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PUBLIC LAW BOARD N0. 2006
AWARD No. 12
CASE N0. 18
PARTIES TO THE DISPUTE:
Brotherhood of Railway, Airline
and Steamship Clerks
and
Chicago and North Western
Transportation Company
STATEMENT OF CLAIM:
"Claim of the System Committee of the Brotherhood:
1. Carrier violated the current National Vacation and Holiday
Agreements, when it refused to properly compensate Clerk
G.M. Osborn for the July 4, 1978 holiday, Clerk W.M.
Rasmussen for the July 4, 1978 holiday, Clerk E.J. Nagan
for the
Washington's Birthday
holiday, February 20, 1978
and Clerk L.L. Luebke for the Good Friday holiday,
March 24, 1978, while each of them was off-on vacation
and the holiday occurred on a workday of their workweek
and each position was required to be worked on the holiday,
and
2. Carrier shall now compensate Clerks G. M. Osborn, W. M.
Rasmussen, E.J. Nagan and L.L. Luebke for eight (8) hours'
pay each at the time and one-half rate of their regularly
assigned positions in addition to the amount already
received."
OPINION OF BOARD:
These claims are similar, if not identical, to that decided by this
Board in Award No. 5 (Case No. 5). The holidays involved were different
(i.e., July 4, Washington's Birthday, and Good Friday) but the gravamen of
each claim is identical, to wit: Claimant was on scheduled vacation when
a paid holiday occurred on one of his regular workdays and the vacation
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relief employee covering Claimant's assignment thus worked the holiday. In
each case, the vacation relief employee was compensated one day's pay at
straight time rate as holiday pay, plus a day at the time and one-half rate
for actually working on the holiday, for a total of twenty (20) hours'
compensation. Claimants each received from Carrier compensation totaling
sixteen (16) hours', pay for the day in question, i.e., eight (8) hours' pay
for vacation pay and eight (8) hours' straight time as holiday. Each of
the Claimants filed time reports seeking, in addition, eight (8) hours'
compensation at the time and one-half rate paid to the relief employees for
actually working the holiday. Up to this point, these claims are directly
on all fours with that which we sustained in Award No. 5, for reasons discussed fully therein. See also, Award 3-20608.
So far as we can determine, the sole distinguishing feature presented
in this case is the additional defense raised by Carrier that other holidays
occurring during the years 1976-78 in each case were not "regularly worked"
by the position of the vacationing employee, therefore the vacationing
employee is not eligible for the additional compensation paid to the vacation
relief employee when the assignmeent actually was worked on the holiday in
1978.
As we understand Carrier's pcsigiof, this requirement is extrapolated
from the language of Section 7(a) and the Wayne Morse interpretation thereof,
dealing with "casual and umagsigied oveEmlae". Carrier has not spun this
theory out of thin air. There is a split 6f authority on this question and
Carrier has garnered colourable
support
iiN sdme awards by various tribunals
which have been called upon to t=eat
this
"casual and unassigned overtime"
exception to the vacation pay agfee*enE: Ifnfortunately, the awards which have
equated anything less thud
habi_4ai
taoAIAg holidays by a position with
3
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"casual and
unassigned overtime"
are, in our judgment, just plain wrong.
See Award 3-21116. The apparent origin of this concept is some obiter
dicta contained in Award 3-16684 (Supplemental). The coon fallacy, however,
is the incorrect premise that premium pay for time worked on a holiday is
synonomous with overtime pay. The concepts of overtime pay and premium pay
are distinct in labor relations terminology and are not identical just
because under the Agreements in question herein each is computed on the basis
of one and one-half times the straight time rate. Overtime pay is for hours
worked before and after or over and above regularly assigned hours of the
position. Premium pay is extra compensation for working on specifically
designated days per Ee, e.g., named holidays. In our judgment, therefore,
it distorts and stretches impermissibly the literal language of the Agreement
to apply through interpretation the "casual overtime" exception to premium
pay entitled for holidays actually worked by the position. As we read the
language of Section 7(a), the Morse interpretation of June 10, 1972, and
the Lowery-Oram letters of May 1970, the vacationing employee is entitled
to "the daily compensation paid by the Carrier for such assignment",
irrespective of whether his position has habitually received premium pay
for working on other holidays or not. That condition is not present in the
clear contract language and it is an improper extension of arbitral authority
to engraft it upon the Agreement under the guise of interpretation. On the
basis of 'all of the foregoing -and our Award No. 5, the present claims are
sustained.
FINDINGS:
Public Law Board No. 2006, upon the whole record and all of the evidence,
finds and holds as follows:
1. That the Carrier and Employee involved in this dispute are,
respectively, Carrier and Employee within the meaning of the Railway
Labor Act;
2. that. the Board has jurisdiction over the dispute involved herein;
and
3. that the Agreement was violated.
AWARD
Claims sustained. Carrier is directed to comply with this
Award within thirty (30) days of issuance.
Dana E. Eis .en, Chb rman
R. M. Gurra Emp Member
. C. Crawford,. C crier Member