Form 1 NATIONAL RAILROAD ADJUSTMENT BOARD Award No. 29378
 THIRD DIVISION Docket No. SG-29521
 92-3-90-3-459
 The Third Division consisted of the regular members and in
 addition Referee Dana E. Eischen when award was rendered.

 (Brotherhood of Railroad Signalmen PARTIES TO DISPUTE:


STATEXENT OF CLAIM: "Claim on behalf the General Committee of the Brother-

Claim on behalf of J. L. Owens et al., for reimbursement of cost of lodging expenses, account of Carrier violated the current Signalmen's Agreement, as amended, particu share lodgings." Carrier file 15 (89-60) G.C. file (89-Sys-02) BRS Case No. 8115-CSXT.L&N.

 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.

This dispute involves claims for reimbursement of expenses for separate motel rooms for System Signal Testers and System Signal Tester Helpers. The dispute was precipitated by a Carrier letter dated June 13, 1989, advising Testers and Tester Helpers that effective July 1, 1989, they would be required to share hotel rooms. Applicable Rules of the Agreement are as follows:


Form 1 Award No. 29378
 Page 2 Docket No. SG-29521
 92-3-90-3-459
 (b) Employes will be paid a month's expenses not
 later than the time when they are paid for the ser
 vice rendered during the last half of the month.
 (c) Effective as of May 6, 1966, complaints of
 camp car outfits or any facility furnished by the
 railroad for living accommodations failing to meet
 requirements of the rules will be made in writing to
 the General Superintendent Communications and Signals
 by the General Chairman, setting out in detail the
 items complained of. Within 30 days after date of
 the complaint, a _oint investigation will be made by
 the General Chairman and General Superintendent
 communications and signals or Signal Engineer. If
 the Complaint is found to have merit, the conditions
 will be corrected within 30 days after the investi
 gation and if not corrected at the end of such 30-day
 period, the employes may obtain suitable living
 accommodations at the expense of the carrier."
 "RULE 52. RATES 3F PAY.
 (a) The following minimum rates of pay are hereby
 incorporated in and made a part of this agreement and
 they shall remain in effect and unless changed in the
 manner provided by the Railway Labor Act:
 (c) Signal Testers and Foremen. The regular
 hours of service of Signal Testers and Foremen shall
 be eight hours per day.
 They shall be allowed a credit of fifteen hours
 per calendar month toward their 211 2/3 monthly
 hours, provided for below, to cover all time spent
 outside of regular hours on days exclusive of rest
 days in lining up work and rendering reports required
 of them in connection with their duties.
 Except for service on assigned rest days, the
 monthly rate for Signal Testers and Foremen shall
 cover all service performed, including overtime for
 the first six days of their work week, up to 211 2/3
 hours in any calendar month. Actual time worked or
 held for duty, exclusive of service on assigned rest
 days, in excess of 211 2/3 hours in any calendar
 month will be paid for at the rate of time and
 one-half. Ordinary maintenance or construction work
 will not be required on the sixth day of the work
 week and an earnest effort will be made to allow such
 employes to be off on such sixth day, Saturday if
 possible, and on recognized holidays, without deduc
 tion is pay thereof. When so relieved, time off for
 such relief for a full day period shall not be con
 sidered as time worked or held for duty.
 Form 1 Award No. 29378
 Page 3 Docket No. SG-29521
 92-3-90-3-459
 Signal Testers and Foremen shall have one regular
 ly assigned rest day each week, Sunday if possible,
 and if required to perform service on such assigned
 rest day, they will be paid, in addition to the
 monthly rate, overtime in accordance with rules of
 the agreement which apply to hourly rated employes.
 Where the rest day and holiday, call, overtime and
 other rules of this agreement require payment to
 employes covered by the scope of this agreement, such
 rules shall not apply to Signal Testers and Foremen
 on the first six days of the work week except that a
 Tester or Foreman will, until 211 2/3 hours is
 reached in a calendar month, be credited towards his
 211 2/3 monthly hours on the basis of one minute for
 each straight time minute and one and one-half min
 utes for each overtime minute where service described
 in such rules is performed. When 211 2/3 hours
 actual :ime worked or held for duty has been accumu
 lated, they will thereafter be paid for actual time
 worked or held for duty at the time and one-half
 rate.
 The straight time hourly rate for these employes
 will be determined by dividing the monthly rate by
 211 2/3 hours."
 "RULE 59 - CAMP CARS.
 Effective as of `lay 6, 1966, on-rail camp car
 outfits shall be furnished for employes assigned to
 gangs and to signal testers. Employes shall not be
 permit:ed to live in or occupy any portion of the car
 which is used for tools or materials. Camp cars
 shall be adequate for the purpose and shall be main
 tained in a good, clean, healthful and sanitary
 condition and free from leaks. Bathing and washing
 facilities with hot and cold water shall be furnished
 with adequate storage facilities to accommodate the
 employes assigned to the outfit. The camp cars shall
 be provided with toilet facilities. Sufficient air
 space and recreation space sufficient to accommodate
 the number of men in the gang shall be provided and
 shall :e used for =o other purpose. Kitchen, dining
 and sleeping cars and recreation space shall be
 screened. All cars shall be equipped with furnish
 ings is proper proportion to the number of men to be
 accommodated. They must be equipped with springs
 Form 1 Award No. 29378
 Page 4 Docket No. SG-29521
 92-3-90-3-459
 consistent with safety and character of car and
 comfort of employes. It will be the duty of the
 foreman or tester to see that cars are kept clean and
 in good sanitary condition at all times, which shall
 be done at company expense. Drinking water, water
 suitable for domestic uses, free from rust and other
 matter, fuel, electric or other suitable refriger
 ation and suitable electric receptacles for the
 number of men to be accommodated shall be furnished.
 Furnishings referred to herein shall include stoves,
 kitchen and dining utensils and dishes, soap, chairs,
 lockers, spring cots; mattresses, blankets, pillows,
 bed linens and towels shall be furnished and main
 tained in a clean, healthful and sanitary condition.
 The company will furnish and pay the wages of cooks
 and in the event the cook is absent, expenses for
 meals will be allowed.
 By agreement between the management and the General
 Chairman, off-rail commercial trailers which meet the
 above requirements may be substituted for on-rail
 cars.
 5. With respect to Section 11 of the Arbitration
 Award, the employes elect to retain provisions of
 existing rules of the general agreement in lieu
 thereof. It is understood that Rules 21, 22 and 29
 shall continue in effect for employes sent away from
 home station in accordance with such provisions."

 On June 16, 1989, the General Chairman wrote a letter to the Signal Engineer disputing the wisdom of Carrier's decision to require Testers to share a room with their Helpers. In that letter he proposed several reasons he felt Carrier's decision was ill-advised and asked Carrier to reconsider its decision.

 On August 21, 1989, the General Chairman submitted claims for reimbursement of lodging expenses incu System Tester Helpers declined to share hotel rooms. The claims were denied and were subsequently appealed up to and including the highest Carrier officer authorized to handle such matters.

 At the outset, the Organization's argument is not persuasive that the claim must be sustained by default, since Carrier failed to respond to the Organization's letter of June 13, 1989. That letter was in the nature of a protest or complaint, but cannot, even read most liberally, be termed a grievance. Since that letter Carrier was not obliged to respond to the letter and contractual time limits on Carrier's response did not begin to run. Accordingly, the Board must dismiss the Organization's procedural objection.
 Form 1 Award No. 29378
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 92-3-90-3-459

 With respect to the merits of the claim, the Organization maintains that Carrier has violated the Agreement and a long-established practice of reimbursing System Signal Testers for the actual necessary expense of separate lodging facilities. It also notes that Foremen had similar responsibilities to System Signal Testers after work hours (performing paper work and planning for the next day) but Foremen are provided separate accommodations. Thus, since System Signal Testers are required by their jobs to have responsibilities similar to those of the cost of single accommodations, and that Carrier's policy of room sharing be discontinued.

 For its part, Carrier asserts that its decision to require System Signal Testers and System Signal Helpers to share rooms does not violate any Agreement Rule. Nor are the claims for reimbursement of expenses incurred by employees who failed to comply with reasonable instructions supported by any Agreement Rule. It notes that by Agreement dated April 3, 1973, (Appendix "W" of the LSN Signalmen's Agreement), the parties agreed to eliminate the use of camp cars pursuant to provisions of Article VI - "Camp Cars" of the November 16, 1971 BRS National Agreement. It was agreed that Carrier would provide hotel or motel lodging "with not more than two employees occupying one twinbedded room." The current Signal Helpers share rooms, two to a twin-bedded room, complies with Article VI.

 Carrier also points out that Rule 29 - "Expenses" provides that employees will be reimbursed for actual additional necessary expenses incurred for meals and lodging. While it contests that Rule 29 applies to floating System Signal Testers and their Helpers, Carrier insists that even if, arguendo, it does apply, the cost of a preferred single room does not constitute an "actual a Carrier cites Third Division Awards 27674 and 20619.

 A review of the Rules of the Agreement cited in this case indicates that they are neither unclear nor ambiguous with respect to the matter at hand. Carrier provided lodging for the System Signal Testers and System Signal Helpers as provided under amended Rule 59, and has not required that they be lodged more than two to a twin-bedded room. Moreover, in accordance with the principles enunciated in Award 27674, supra, Carrier gave Claimants ample notice of the new lodging policy. As noted by the Board in Award 20619, while the arrangement of single rooms may be preferable to Claimants, there is no support for the Organization's position that the additional cost of a single room is a "necessary expense" for which the Claimants should be reimbursed.


Form 1 Award No. 29378
 Page 6 Docket No. SG-29521
 92-3-90-3-459
 NATIONAL RAILROAD ADJUSTMENT BOARD
 By Order of Third Division

 Attest:

Dated at Chicago, Illinois, this 17th day of September 1992.