COMBINATION EXTRA BOARD: FORCING FROM
| Description: LETTER OF UNDERSTANDING #2103019630 BETWEEN THE UNION PACIFIC RAILROAD COMPANY AND THE UNITED TRANSPORTATION UNION COMBINATION EXTRA BOARDS Pursuant to Article III, GUARANTEED EXTRA BOARDS, of the Crew Consist Agreement dated December 19, 1991, wherein all existing Conductor and Brakeman Guaranteed Extra Boards are now Combination Guaranteed Extra Boards, the question of whether such boards would be considered "regularly assigned" has been advanced. In order to clarify those concerns and bring stability to the process of filling no-bid assignments, the following agreed to interpretation has been placed on all Combination Guaranteed Extra Boards: It is understood, although employees must be promoted to conductor to occupy a position on a Combination Conductor/Brakeman Guaranteed Extra Board, because these boards protect, in addition to conductor positions, brakeman positions and on some boards yardman positions, that employees working from such boards would not be considered as holding a regular assignment. As such, employees on these boards are subject to being forced to no-bid conductor, brakeman and on those boards that also protect yardman vacancies, yardman positions. When forcing to a no-bid conductor vacancy, the junior unassigned conductor at the point where the no-bid vacancy occurs will be assigned. In other words, conductor vacancies on an outside assignment are to be assigned to the junior unassigned conductor at the outside point. If no unassigned conductors are at such outside point, the junior unassigned conductor from among those working at the point of the protecting extra board, including those employees on the Combination Guaranteed Extra Board will be forced assigned. If no unassigned conductor is available at these locations, the junior unassigned conductor on the seniority district will be assigned. Employees holding "fenced" positions other than "Conductor" / "Foreman" assignments are not excluded from force assignments to protect these positions. When forcing to a no-bid brakeman vacancy, the junior brakeman on the protecting Combination Extra Board will be assigned. Likewise, when forcing to a no- bid switchman vacancy, the junior switchman on the protecting extra board will be assigned. NOTE: When forcing employees from the Combination Guaranteed Extra Board, force the junior employee on the board in the craft of the vacancy. Signed this 21ST day of May , 1996. FOR THE UNITED TRANSPORTATION UNION: FOR THE UNION PACIFIC RAILROAD:
July 19, 1991 380.10-4 Mr. L. L. Nelson During the development of Crew Consist Modification Agreements on the Northwestern District- Oregon Division Guaranteed Combination Rotary Extra Boards were designed to provide relief for the combined protection of Conductor/Brakemen/Yardmen vacancies. Boards so designed provided for guaranteed earnings commensurate with Conductor rates of pay and, in all cases, it was encouraged that employees holding Conductor seniority place on these Boards or take promotion shortly thereafter. Prior to the development of these new combination boards, Conductor Extra Boards were entirely separated from Brakemen Extra Boards, Yardmen Extra Boards or combination Brakemen/ Yardmen Extra Boards, and an individual assigned to a Conductors' Extra Board was at all times treated as an "assigned Conductor". Train and Yardmen who had taken promotion to the position of Conductor but were working as Brakemen or Yardmen, were considered as "unassigned Conductors". Agreement rules which provide for filling of conductor vacancies through utilization of "unassigned conductors" have given rise to the question, "Is an individual assigned to one of the new combination boards protecting Conductors/Brakemen/ Yardmen vacancies, to be considered 'assigned' or 'unassigned'?". Trainmen/ Yardmen assigned to one of the new combination boards, although having Conductor seniority rights, bids to or from the board based on the employee's Brakeman's seniority date and can exercise a right of displacement to the board or be displaced from the board based solely on the employee's Brakeman seniority date. Technically, these boards are still Brakemen/Yardmen boards, except for pay purposes, and individuals holding seniority as Conductors fill temporary vacancies from these boards in much the same manner as they did prior to development of the Guaranteed Combination Boards, except that under current agreements (as provided by the Modified Crew Consist Agreements), they are used from the Extra Board in rotary order instead of being given special preference to Conductors work off the board solely on the basis of their Conductor's seniority. It is our position, based on the foregoing, that the individual holding Conductor's seniority and assigned to one of these new combination Extra Boards, is an unassigned Conductor under all agreements, rules and practices. This employee must therefore be treated as such under the current rules of the agreement for use of unassigned Conductors, except as otherwise provided in the Modified Crew Consist Agreements. If you are in agreement with the foregoing and agree that this properly reflects our understanding, please signify by placing your signature in the space provided below. Yours truly, AGREED TO: SIGNATURES NOT REPRODUCED FOR THIS ELECTRONIC DOCUMENT |
