Award No. 16
Docket No.
17
PUBLIC LAW BOARD N0.
2452
PARTIES Brotherhood of Maintenance of Way Employes
DISPUTE: and
Western Maryland Railway Co.
STATEMENT Claim on behalf of M. L. Burton, R. E. Munday,
C. D. Kerns, J. W. Munday and 0. H. Kimble for
fourteen and one-half (14-1/2) hours overtime
for work performed by Production Gang employes
at derailment at Hager Tower from
5:30
p.m.,
July
3
through
8:00
a.m., July 4,
1978.
FINDINGS: By reason of the Agreement dated June 14,
1979,
and
upon the whole record and all the evidence, the Board
finds that the parties herein are employe and carrier within the
meaning of the Railway Labor Act, as amended, and that it has
jurisdiction.
The conference issue raised here is comparable to
the same issue raised in Docket No.
2
and resolved in Award No.
2.
For the reasons stated in Award No.
2,
this issue is resolved in
favor of the Carrier.
A derailment occurred at Hager Tower, Hagerstown,
Maryland on the claim date. Foreman E. T. Fear and his Yard
Force 1124, headquartered at Hagerstown, were called. Additional
employes were necessary. Production Force
1277,
also then working
at Hagerstown, was called. Employes contend that Claimants, who
constituted Force 1103, headquartered at Williamsport, Maryland,
should have been called. By not calling the Claimaints,say the
Employes, the Carrier violated the Agreement. Claimants are
entitled to overtime compensation as claimed.
In denying the claim on September
8, 1978,
Carrier
stated that Foreman Fear, who was in charge of the derailment,
called Claimant M. L. Burton, Foreman of Force 1103, but there
was no response on the telephone.
- PL 3 ~-NSa--
Award No. 16
Docket No. 17
page 2
Claimants appealed on October 1, 1978 and stated
that Burton was available and that when he was not at home, his
wife was there to answer the telephone. No telephone calls
were received. Employes also contend that if Force 1103 was
not available, Force 1102 at Conboy, Pennsylvania should have
been called before Production Force 1277 was utilized.
Carrier again denied the claim on September 16, 1978
and again wrote that Foreman Fear called Foreman Burton on the
telephone but could not reach him. Carrier also contends that
because an emergency existed Foreman Fear utilized Production
Force 1277 which was then working at Hagerstown rather than
calling Force 1102 which was working at Chambersburg, Pennsylvania,
approximately twenty-two miles from the derailment site.
First, there is a conflict of evidence. Carrier
maintains that Burton was telephoned but there was no response
to the call. Employes say that Burton told them that there was
someone at his home when the alleged phone call was made and that
no such call was received. There is no way that this Board can
determine with certainty who is stating the absolute truth. The
presumption, under these circumstances, is with the Carrier.
Employes have the burden of proof. Employes have not supported
their position with substantial evidence.
Second, an emergency did exist. To have called
Force 1102 would have further delayed the rerailment and the
clearing of the tracks for at least another hour. Other trains
using the trackage would have been similarly additionally delayed.
Production Force 1277, which was on the scene was, under these
circumstances, properly utilized.
For the reasons herein stated, the Board finds that
the Carrier did not violate the Agreement and that the claim has
no merit.
AWARD
Claim denied.
PUBLIC LAW OAR NO. 2452
a
D ID DOLNICK, Chairman and ~eu al I~,mber
~,) Em. C. C MISKEY Carrier Member WILLIAM E. REmploye UE, Member
DATED:
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7
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