Form I NATIONAL RAILROAD ADJUSTMENT BOARD
THIRD DIVISION
Award No. 38060
Docket No. CL-38509
07-3-04-3-513

The Third Division consisted of the regular members and in addition Referee Elizabeth C. Wesman when award was rendered.

(Transportation Communications International Union PARTIES TO DISPUTE:


STATEMENT OF CLAIM:








Form 1 Award No. 38060
Page 2 Docket No. CL-38509
07-3-04-3-513
d. This claim has been presented in accordance with Rule 45 and
should be allowed.
Claim No. 2









Form 1 Award No. 38060
Page 3 Docket No. CL-38509
07-3-04-3-513
on the Stevedore position on Friday March 28, 2003. Senior
employee Pascuzzi worked on the displaced position 4b02-999
on Wednesday March 26, 2003 and had properly displaced
Claimant in accordance with the rules.






















Form 1 Award No. 38060
Page 4 Docket No. CL-38509
07-3-04-3-513
d. This claim has been presented in accordance with Rule 45 and
should be allowed.
Claim No. 5









Form 1 Award No. 38060
Page 5 Docket No. CL-38509
07-3-04-3-513
on the Stevedore position on Friday March 28, 2003. Senior
employee Pascuzzi worked on the displaced position 4602-999
on Wednesday March 26, 2003 and had properly displaced
Claimant in accordance with the rules.











Form 1 Award No. 38060
Page 6 Docket No. CL-38509
07-3-04-3-513
d. This claim has been presented in accordance with Rule 45 and
should be allowed.
Claim No. 8









Form 1 Award No. 38060
Page 7 Docket No. CL-38509
07-3-04-3-513
on the Stevedore position on Friday March 28, 2003. Senior
employee Pascuzzi worked on the displaced position 4b02-999
on Wednesday March 26, 2003 and had properly displaced
Claimant in accordance with the rules.











Form 1 Award No. 38060
Page 8 Docket No. CL-38509
07-3-04-3-513
d. This claim has been presented in accordance with Rule 45 and
should be allowed.
Claim No. 11









Form 1 Award No. 38060
Page 9 Docket No. CL-38509
07-3-04-3-513
on the Stevedore position on Friday March 28, 2003. Senior
employee Pascuzzi worked on the displaced position 4b02-999
on Wednesday March 26, 2003 and had properly displaced
Claimant in accordance with the rules.











Form 1 Award No. 38060
Page 10 Docket No. CL-38509
07-3-04-3-513
d. This claim has been presented in accordance with Rule 45 and
should be allowed.
Claim No. 14









Form 1 Award No. 38060
Page 11 Docket No. CL-38509
07-3-04-3-513
on the Stevedore position on Friday March 28, 2003. Senior
employee Pascuzzi worked on the displaced position 4b02-999
on Wednesday March 26, 2003 and had properly displaced
Claimant in accordance with the rules.











Form 1 Award No. 38060
Page 12 Docket No. CL-38509
07-3-04-3-513
d. This claim has been presented in accordance with Rule 45 and
should be allowed.
Claim No. 17









Form 1 Award No. 38060
Page 13 Docket No. CL-38509
07-3-04-3-513
on the Stevedore position on Friday March 28, 2003. Senior
employee Pascuzzi worked on the displaced position 4b02-999
on Wednesday March 26, 2003 and had properly displaced
Claimant in accordance with the rules.











Form 1 Award No. 38060
Page 14 Docket No. CL-38509
07-3-04-3-513
d. This claim has been presented in accordance with Rule 45 and
should be allowed.
Claim No. 20









Form 1 Award No. 38060
Page 15 Docket No. CL-38509
07-3-04-3-513
on the Stevedore position on Friday March 28, 2003. Senior
employee Pascuzzi worked on the displaced position 4b02-999
on Wednesday March 26, 2003 and had properly displaced
Claimant in accordance with the rules.











Form 1 Award No. 38060
Page 16 Docket No. CL-38509
07-3-04-3-513
d. This claim has been presented in accordance with Rule 45 and
should be allowed.
Claim No. 23









Form 1 Award No. 38060
Page 17 Docket No. CL-38509
07-3-04-3-513
on the Stevedore position on Friday March 28, 2003. Senior
employee Pascuzzi worked on the displaced position 4b02-999
on Wednesday March 26, 2003 and had properly displaced
Claimant in accordance with the rules.











Form I Award No. 38060
Page 18 Docket No. CL-38509
07-3-04-3-513
d. This claim has been presented in accordance with Rule 45 and
should be allowed.
Claim No. 26









Form 1 Award No. 38060
Page 19 Docket No. CL-38509
07-3-04-3-513
on the Stevedore position on Friday March 28, 2003. Senior
employee Pascuzzi worked on the displaced position 4b02-999
on Wednesday March 26, 2003 and had properly displaced
Claimant in accordance with the rules.











Form I Award No. 38060
Page 20 Docket No. CL-38509
07-3-04-3-513
d. This claim has been presented in accordance with Rule 45 and
should be allowed.
Claim No. 29









Form 1 Award No. 38060
Page 21 Docket No. CL-38509
07-3-04-3-513
on the Stevedore position on Friday March 28, 2003. Senior
employee Pascuzzi worked on the displaced position 4b02-999
on Wednesday March 26, 2003 and had properly displaced
Claimant in accordance with the rules.











Form 1 Award No. 38060
Page 22 Docket No. CL-38509
07-3-04-3-513
d. This claim has been presented in accordance with Rule 45 and
should be allowed.
Claim No. 32









Form 1 Award No. 38060
Page 23 Docket No. CL-38509
07-3-04-3-513
on the Stevedore position on Friday March 28, 2003. Senior
employee Pascuzzi worked on the displaced position 4b02-999
on Wednesday March 26, 2003 and had properly displaced
Claimant in accordance with the rules.











Form 1 Award No. 38060
Page 24 Docket No. CL-38509
07-3-04-3-513
d. This claim has been presented in accordance with Rule 45 and
should be allowed.
Claim No. 35









Form I Award No. 38060
Page 25 Docket No. CL-38509
07-3-04-3-513
on the Stevedore position on Friday March 28, 2003. Senior
employee Pascuzzi worked on the displaced position 4b02-999
on Wednesday March 26, 2003 and had properly displaced
Claimant in accordance with the rules.











Form 1 Award No. 38060
Page 26 Docket No. CL-38509
07-3-04-3-513
d. This claim has been presented in accordance with Rule 45 and
should be allowed.
Claim No. 38









Form 1 Award No. 38060
Page 27 Docket No. CL-38509
07-3-04-3-513
on the Stevedore position on Friday March 28, 2003. Senior
employee Pascuzzi worked on the displaced position 4b02-999
on Wednesday March 26, 2003 and had properly displaced
Claimant in accordance with the rules.











Form 1 Award No. 38060
Page 28 Docket No. CL-38509
07-3-04-3-513
d. This claim has been presented in accordance with Rule 45 and
should be allowed.
Claim No. 41









Form I Award No. 38060
Page 29 Docket No. CL-38509
07-3-04-3-513
on the Stevedore position on Friday March 28, 2003. Senior
employee Pascuzzi worked on the displaced position 4b02-999
on Wednesday March 26, 2003 and had properly displaced
Claimant in accordance with the rules.












Form 1 Award No. 38060
Page 30 Docket No. CL-38509
07-3-04-3-513
d. This claim has been presented in accordance with Rule 45 and
should be allowed."

FINDINGS:

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.


This Division of the Adjustment Board has jurisdiction over the dispute involved herein.




The incident precipitating these 43 claims arose on March 26, 2003. On that date S. Pascucci returned from a personal illness and attempted to displace Claimant D. Niedziela. The Claimant was assigned to Guaranteed Extra Clerk Position No. 41102-999 in Selkirk, New York. The Claimant then attempted to displace to Selkirk Auto Site Stevedore Position No. 41125-R05, Relief No. 5. On March 28, 2003, he began qualifying with the incumbent of Position No. 41125-R05. Also on that date, the Claimant was notified that he had not been properly displaced, because Pascucci was not medically qualified to perform the duties of Position No. 41102-999, i.e., the Claimant's original position on the Guaranteed Extra Board.


The Organization filed the above claims on May 19, 2003. In those claims (reproduced above) the Organization contended that the Carrier violated the Agreement, particularly Rules 18, 24, and 40, when it failed to allow the Claimant to continue on his displacement to Position No. 41125-R05. It stated as well that Pascucci, who obviously was senior to the Claimant, had worked on displaced Position No. 41102-999, and insisted that he had thus properly displaced the Claimant in accordance with the Rules.

Form 1 Award No. 38060
Page 31 Docket No. CL-38509
07-3-04-3-513

The Carrier responded to the claims on May 29, 2003. In its response, the Carrier noted that Pascucci never actually worked the Claimant's position, because the local supervisor was notified of Pascucci's medical disqualification. However, because the Carrier was unable to notify Pascucci of his disqualification in a timely fashion, he reported for work. The Carrier notes that it paid him for a call, but he was not allowed to work the position for which he reported.


The Carrier pointed out as well in a follow-up letter that Rule 18(f) of the Agreement provided that "an employee will not be considered as having been displaced until the individual exercising seniority actually begins work on the position." Thus, the Carrier asserted, no displacement occurred and no claimed compensation is warranted.


The claims were subsequently progressed according to the Agreement between the parties, including conferencing on the property. Thus they are properly before the Board for resolution.


The Board carefully reviewed the positions of both parties, and the relevant Agreement provisions. The Organization's argument rests, in essence, on the theory that a displacement occurs as soon as the more senior employee has attempted to displace a junior one, and that, other circumstances notwithstanding, immediate disqualification of a bumping employee, in this case even before he could work any time on the position, does not negate the displacement attempt. According to the Organization's view, the Claimant should have been allowed to remain on Position No. 4B25-R05 irrespective of Pascucci's immediate medical disqualification.


In short, the Organization proposes that because of the lack of speed of communication between the Medical Department and Pascucci's local supervisor, the Carrier should be forced to leave Claimant's position blank and allow him to remain on the position to which he, in turn, displaced. The Organization's position is in direct contravention of Rule 18 (f) of the Agreement between the parties. It is asking the Carrier to disregard that language, which is clear and unambiguous, and leave the Claimant on Position No. 4B25-R05. The Carrier has no authority to do so, unless an exception to that clear and unambiguous language is negotiated and agreed to by the parties. To date there is no evidence in the record that they have done so.

Form 1 Award No. 38060
Page 32 Docket No. CL-38509
07-3-04-3-513

Accordingly, the Board finds no basis upon which to sustain the instant claims.







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

                      By Order of Third Division


Dated at Chicago, Illinois, this 25th day of January 2007.