Form 1 NATIONAL RAILROAD ADJUSTMENT BOARD Award No. 29375
THIRD DIVISION Docket No. CL-29510
92-3-90-3-450
The Third :Division consisted of the regular members and in
addition Referee Dana E. Eischen when award was rendered.
(Transportation Communications International Union
PARTIES TO DISPUTE:
(Chicago, South Shore and South Bend Railroad Company
STATEMENT OF CLALM: "Claim of the System Committee of the Brotherhood
(GL-10493) that:
1. Carrier violated the effective agreement when it failed to call
Mr. Wayne Gibson f:r a short vacancy on his rest day, October 7, 1989, in
preference to an eaoloye junior in service to Claimant;
2. Carrier shall now compensate Mr. Gibson eight (8) hours' pay at
the time and one-half rate of Position 282 for October 20, 1989."
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 t:) said dispute waived right of appearance at hearing thereon.
The Claimant was hired on February 7, 1968, and performed service for
the Carrier as a Freight and Yard Clerk for twenty-one years. On October 7,
1989, the incumbent of Position No. 282/291, reported off ill in the early
morning hours. The Assistant General Freight Agent called the junior Yard
Clerk to perform tie duties of the position. He did not call the Claimant,
who was senior, because the "claimant had not worked the position for a number
of years."
The Organization filed a claim with the Carrier by submission of its
letter of October _0, 1989. The Organization maintained that the Claimant,
having seniority r=ghts over the junior employee, should have been called to
perform these duties in accordance with Rules 8, 11 and 41 of the working
Agreement.
Form 1 Award No. 29375
Page 2 Docket No. CL-29510
92-3-90-3-450
"Rule 8 - Promotion, Assignments and Displacements
Employees covered by these rules shall be in line for
promotion. Promotion, assignments and displacements
shall be based on seniority, fitness and ability;
fitness and ability being sufficient, seniority shall
prevail."
"Rule 11 - Short Vacancies
(a) New positions and/or vacancies of thirty (30)
calendar days or less duration shall be considered
short vacancies and need not be bulletined. However,
when there is reasonable evidence that such new
positions and/or vacancies will extend beyond the
thirty (30) day limit, they shall immediately be
bulletined, showing, if practicable, probable or
expected duration.
(b) Employees will be selected to fill positions
pending assignment by bulletin and all short
vacancies in accordance with Rule 8 and paragraphs
(e), (f) and (g) of Rule 19."
"Rule 41 - Overtime
(e)
SERVICE ON
REST DAYS. Service rendered on
assigned rest days (other than Sunday) shall be paid
for under the call rule unless relieving an employee
assigned to such day in which case, they will be paid
for eight (8) hours at the rate of the position
occupied or their regular rate, whichever is higher.
Where Sunday is one of the rest days, service on
Sunday will be paid for as provided in Rule 42.
Regular assigned rest days shall not be changed
except after such advance notice to the employee as
is required under Rule 21.
(Interpretation) It is understood that employees
called on their rest days (not relieving another
employee) will be paid three (3) hours for two (2)
hours work or less and if held on duty in excess of
two hours, time and one-half will be allowed on the
minute basis. If an employee is called on his rest
day or days to relieve another employee, he will be
allowed a minimum of eight (8) hours at the rate of
time and one-half."
Form 1 Award No. 29375
Page 3 Docket No. CL-29510
92-3-90-3-450
Carrier pointed out that Claimant had not worked Position No. 282/291
for at least three years, and asserted he therefore was not qualified to work
said position. The Carrier further asserted that it continuously fills vacancies due to illness with
Carrier states that Position No. 282/291 is now primarily an outside position
and the incumbent is responsible for the C6o connection (3 tracks, N&W connection (3 tracks), Li
Bailly NIPSCO plant (8 tracks), Bailly Siding (3 tracks), Bethlehem Steel (5
tracks-430 yard), Track Mill (6-20 and N. scale track), and B&O connection (2
tracks). According to the Carrier, the employee on this position would be
responsible for numerous additional activities and stated that "A clerk who
normally works an inside job and suddenly has to work the Bethlehem Position
No. 282/291 without qualifying will have problems doing the work and will
cause unnecessary delays."
Claimant has a seniority date of February 6, 1968. At the time of
the incident giving rise to the present claim, he was the occupant of Freight
and Yard Clerk Job No. 285 at Carrier's Michigan City Yard Office. The duties
of this position are listed by bulletin as follows:
"Must be a touch typist, or equivalent thereto in
proficiency, must have valid driver's license, be
able to change tires on company vehicles, check yards
and list cars to crews and be familiar with interchange, all aspects of waybilling, freightbilling,
and agency accounting pertaining to the handling of
freight cars, and clerical duties incident thereto.
Must be able to do all other clerical duties as may
be assigned."
The Organization demonstrated that during his tenure Claimant successfully worked a variety of p
including that of Chief Yard Clerk, "the most responsible yard clerical position on the property."
On the date claimed the vacancy existed on Position 282, another
Freight and Yard Clerk position in the same office. The duties of that position are listed as follow
"Must be a touch typist with a 40 word per minute
proficiency. Must have a valid driver's license, and
be able to change tires on agency vehicles, inspect
mechanical protection cars. Must check tracks and
list cars to crews and be familiar with interchange,
all aspects of waybilling and freightbilling, agency
account:ag pertaining to handling of freight cars and
clerical duties incident thereto, must be able to do
all other clerical duties as may be assigned."
Form 1 Award No. 29375
Page 4 Docket No. CL-29510
92-3-90-3-450
So far as the record shows, the duties of the positions are virtually identical and the yard che
five tracks. Further, the Organization showed that only on "very rare
occasions" is a check required of a track used for scrap by Luria Brothers.
The other work in connection with Bethlehem Steel involves interchange and
billing which the Claimant routinely performs.
The principles governing disposition of this case were set forth by
the Board in Third Division Award 19758 as follows:
"We have consistently held, that unless overtime
is specifically excluded from the seniority provisions of an agreement, it is subject to them (Award
Nos. 2716; 2994; 4531; 6136; 15640).
In 17640 (Ives) we said, that a carrier 'has an
obligation to make a reasonable effort to call the
senior available employee to do overtime work, before
using a junior employee to do such work."
Carrier has failed to show justification for the prima facie violation of the Claimant's
A W A R D
Claim sustained.
NATIONAL RAILROAD ADJUSTMENT BOARD
By Order of Third Division
Attest:
. ncy J. er - Executive Secretary
Dated at Chicago, Illinois, this 17th day of September 1992.