PARTIES: BROTHERHOOD OF RAILWAY AND STEAMSHIP CLERKS,
FREIGHT HANDLERS, EXPRESS AND STATION &PLOYES
AND
THE BALTIMORE AND OHIO RAILROAD COLPANY
AWARD IN DOCKET N0. 5

STATEMENT Claim of the System Committee of the Brotherhood that:
OF CLAIM:
(1) Carrier violated the Clerks' Agreement at Cincinnati,
Ohio) when on October 9, ill 16, 173 1951, Assistant
Regional Accountant J, W, W, Spann priced and extended
inventory cards for a total of 18 hours,










FINDINGS:

This claim arises as a result of certain work performed by an Assistant Regional Accountant and two Supervisors in connection with taking and compiling the 1951 inventory,

It is stated in the employes' submission that the crux of this dispute is to determine if the work of preparing Form 955-A, preparing inventory cards, sorting, pricing and extending is work that should be performed by employes covered under the Clerks' Agreement. In essence that is a correct statement of the issue,

It appears that a number of clerks, inspectors of accounts, bureau supervisors., storekeepers and members of stores department forces went into the field with track and signal supervisors, master carpenters and other supervisors to record material. The actual count was made in the field and notes thereof taken. The notes were then brought into the Regional Accounting Office and consolidated on to a form designated as 955-A. The pricing and extending referred to involves indicating on inventory cards the number of units of particular commodities and the unit price thereof which was then extended to determine the total value of material on hand,
Docket No. 5

The taking of annual inventory is a task of considerable magnitude which by its very nature must be completed within a relatively short period of time. It is shown by the Carrier that during the time of taking this annual inventory the Regional Accounting Office worked a total of 334 hours overtime of which the claimant here worked 52,4 hours,

There is a conflict with respect to what the practice has been in preparing Form 955-A. The Carrier asserts and the employes deny that it has always been the practice for the supervisors to prepare that form from their own notes. That would seem to be the logical way to do it since it would be more difficult for one to take anotherts notes and consolidate them, 41ith respect to the pricing and extending there is also a conflict. The employes assert that supervisors price and extended indiscriminately, the Carrier asserts that they merely priced on cards on which the Clerks were unable to determine proper prices.

The burden of proving facts sufficient to sustain a claim is upon the asserting party. On this record it cannot be found that the employes have shown by a fair preponderance of the evidence that the supervisors performed any clerical work other than that which was incidental to work which was unquestionably rightfully performed by them in the taking of the inventory. Under these circumstances we find no basis for a sustaining Award.

AWARD

Claim (1), (2) dismissed.

E. J, Hoffman
Employe Member

Dated at Baltimore, Maryland this 13th day of January, 1959.

/s/ Francis J. Robertson
Francis J. Robertson


q8 T. S. Woods

S. Woods

Carrier Member