PARTIES Brotherhood of Maintenance of `gay Employes
 TO
 DISPUTE: and
 Seaboard System Railroad, formerly L & N
 STATEMENT 1. The dismissal of Charles McCormick, Track
 OF
 CLAIM: Repairman, was without just and sufficient
 cause.
 2. Claimant shall now be restored to service
 with all rights unimpaired.
 FINDINGS: Claimant, an employee with 4J years service,
 was dismissed on September 18, 1983 for being
 absent without proper authority. He had not
 protected his assignment on that occasion for
 nine days after Roadmaster Elliott had denied
 his request to be off for personal reasons.
 He had previously been dismissed on two prior
 occasions. In the first instance, in May 1982,
 he requested leniency and asked to be enrolled
 in the Employee Rehabilitation Program since his
 problem was due to drinking; he was enrolled
 in a Program and reinstated on a leniency basis
 in December 1982.

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The following day, however, was the first of the
 aforementioned nine-day period in which he again
 failed to protect his assignment.
 Carrier has been quite patient. Claimant had
 been counselled regarding his absenteeism and
 other problems and had also been administered a
 14-day suspension for absenteeism in addition
 to the disciplinary action that we have already
 mentioned.
 No persuasive explanation has been advanced for
 claimant's failure to protect his assignment. Personal problems
 do not constitute sufficient grounds for relieving claimant from
 his obligation to cooperate with his employer in meeting its dif
 ficult manpower problems.

 AWARD: Claim denied.

 Adopted at Jacksonville, Florida ~ /, 1985.

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                            stoChairman


Employee' Member