SPECIAL BOARD OF ADJUSTMENT N0. 310


              The Order of Railroad Telegraphers


                        and


              The Pennsylvania Railroad Company


    STATEMENT OF CIAIM: "Claim of the Order of Railroad Telegraphers that

    Priaire Block Station which was closed June 18,

    1940 is a Block Office which has been closed since May 1, 1938, and

    therefore within the meaning of Arbitration Award No. 153. The con

    tinued use of this office which is still shown in the time table, as

    a point at which train crews receive train orders and as the limits of

    a block is in violation of Arbitration Award 153 and claim is made that

    this office should be restored and an extra man be paid a days pay or

    a regular man be paid a call for each violation since the effective date

    of this award." (Southwestern Division Case No. 21 - System Docket No.

    204)


                  FINDINGS:


                  Prairie Block Station has been closed since June 18, 1940.


Carrier says it has had crews copy train orders, when necessary, at Fruitridge Avenue for 40 years. Carrier°s two running tracks and two main tracks intersect Fruitridge Avenue, at which point a crew shelter is maintained. It is not now and never has been a block station or a block limit station.

 Organization admits the train orders were handled at Fruitridge. It is Carrier's position that while some train orders may be addressed to crews at Prairie, they are given to crews by telephone at Fruitridge Avenue. Arbitration Award No. 143 provides that train and engine service employees shall not be required to copy train orders at block stations which have been closed or abolished since May 1938. There has been no block station in service at Fruitridge Avenue since May 1938 and conductors may be required to copy train orders at this point.

 The practice here complained of has been followed since 1940. It was protested by the Organization at a meeting with Carrier held January 20, 1940 and denied by Carrier on April 8, 1942. Ten years elapsed, during which the practice continued, until the instant claim arose.

 The building housing the original Block Station at Prairie has been razed. It is not charged that Train Orders are copied there. The charge is that train crews "received" train orders at this point.
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                          DISSENT


No Board of Adjustment has the authority to,modify or amend existing rules but that is what we find the end result to be based on the "Findings" and "Award" of the majority. The Third Division ruled in Award No. 5703;

        " *** we cannot make a rule nor modify existing rules ***.

        Renegotiation thereof in the manner provided by the Railway

        Labor Act is the proper source of authority for that purpose."


Arbitration Award No. 153 awarded a train order rule, it did not amend the Scope Rule of the currently effective agreement extant between the parties. Yet here we have the majority making a finding and an award that has gone beyond the Arbitration Award. The majority has here actually modified and amended the Scope Rule.

 Arbitration Award No. 153 awarded a rule which would not require Train and Engine Service Employes to copy train orders, except in emergencies, at points where and during the hours when Block or Telegraph or Telephone Operators are scheduled to be on duty, or at block stations which have been closed or abolished since May 1, 1938, or at block limit stations which have been closed or abolished since May 1, 1938 or which may thereafter be established. The Scope Rule of the agreement contains the classifications: "Telegraphers, Telephone Operators (except Telephone Switchboard Operators), Block Operators." The Arbitration Board awarded a train order rule as attested by the following:

"NATIONAL MEDIATION BOARD

ARBITRATION BOARD

Arbitration Case No. 153

Case No. A-3521


    In the Matter Of,


    DISPUTE BETWEEN THE PENNSYLVANIA RAILROAD COMPANY AND ITS EMPLOYES-REPRESENTED BY THE BROTHERHOOD OF LOCOMOTIVE ENGINEERS, BROTHERHOOD OF LOCOMOTIVE FIREMEN AND ENGINEMEN, BROTHERHOOD OF RAILROAD TRAINMEN, AND THE ORDER OF RAILROAD TELEGRAPHERS.


                  AWARD OF BOARD OF ARBITRATION


    Pursuant to an arbitration agreement entered into by the above named parties on March 28, 1951, in accordance with the provisions of the Railway Labor Act, the Board of Arbitration consisting of Winfield G. Salmonson, Carriernamed member, C. H. Keenan, Employ:-named member, and David L. Cole, neutral arbitrator, who was designated Chairman, having duly heard the parties and considered their evidence and arguments, does hereby make its award as follows-


    1. It-declines to award the rule proposed by the Organization as set forth

    in Paragraph Fourth of the aforementioned arbitration agreement.

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. It awards a rule in the language following, to become effective on February 15, 1952, and to continue in effect until it is changed or modified in accordance with the provisions of the Railway Labor Act, as amended;

 'Except in emergencies, Train and Engine Service Employes shall not be required to copy train orders at points where, and during the hours when Block or Telegraph or Telephone Operators are scheduled to be on duty, or at block stations which have been closed or abolished since May 1, 1938, or at block limit stations which have been established since May 1, 1938, or which may hereafter be established.

 (1) The emergencies referred to shall include only storms, washouts, tornadoes, obstructions to tracks, slides, accidents, casualties, wrecks, engine or equipment failures, hot boxes, or break-in-two's, provided such cause or causes would result in serious delay and were not anticipated by the train dispatcher when the train was at the last open block or telegraph station.

 (2) At block stations which have been closed on certain tricks or during
 certain hours continuously since May 1, 1938, the restrictions of this rule -
 shall not apply on such tricks, or during such hours.

 (3) The train orders referred to in this rule are those of the type now designated as Form 19 Train Orders in their various forms, and as illustrated on pages 35 through 42 of the Carrier's Book of Rules, edition of September 25, 1949.

 (4) The restrictions of this rule shall not apply to temporary block stations which have been closed or abolished or which may hereafter be closed or abolished. Temporary block stations as referred to herein, are defined to be block stations opened for a temporary limited purpose only, such as the clearing or repairing of tracks, bridges or other facilities,construction projects, or the movement of some special purpose train or trains.'

                            BOARD OF ARBITRATION


                            /s/ David L. Cole,

                            Neutral Arbitrator and Chairman


                            /s/ Winfield G. Salmonson,

                            Carrier Arbitrator


December 12, 1951

            DISSENT BY BOARD MEMBER Ca H. KEENAN


I consider the award agreed to by the majority of the members of this Arbitration Board to be very improper and unjust to the involved employes; it seriously discriminates against them, and is not responsive to the evidence of record. Moreover, this award fails to require the correction of practices that violate the inherent fundamental principal of craft rights and representation as contemplated by the Railway Labor Act, as amended.

 Therefore, I decline to participate in the rendition of the award.

                            / s/ C. H. Keenan, Board Member."

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As may be noted the rule, directed at Train and Engine Service Employes, is that they shall not be required to copy train orders e., at block stations closed or abolished after May 1, 1938, or at block limit stations established after that date except in emergencies. An Understanding, reached in 1938 between the parties, not only embraced the handling of train orders by Train and Engine. Service Employes but all other block operator's work at well, such as blocking and reporting trains, handling switches and clearance cards, transmission and receiving messages, and all other related duties assigned and accruing to the block station positions at the time of abolishment. The Arbitration award did not alter or otherwise annul the Scope Rule or the Oral Understanding as to block operator's work being off limits to other employes if the office was one closed after May 1, 1938.

 The Arbitration award is supplemental to the Scope Rule and to the Oral Understanding of May 1, 1938, it is not a substitute thereof, hence we here have an erroneous award.

 /s/ Russell J. Woodman

 Russell J. Woodman
 Employe Member