Form I NATIONAL RAILROAD ADJUSTMENT BOARD
THIRD DIVISION
Award No. 37877
Docket No. SG-37711
06-3-03-3-37
The Third Division consisted of the regular members and in addition Referee
Marty E. Zusman when award was rendered.
(Brotherhood of Railroad Signalmen
PARTIES TO DISPUTE:
(CSX Transportation, Inc. (former Baltimore and
( Ohio Railroad Company)
STATEMENT OF CLAIM:
"Claim on behalf of W. M. Sheckles, Jr., M. T. Gaver, V. K.
Kennedy, B. L. Watkins, M. A. Tarleton, T. E. Painter, J. L. Eagle,
Jr. and R. W. Graves, for 40 hours at the straight time rate of pay
and 50 hours time and one-half, to be divided equally among the
Claimants, account Carrier violated the current Signalmen's
Agreement, particularly CSXT Labor Agreement 15-18-94, and Side
Letter No. 2, when it used System Signal Construction forces to
replace existing signal cables on the Metropolitan Sub-Division at
Brunswick, Maryland, Mile Post 75.5, on October 25 and 26, 2001
and deprived the Claimants of the opportunity to perform this work.
Carrier's File No. 15(02-0050). General Chairman's File No. BME01-03-02. BRS File Case No. 12403-B&O."
The Third Division of the Adjustment Board, upon the whole record and all the
evidence, finds that:
The carrier or carriers and the employee or employees involved in this dispute
are respectively carrier and employee within the meaning of the Railway Labor Act,
as approved June 21, 1934.
Form 1 Award No. 37877
Page 2 Docket No. SG-37711
06-3-03-3-37
This Division of the Adjustment Board has jurisdiction over the dispute
involved herein.
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By letter dated December 8, 2001, the Organization alleged the Carrier's
violation of CSXT Labor Agreement No. 15-18-94, particularly the definition of
System Signal Construction Gangs, their purpose and what constitutes
"construction work." The violation claimed by the Organization was due to the
Carrier utilizing System Signal Construction Gang Nos. 7X13 and 7X15 to install
new cables on October 25 and 26, 2001 at the W. B. Tower at MP 75.5.
The language at the center of the dispute comes from CSXT Labor
Agreement No. 15-18-94. It states in pertinent part:
"Construction Work - That work which involves the installation of
new equipment and systems and the major revision of existing
systems, and not work which involves maintaining existing
equipment or systems. Replacing existing systems as
a
result of
flood, acts of God, derailment or other emergency may also be
construction work.
System Signal Construction Gang - A gang used to perform year
round construction work throughout the territory covered by the
B&O Agreement."
The Organization argues that the work performed was work that did not
belong to the System Signal Construction Gangs, but was work that belonged to
district forces holding Baltimore West End seniority.
The Carrier argued that what was assigned to these two System Signal
Construction Gangs was the replacing of existing signal cables. It held an
"emergency existed when the signal system was suspended after finding signal cable
grounded and not within FRA and CSXT accepted tolerances." In short, the
Carrier maintains that this was an emergency.
Form 1
Award Nn- 37X77
Page 3 Docket No.
SG-37711
06-3-03-3-37
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Board r,ar
elutly
reviewed
this
record.
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tte
Carrier claimed that it was an
emergency because the "signal system was suspended" due to discovery of serious
problems which required new cables. The Organization stated that it was not an
emergency arguing only that the work was known through routine signal
inspections a full year in advance. Our review of the record finds no probative
evidence to effectively rebut the Carrier's emergency defense. Nor is there any
proof that the work performed was routine maintenance of existing systems.
Additionally, the Board finds that the issue at bar has been considered in one
form or another countless times (Third Division Awards
37520, 37485, 37484, 37334,
37333, 37286, 37250, 37249, 37194, 37125, 37122, 31116
and others). In Awards
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overwhelming Award history supports dismissal of this claim, rather than denial.
Unless the Organization can come up with proof that the work performed by the
Carrier was work that "involves maintaining existing equipment or systems," which
is that work routinely performed by division forces, it is proper for System Signal
Construction forces to do the work. This has been found by an extensive line of
Awards. This Referee has previously considered this issue in Third Division
Awards
36861
and
36862.
Other Referees have issued Awards reviewing different
circumstances, but the identical issue between these same parties and similarly
denied the Organization's claims (Third Division Awards
37114, 37111, 37109,
37014, 36691, 36681, 36679, 36634, 36363, 36206
and others).
Accordingly, the Board considered the doctrine of stare decisis in its decision.
In stare decisis, meaning "precedent" the principle is that there are enough
decisions already; that parties in future conflicts should understand what the
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line of cases dictates the precedent. Tile Board read all Of
the preceding Awards and more. We rind that these are the same parties, with the
same contractual Agreement (CSXT Labor Agreement No. 15-18-94) rearguing
similar disputes. Therefore, we will dismiss this claim as barred under the doctrine
of stare decisis.
AWARD
Claim dismissed.
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Page 4 Docket No. SG-37711
06-3-03-3-37
This Board, after consideration of the dispute identified above, hereby orders
that an Award favorable to the Claimant(s) not be made.
NATIONAL RAILROAD ADJUSTMENT BOARD
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Dated at Chicago, Illinois, this 1st day of August 2006.