Form 1 NATIONAL RAILROAD ADJUSTMENT BOARD
THIRD DIVISION
Award No. 41564
Docket No. MW-41424
13-3-NRAB-00003-140203
The Third Division consisted of the regular members and in addition Referee
Brian Clauss when award was rendered.
(Brotherhood of Maintenance of Way Employes Division
( IBT Rail Conference
PARTIES TO DISPUTE: (
(Union Pacific Railroad Company
STATEMENT OF CLAIM:
"Claim of the System Committee of the Brotherhood that:
(1) The Agreement was violated when the Carrier failed and refused to
allow System Truck Driver Foreman B. Woolsey to displace junior
System Truck Driver Foreman M. Syracuse on Gang 9074 on
January 5, 2009 and continuing (System File D-0921U20111516932.)
(2) As a consequence of the violation referred to in Part (1) above,
Claimant B. Woolsey shall now'... be compensated for the days he
was denied work opportunity on Gang #9074, and subsequently
forced to exercise seniority elsewhere. Further, Claimant Woolsey
shall be compensated the difference in pay between the position he
is currently working and the position of Group 26 Truck Driver
Foreman for which he has been denied. Specifically, Claimant shall
be paid sixteen (16) hours at the respective Truck Driver Foreman
straight time rate of pay for the work opportunity denied on
January 5th and 6, 2009 when he was not allowed to displace and
work. Claimant shall also be compensated the difference in rates of
pay for as long as he is denied the opportunity to displace and work
the grieved position. ***"'
Form 1 Award No. 41564
Page 2 Docket
No. MW-41424
13-3-NRA]3-00003-100203
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.
Parties to said dispute were given due notice of hearing thereon.
The evidence establishes that the Claimant sought to displace a Truck Driver
Foreman with less seniority on Gang 9074. The Carrier refused the displacement.
According to the Organization, the Claimant possessed both the seniority and
qualifications to perform the work of a Truck Driver Foreman on the production gang.
In support during the handling, the Organization submitted a statement from the
Claimant that provided in pertinent part:
"I worked as a SYS-Truck Driver Foreman on Gang 8533 OFF DAY
GANG for MTP Kip Petterson from 01-01-05 to 07-07-OS and
Supervisors under his direction . . . this gang was responsible FOR
THE UPKEEP OF THE GANG MOVING OTM FROM JOB TO JOB
WASHING AND SERVICING MACHINES ENSURING TRUCKS
WERE SERVICED INSPECTED/CLEANED FOR THE
OPERATION OF THE GANGS. I WAS RESPONSIBLE FOR
KEEPING TRACK OF TIME, SPIKES, TIES, PLATES, FUEL
FILTERS, FUEL AND THE EMPTY RELEASE OF GONDOLAS
OUR [sic] BILLING THEM TO THE PROPER SIDING CLOSEST
TO JOB SITE. I
SPOKE
WITH MR. HAVERSTICK THE FIRST
WEEK IN JANUARY . . . [AND] ANNOUNCED MY INTENTIONS
TO DISPLACE THE TRUCK FOREMAN ON GANG 9074. MR.
HAVERSTICK ADVISED ME THAT THIS FOREMAN WAS MORE
THAN A TRUCK FOREMAN HE WROTE DISCIPLINE AND
REQUISITIONED MATERIAL FOR THE BUILDING AND
Form 1
Page
Award No. 41564
Docket No. MW-41424
13-3-NRAB-00003-100203
MANAGING OF THE BUDGET FOR THIS WORKGROUP.
HAD ASKED ME IF I KNOW HOW TO PERFORM THESE
DUTIES I ADVISED HIM THAT I DID NOT. HE THEN ADVISED
ME THAT HE WOULD NOT ALLOW ME TO DISPLACE HIS
FOREMAN."
The Carrier replies that, although the Claimant has the seniority, he does not
have the qualifications for the position and Rule 21 clearly requires that both seniority
and qualification can be considered. In support of the position that the Claimant was
not qualified, the Carrier points to the email statement of Haverstick to Labor
~tions personnel dated February 12, 2009, which states:
"Claim should be denied. The scope of the work required was within a
Foreman's duties. In addition, in the interview with Mr. Woolsey there
never was any requirement that he do anything with projects as part of
this job. I ask[ed] him if he could requisition material, build for
drivers and manage budgets, schedule trucks, train drivers and other
duties as required. He said he could not do all of these basic
requirements, so he was denied the bump."
The Organization counters that the Carrier is requiring qualification outside the
class. These additional qualifications are not contemplated by the Truck Foreman
position and are an attempt to thwart seniority with special qualifications. The Carrier
countered that the qualifications are within the scope of Rule 6, wherein it states:
"An employee who is assigned to the duties and responsibilities of
supervising, instructing or assisting in the work of employees assigned
under their jurisdiction. Since it is recognized that all supervisory
employees are authorized to perform clerical work such as making out
necessary reports and payrolls as well as studying prints and standards
during the regular hours of assignment, such employees will not be
compensated for performing such duties during recognized overtime
hours."
The Claimant's statement indicates that he was assigned as a Truck Foreman for
the first half of 2005. The Carrier does not dispute that the Claimant has previously
performed the duties of a Truck Foreman when in that assignment. However, Manager
Haverstick's statement also indicates that the Claimant stated that he could not
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Award No. 41564
Docket No. MW-41424
13-3-NRAB-00003-100203
perform the requirements of the position including requisitioning material,
drivers, manage budgets, and schedule trucks and train drivers. The Carrier argues
that it did not violate the Agreement because the Claimant indicated that he could not
perform the required duties. The Carrier has the right to maintain certain
qualifications for the assignment so long as it does not conflict with the Agreement.
The Organization does not deny that the Claimant stated that he could not
perform the duties described above. Rather, the Organization maintains that the duties
were improper for the assignment. The Organization argues that the Carrier was
simply adding job duties in an effort to shortcut the seniority Rules.
The Board carefully reviewed the record evidence and finds that the
Organization failed to prove a violation of the Agreement. The Claimant stated that he
could not perform the qualifications of the assignment. The Carrier was not acting in
an arbitrary or capricious manner when it denied the displacement. The Carrier can
consider seniority and qualifications for positions. The Organization failed to produce
sufficient evidence to substantiate its argument that the Carrier's qualifications
discussed above were improper.
The Board finds that the Organization failed to meet its burden of proof.
Accordingly, the claim must be denied.
Claim denied.
AWARD
ORDER
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 18th day of March 2013.