PARTIES TO THE DISPUTE:
The Pittsburgh & Lake Erie Railroad and
The Lake Erie and Eastern Railroad Companies. )
vs ) Case No. 1.
Brotherhood of Maintenance of )
Way Employes. )
STATEMENT OF CLAIM:
Claim on behalf of Gerald Hansen that he be restored
to service as a Trackman and compensated for all
monetary losses sustained as a result of his dis.
missal from the serviosof the Company on February 16,
1979, as a result of hearing held at Pittsburgh, Pa.
March 2, 1979.
OPINION OF THE BOARD:
Mr. Gerald L. Hanson, the Claimant, entered the
service of the Carrier as a Trackman on September 6, 1972, and
continued in such service with a clear discipline record until
February 16, 1979, when he was held out of service
pending in
vestigation. On February 20, 1979, Carrier addressed the following
letter to Claimant:
"Confirming advice from your supervisor, Mr. D. E.
Beissel, on February 16, 1979, you are being held out of
service
pending formal
investigation to determine your
responsibility in connection with an altercation with
Foreman Emmett Pepe and Supervisor D. E. Beissel.
"Investigation will be held at 11:00 A.M. Friday,
March 2, 1979, in the Office of Chief Engineer, Room
503 Terminal Building, Pittsburgh, Pa., to determine
your responsibility in connection with this charge.
"Please arrange to be present at this investigation
bringing with
you any witnesses you may wish to be present
in your behalf, at your own expense. You may arrange for
representation at this investigation, subject to the terms
of the applicable agreement, if you so desire."
The investigation was held as scheduled. A copy of
the transcript was made a part of the record. h careful reading
of the transcript and the entire record indicates Claimant was
given a fair and impartial hearing. He was represented by two
officers of his Organization, was given opportunity to produce
witnesses in his behalf, which he chose not to do, and he and his
representatives were given full opportunity to examine and cross
examine Carrier's witnesses, which they did extensively.
After the investigation, on March 8, 1979, Carrier
by letter formally dismissed Claimant from service.
Claim was filed in behalf of Claimant by the Organization and properly progressed through the appeals procedures of
the agreement to the highest officer of the Carrier designated to
handle such matters without success. Thus the dispute was submitted by mutual agreement to this Board for final and binding
adjudication in accordance with Section 3, Second of the Railway
Labor Act, as amended.
The dispute involves Carrier's charges that Claimant
used physical force and vile profane language against his foreman,
Emmett Pepe,and that he physically pushed and verbally threatened
the life of Supervisor Beissel.
The record clearly shows as well as admitted by Claimant that he physically grabbed Fbreman Pepe by the shoulder and
called him a profane name, too vile to use in this decision. The
second incident involving the physical pushing and verbally treatening Supervisor Beissel occurred in the supervisor's small office.
After the first incident Foreman Pepe went to Supervisor Beissel's
office and while reporting the incident, Claimant Hansen came into
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the office uninvit_d.
Beissel
told the Cla"nt that no one
was going to talk to his foreman like that and he was holding
him out of service. Claimant responded by saying "no one was
man enough to talk to him or go outside with him''. Claimant
came at
Beissel
and pushed him back against his chair.
The
record shows a "nose to nose" confrontation. Assistant Track
Supervisor Vaccaro was present in the office and witnessed the
altercation and so testified at the investigation. The record
also clearly shows Claimant threatened Beissells Life. Local
Chairman Greco came on the scene during the altercation and
testified at the investigation that Claimant said, "You fire
me and you wife will
so
to a funeral".
Claimant and his representative argued in defense that
Claimant was in a highly emotional state of mind because of
family problems and that he was frustrated over an unresolved
grievance with his supervisors over the use of junior employes
on overtime for which he contended that he should have been called. Claimant had filed a claim for the work but had not received
a response as promptly as he thought he should have. This was
the basis of his confrontration with Foreman Pape.
The collective bargaining Agreement between the parties
provides an effective orderly procedure for handling grievances.
It
includes
time limits within which the parties are required to
respond; the Organization forfeits the claim if it defaults, and
if the Carrier defaults it must honov and pay the claim as submitted. It also provides for compulsory final and binding arbitration if the grievance is not settled by the parties, all of
which is time consuming.
The
time consumed
in
progressing his.'
overtime claim may have frustrated Claimant ` ·t this frustration and
his emotional state of mind caused by his family problems are not
justification fos the physical and verbal abuse of his supervisors.
The record clearly shows Carrier proved its case
The question now to determine is does the punishment fit
the crime. In this industry an employee found guilty of charges as
serious as these, verbally and physically assulting supervisors, is
normally subject to
permanent dismissal
. But here we have an employee with a clear unblemished record who readily admitted his errors
in the investigation and offered public apology to those he offended.
The Board is impressed by his record and especially
by
the sincerity
demonstrated"by Claimant when he made his plea before this Board when
he again offered to publicly .apologize.to those he offended. For these
reasons the Board determines that a
suspension of
three years and two .
months is an appropriate.penalt7 for his violative actions against his
supervisors and thereby awards reinstatement with full seniority and
all other rights restored: Additionally,becaase of the seriousness
of these incidents the Board orders this decision be made a part of
Claimants.. personal record. - ' ..
FINDINGS:
In line
with the above, the discipline assessed is modified
from a dismissal:, to
discipline in
the form of actual suspension from service without pay.
AWARD: Claim ssatained'tn.accordance with the above
Opinion
and
Pfndings~
Labor
Mete
May h/ ,, 1982
g. Robert Lowry
Chairman & Neutral
Richard D . hones
Carrier Member
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