the Organization did not have
exclusive rights, Carrier had no obligation to meet and confer.
After a careful review of the record, the Board must disagree with
the Carrier's position. The evidence establishes that the Organization and
the Carrier have met frequently -- before, during and after the work in
question -- on other projects involving asphalt paving that were contracted
out. By this conduct, Carrier has shown paving work to be a proper subject of
contracting discussions. Moreover, prior Awards of this Board have held that
issues of exclusivity are not a defense to notice and meeting requirements.
See, for example, Third Division Awards 27650, 26301 and 20020. Accordingly,
Carrier violated the Agreement when it contracted the work without engaging in
the required discussions.
Form 1 Award No. 28936
Page 3 Docket No. MW-27735
91-3-87-3-206
The remaining question is whether there should be a monetary remedy.
Since the Board finds that the Claimants did not lose any work opportunities
as a result of the lack of notice or the contracting, there will be no monetary remedy. The remedy i
violation of the Agreement.
A W A R D
Claim sustained in accordance with the Findings.
NATIONAL RAILROAD ADJUSTMENT BOARD
By Order of Third Division
Attest:
Nancy J. r - Executive Secretary
Dated at Chicago, Illinois, this 29th day of August 1991.