SPECIAL BOARD OF
ADJUSTMENT N0
.
171
Av1ARD N0.
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CASE N0.
52
BROTHERHOOD OF RAILWAY AND STEAMSHIP CLERKS, ~'
FREIGHT HANDLERS, EXPRESS AND STATION EMPLO S
GREAT NORTHERN RAILWAY COMPANY
STATEMENT OF CLAIM:
Claim of the System Committee of the Brotherhood of Railway and Steamship Clerks
Freight Handlers,, Express and Station Employes that the Carrier violated the current
agreement ands
1. That the Carrier be required to compensate each of the following named
employes account non-compliance with the Agreement of July
30, 1919,
covering
rates of pay applicable to employes holding accumulated rest day assignments as
follows:
S. Glicken One days pay at the rate of time and one-half for each
of the dates of December 21 and
28, 1957
and January
4. 1958,
which are rest days
accumulated by this employe*
C. Branvold One day's pay at the rate of time and one-half for each
of the dates of December
21
and
28, 1957
and January
4j 1958,
which are rest days
accumulated by this employe.
0, Shabert One day s pay at the rate of time and one-half for the date
of January
4. 1958
which was a rest day accumulated by this employe.
B, Hodges One day s pay at the rate of time and one-half for each of
the dates of December
28, 1957
and January
4, 1958,
which are rest days accumulated
by this employe.
W, Foy One day's pay at the rate of time and one-half for each of
the dates of December
14, 21
and
28, 1957
and January
4o 1958
which are rest days
accumulated by this employe.
A. Odegaard One day's pay at the rate of time and one-half for each of
the dates of December
21
and
28, 1957
and January
4) 1958,
which are rest days accumulated by this employe.
M. Peterson One day's pay at the rate of time and one-half for the
date of January
4, 1958
which was a rest day accumulated by this employe.
DeWitt Johnson One day's pay at the rate of time and one-half for each of
the dates of December
14, 21
and
28$ 1957
and January
!tj 1958,
which are rest days
accumulated by this employes
less any straight time allowance granted to the above named employes for rest day
service performed.
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CASE N0.
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2.
In addition thereto, that the Carrier also be required to compensate
the following employes, account failure on the part of the Carrier to permit each
of them their respective right to exercise seniority and work positions of their
choice, as free agents., when their positions were abolished,
S. Glicken One days pay at the pro-rata rate for each of the dates
of January 13p 14 and
15., 1958,
account denied the right to fill Yard Checker
position to which assigned by bulletin. Hours of assignment
8:30
AM to
5:30
PM,
C, Branvold One days pay at the pro-rata rate for each of the dates
of January
13,s
14 and
15.9 1958,
account denied the right to fill Baggage Checker ,$
position. Hours of assignment 7:00 AM to 4:00 PM.
0. Shabert One days pay at the pro-rata rate for the date of January
13p 1958,
account denied the right to fill position of checker. Hours of assignment
9:00
AM to 6:00 PM,
B. Hodges One days pay at the pro-rata rate for each of the dates
of January 15P 16 and 17j,
1958,
account denied the right to fill Steno Position,
Hours of assignment
8:30
AM to
5:30
PM,
W. Foy One days pay at the pro-rata rate for each of the dates of
January 14,,
15s
16 and
19$ 1958,,
account denied the right to fill Yard Checker
position. Hours of assignment
8:00
AM to 4:00 PM.
A. Odegaard One days pay at the pro-rata rate for each of the dates of
January
13.. 14
and
15, 1958
account denied the right to fill Checker position,
Hours of assignment
8:00
AM to 5:00 PM,
M. Peterson One days pay at the pro-rata rate for the date of
January
20, 1958
account denied the right to fill the position of Checker_ Hours
of assignment
12:00
Midnight to
8:00
AM.
DeWitt Johnson One days pay at the pro-rata rate for each of the dates
of January 16A 171
18
and
19, 1958
account denied the right to fill the position
of Expedite Driver, Hours of assignment
9:00
AM to 6:00 PM.
FINDINGS:
The employees state that the Carrier has violated the agreement of July
30,,
1949)
and that it be required to compensate the claimants who held accumulated rest
days and who were refused their right to exercise seniority on other positions by
the Carrier;
Employees further state that on January
3., 1958
the Carrier issued a
wire notice to these claimants notifying them that their positions were being
abolished, with one exception, effective with the date of January 10.,
1958,
at
the end of each assignment; that in conjunction with the notice of abolishment,
the Carrier issued bulletins No. 1 through 6. inclusive, re-establishingo by change
in assignment and/or re-assignment of work, these same positions. That the Carrier
bulletined the new assignments in advance so as to accomplish continued service
in accumulation up to January 10,
1958,
and at the same time have on that date the
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AWARD N0. 52
CASE N0. 52
successful applicants to the new 5 day positions that would go into effect on Monday,
January 13, 1958. That each of the claimants upon being notified that their positions under the accumulation set up were being abolished, filed a claim at the
punitive rate for the number of days each had accumulated and., in addition thereto
each of the employees, upon having their positions abolishedo notified the Carrier
of their desire to displace or exercise seniority to the position of their choice
and that the Carrier denied each of these claimants their right to exercise disp.
placement rights under the Effective Agreement,
Agreement of July 30., 1949, Section (3) reads as follows:
"(3) It is agreed that in cases where it is not practicable to provide
relief by the establishment of a relief assignments as contemplated by
Paragraph (e) of Section 1, Article II of the Match 19th 1949 agreement
such rest time may be accumulated, with the understanding that such
accumulation will be limited to ten (10) days,
If an employe who has accumulated relief days bids in or transfers to
another position before he can be relieved for the number of rest days
accumulated, he shall be allowed additional compensation for such
accumulated rest days at one-half rate, provided he had previously only
received pro rata for working same.
Employes who leave the service with accumulated rest days due them; will,
if they have been paid pro rata for working such relief days be paid an
additional one-half rate for each such day., except that employes who leave
the service of the carrier of their own volition for any purpose other than
to accept an annuity under the Railroad Retirement Act shall forfeit their
right to such added compensation."
The Carrier states that the Agreement of July 30, 1949, was entered into
with the Organization to provide for accumulative relief assignments where established for employees on 6 day positions at the Carrier's Grand Forks Freight
office. That under the arrangement each employee worked 6 days each week for 5
weeks, accumulating one rest day each week; and he then was relieved for the entire
6th week, such employee receiving 5 days straight time pay for each of the 6 weeks,
including the week of rest; that during January, 1958.9 the accumulative relief set
up at the Grand Forks Freight office was terminated and in order to accomplish this
the accumulative assignments were abolished and new 5 day positions were bulletined;
that the eight claimants in this docket are employees who had accumulated rest days
under the accumulated set up and exercised seniority to other jobs, That those
claimants were relieved for the rest days they had accumulated before starting
work on their new assignments, That all the claimants have already been paid one
straight time day for each rest day accumulated. That none of the claimants have
accumulated more than 4 rest days and therefore none was relieved for more than
4 days before resuming work,
It is the Carrier's position that they were required to reliove these
employees for the rest days accumulated and the penalty provisions of the Agreement
were written to discourage any contrary handling.
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CASE N0.
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The Carrier further states that the claimants were not entitled to
commence work immediately on their new assignments irrespective of the requirements
of the accumulated agreement and that there is no rule in the Ftfective Agreement
which provides that the claimants were entitled to commence work immediately on the
new assignment, that Rule 10(d) contemplates that successful applicants who have
been assigned to bulletined positions may be held off before assignment as long
as
5
days after notice of assignment.
The Arbitrator finds from a careful reading of the submissions and the
argument advanced by the parties, that these claimants were relieved on their
accumulative rest days and that therefore the Carrier did not violate the Memorandum of.Agreement of July
30., 19119,
and these claimants were properly paid by the
Carrier for their accumulated rest days.
The Arbitrator further finds that under Rule 10(d) which reads as follows:
11(d) Successful applicants for bulletined positions will be placed
thereon as quickly as necessary transfers can be effected but not
later than five
(5)
calendar days after notice of assignment, If not
placed upon the position within the specified time limit, successful
applicants thereafter will receive not less than the rate of the
position to which assigned, If there are no qualified applicants on
bulletin and no applicants for transfer from other seniority districts
under Rule
20,
such positions may be filled by the Company from such
source of supply as it deems proper."
that successful applicants for bulletined positions will be placed thereon as
quickly as necessary transfers can be effected but not later than five days. That
gives the Carrier the right to fill bulletined positions up to
5
days after the
successful applicant has been announced, Therefore, the Carrier did not violate
the Effective Agreement when these employees were relieved and were not placed
upon the bulletined positions they bid in within the
5
days, but were placed upon
the positions under the wording of Rule 10(d). Also, under Rule 18(a) these
claimants who had their positions abolished did not attempt to bump any junior
employee they desired to replace nor did they file written request to do so, but
bid in the new
5
day positions as bulletined. Therefore, the violation of
Rule 18(a) is not well taken by the Organization.
A W A R D
Claim 1 and Claim
2
denied in accordance with the opinion.
/s/ Thomas C. Begley
Thomas C. Begley, Chairman
/s/
C. A, PC
ar30n
C. A.Poarson, Carrier Member
/s/ C. C. Donewith
C. C. Denewith, Employee Member
Signed at St. Paul, Minnesota this 10th day of February.*
1959.