6 (A)

AGREEMENT “A”

This Agreement made this 25th day of May, 1951, by and between the participating carriers listed in Exhibits A, B, and C and represented by EASTERN, WESTERN and SOUTHEASTERN CARRIERS’ COMMITTEES, and the employee shown thereon and represented by the BROTHERHOOD OF RAILROAD TRAINMEN through their conference committee.

ARTICLE 3 – FIVE-DAY WORK WEEK

Section 1.

  1. Beginning on the date this Agreement becomes effective on any carrier, such carrier will establish, for all classes and crafts of yard service employees covered by this Article 3, subject to the exceptions contained therein, a workweek of 40 hours, consisting of five consecutive days of eight hours each, with two days off in each seven, except as hereinafter provided. The foregoing workweek rule is subject to all other provisions of this Article 3.
  2. Due to the necessity of changing existing assignments to conform to the reduced workweek provided for in Section 1, the Carriers will, prior to the effective date, post notices or bulletins as required by schedule, both in rules or practices in effect.
    1. Railroads or portions thereof on which yard assignments are bulletined:
      listing the days off of regular assignments and advertising regular relief
      assignments.
    2. On properties where portions thereof operating under the strict seniority or mark-up plan, yard service employees shall select the assigned “days off” periods as provided below:

      1. Listing regular assignments according to service requirements.
      2. After all known assignments for yard service employees have been posted,all yard service employees will be required to make seven choices of their preferred “days off” period, and the Local Chairman and local officers will cooperate in assigning employees their “days off” period in accordance with their seniority. After “days off” have been assigned, yard service employees will exercise seniority on the days of their workweek in accordance with rules or practices in effect on individual properties or yards.
      3. After the “days off” periods have been assigned as referred to in Section 1(b)(2), days off periods assigned to individual employees shall remain unchanged except when a vacancy occurs in a “days off” period, a new assignment is created, or when affected by a force reduction. Employees exercising seniority to other “days off” periods will be governed by the provisions of Section 11(b).
      4. Extra men will be handled in accordance with Section 6.
    3. The changes as enumerated above shall begin on the effective date of this Article 3, and employees may exercise seniority rights to select the assignment or days off of their choice.
    4. After assignments as referred to in Section 1(b)(1) and Section 1(b)(2)(a) have been made, changes thereafter shall be made in accordance with schedule, bulletin rules, or practices in effect.

Section 2. The term “workweek” for regularly assigned employee shall mean a week beginning on the first date on which the assignment is bulletin to work, and for extra or assigned employees shall mean a period of seven consecutive days starting with Monday.

Section 3.

  1. One service as required by carrier on days off of regular assignments may be performed by other regular assignments, by regular relief assignments, by a combination of regular and regular relief assignments, or by extra employees not protected in the foregoing manner.
    (This does not disturb rules or practices on roads involving the use of emergency men or assigned employees.) Four regular relief assignments are established, they shall, except as otherwise provided in this agreement, have five consecutive days of work, designated days of service, definite starting times on each shift within the time period specified in the starting time rules. They may on different days have different starting times within the periods specified in the starting time rules, and have different points for going on or off-duty within the same seniority district, which shall be the same as those of the employee or employees they are relieving, except that any seniority district having more than one extra board, such relief assignments as are established shall be manned from the territory allotted to the particular extra board.
  2. Where regular relief assignments cannot be established for five consecutive days on the same shift within the time periods specified in the starting time rules, as provided for in Section 3(a), such assignments may be established for five consecutive days with different starting times on different shifts on different days, within the time period specified in the starting time rules, and on different days may have different points for going on or off duty in the same seniority district, which shall be the same as those of the employees they are relieving, except that in the seniority district having more than one extra board, such relief assignments as are established will be manned from the territory allotted to a particular extra board.

Section 8.

  1. Existing rules which relate to the payment of daily overtime for regular yardmen and practices thereunder are not changed hereby and shall be understood to apply to regular relief men, except that work performed by regular relief men on assignments which conform with the provisions of Section 3 shall be paid for at the straight time rate.
  2. Current overtime rules relating to extra yardmen are cancelled as of the effective date of this agreement and the following will apply:

    Except as indicated below or when changing off where it is the practice to work alternately days and nights for certain periods, working through two shifts to change off, or where exercising seniority rights, all time worked in excess of eight hours continuous service in a twenty-four hour period shall be paid for as overtime on a minute basis at one and one-half times the hourly rate.

    In the application of this rule, the following shall govern:

    1. This rule applies only to service paid on an hourly or daily basis and not to service paid on mileage or road basis.
    2. A tour of duty in road service shall not be used to require payment of such overtime rate in yard service. (The term “road service”, as used in this paragraph (b), shall not apply to employees paid road rates, but governed by yard rules.)
    3. Where an extra man commences work on a second shift in a twenty-four hour period he shall be paid at time and one-half for such second shift except when it is started twenty-two and one-half to twenty-four hours from the starting time of the first shift.
    4. An extra man changing to a regular assignment or a regularly assigned man reverting to the extra list shall be paid at the pro rata rate for the first eight hours of work following such change.
    5. Except as modified by other provisions of this rule, an extra employee working one shift in one grade of service and a second shift in another grade of service shall be paid time and one-half for the second shift, the same as though both shifts were in the same grade of service, except where there is another man available to perform the work at pro rata rate.

    NOTE (1): On railroads where a seniority board is in effect in cases where there is a man or men on such board available for work at the pro rata rate, a senior man who exercises his seniority to work two
    shifts, the second of which would otherwise, under the 46provlaiona of this rule, be paid at the overtime rate
    shall be paid at the pro rata rate.

    NOTE (2): The adoption of this rule shall not affect any existing rule in the schedule of any individual carrier relating to service performed on a succeeding trick when an employe’s relief fails to report at the fixed starting time.

    NOTE (3); On such roads as have an existing rule 01 practice differing from the rule of the December 12,1947 Agreement, titled “OVERTIME RATE IN YARD SERVICE-EXTRA MEN”, and providing for pay at time and one-hair,without exception, to extra yard men performing a second tour of duty in a 24-hour period, the Employes’Committee may elect to retain the existing rule or practice in lieu of this rule.

    1. Employees worked more than five straight time eight-hour shifts in yard service in a work week shall be paid one and one-half times the basic straight time rate for such excess work except:

      1. Where days off are being accumulated under Section 4 of this Article 3;
      2. When changing off where it is the practice to work alternately days and nights for certain periods;
      3. When working through two shifts to change off;
      4. Where exercising seniority rights from one assignment to another;
      5. Where paid straight time rates under existing rules or practices for a second tour of duty in another grade or class of service.

      In the event an additional day’s pay at the straight time rate is paid to a yard service employee for other service performed or started during the course of his regular tour of duty, such additional day will not be utilized in computing the five straight time eight-hour shifts referred to in this paragraph (3).

    2. There shall be no overtime on overtime; neither shall overtime hours paid for, nor time paid at straight time rate for work referred to in paragraph (3) of this Section 8, be utilized in computing the five straight time eight-hour shifts referred to in paragraph (3) of this Section 8, nor shall time paid for in the nature of arbitraries or special allowances such as attending court, inquests, investigations, examinations, deadheading, etc. be utilized for this purpose, except when such payments apply during assigned working hours in lieu of pay for such hours, or where such time is now included under existing rules in computations leading to overtime. Existing rules or practices regarding the basis of payment of arbitraries or special allowances such as attending court, inquests, investigations, examinations, deadheading, etc., also for calls, basic day, transfer time, stand-by time, and compensation therefor, preparatory time, starting time (except as otherwise provided in Section 3) and similar rules are not affected by the provisions of this Article 3.
    3. Any tour of duty in road service shall not be considered in any way in connection with the application of the provisions of this Article 3, nor shall service under two agreements be combined in any manner in the application of this Article 3.

    Section 9.Beginning on the date this Agreement becomes effective on any carrier, the Vacation Agreement dated April 29, effective July 1, 1949, shall be amended as to such carrier to provide the following insofar as yard service employees and employees having interchangeable yard and road rights covered by said agreement, who are represented by the Brotherhood of Railroad Trainmen, are concerned:

    Section Ka)-l(b). Add:

    In the application of Section K a} and l(b) each basic day in yard service performed by a yard service employe or by an soye having interchangeable yard and road rights shall be uted as 1.2 days for purposes of determining qualification vacation.

    Qualifying years accumulated, also qualifying requirements for years accumulated for extended vacations, prior to the calendar year in which Agreement “A” becomes effective, shall not be changed.

    Section ltd). Add “Note”:

    The 6O and 3O calendar days referred to herein shall not be subject to the 1.2 computation provided for in Sections l(a) and Kb).

    Section 2(a). Add:

    Yard Service

    An employe receiving one week’s vacation, or pay in lieu thereof, under Section l(a) shall be paid 1/52 of the compensation earned by such employe, under schedule agreements held by the organisations signatory to the Vacation Agreement effective t~iv 1, 1949, on the carrier on which he qualified under Section r carriers in case he qualified on more than one carrier under.ion l(f) during the calendar rear preceding the year in which W** vacation is taken, but in no event shall such pay be less than five (5) alnlmim basic day’s pay at the rate of the last service rendered.

    Combination of Yard and Road Service

    An employe having interchangeable yard and road rights “iving one week’s vacation, or pay in lieu thereof, under
    ion l(a) shall be paid 1/52 of the compensation earned by__n employe, under schedule agreements held by the organizations signatory to the Vacation Agreement effective July 1, 1949* on the carrier on which he qualified under Section 1 (or carriers in case he qualified on more than one carrier under Section l(f) during the calendar year preceding the year in which the vacation is taken; provided that, if the vacation is taken during the time inch employe is working in road service such pay shall be not less < six (6) minimum basic days' pay at the rate of the last road ice rendered, and if the vacation is taken during the time ^_-n employe is working in yard service, such pay shall be not less than five (5) m1.n1 mum basic days* pay at the rate of the last yard service rendered.Section 2(b). Add: Yard Service

    An employe receiving two weeksT vacation, or pay in lieuthereof, under Section l(b) shall be paid 1/26 of the conpensation earned by such employe, under schedule agreements held by the organizations signatory to the Vacation Agreement effective July 1, 1949, on the carrier on which he qualified under Section 1 (or carriers in case he qualified on more than one carrier under Section l(f) during the calendar year preceding the year in which the vacation is taken, but in no event shall such pay be less than ten (10) minimum basic days* pa7 at
    the rate of the last yard service rendered.

    Combination of lard and fioad Service

    An employe having interchangeable yard and road rights receiving two weeks* vacation, or pay in lieu thereof, under Section 1(b) shall be paid 1/26 of the compensation earned by such employe, under schedule agreements held by the organizations signatory to the Vacation Agreement effective July 1, 1949, on the carrier on which he qualified under Section 1 (or carriers in case he qualified on more than one carrier under Section K f) during the calendar year preceding the year in which the vacation is taken; provided that, if the vacation is taken during the tiae such employe is working in road service such pay shall be not less than twelve (12) mlnlmnm basic days’ pay at the rate of the last road service rendered, and if the vacation is taken during the time such employe is working in yard service such pay shall be not less than ten (10) minimum basic days’ pay at the rate of the last yard service rendered

    Section 9. Add:

    With respect to yard service employes, and with respect to any yard service employe having interchangeable yard and road rights who receives a vacation in yard service, such additional vacation days shall be reduced by i/6th.

    General

    Except to the extent that the Vacation Agreement effective July 1, 1949, la changed by this Article 3, the said Vacation Agreement, as well as the Memorandum of Understanding of April 29, 1949, shall remain in full force and effect.

    Section 10. Existing weekly or monthly guarantees producing more than five days per week «M^? be modified to provide for a guarantee of five days per week. Nothing in this Article 3 ahr* be construed to create a guarantee where none now exists.

    Section 11.

    1. All regular or regular relief assignments for yard service employees shall be for five (5) consecutive calendar days per week of not less than eight (8) consecutive hours per day, except as otherwise provided in this Article 3.
    2. An employee on a regular or regular relief assignment in yard service who takes another regular or regular relief assignment in yard service, or selects another “days off” period on a strict seniority or mark-up board in yard service, will be permitted to go on the assignment or “days off” period of his choice, and will take the conditions of that assignment or “days off” period. He will work straight time eight-hour shifts, as referred to in paragraph (d) of this Section, in the work week of the assignment or “days off” period which he had at the time he made his choice; provided, however, that if the foregoing would not permit such employee to work one or more days of the assignment of his choice, and if there is no extra man available who could be used to perform the work on those days, he may be used to work those days at straight time rate.
    3. An employee on a yard extra board who takes a regular or regular relief assignment in yard service will be permitted to go on the assignment of his choice and will take the conditions of that assignment.
    4. An employee on a regular or regular relief assignment who goes on an extra board will take the conditions attached to the extra board, but will not be permitted to work more than five straight time eight-hour shifts, as referred to in paragraph (d) of this Section, in the work week starting with the Monday in which the change is made.

    5. Except as provided in paragraphs (b) and (e) of this Section, employees, regular or extra, will not be permitted to work more than five straight time eight-hour shifts in yard service (excluding the exceptions from the computations provided for in Section 8, paragraphs (3) and (4)) in a work week, unless the extra board has been exhausted and the exigencies of the service require the use of additional men, in which event senior available employees in the class in which the vacancy occurs shall be used in accordance with applicable rules or practices in effect on individual properties.

    Section 12.

    1. Where reference is made in this Article 3 to the term “yard service” it shall be understood to have reference to service performed by employees governed by yard rules and yard conditions.
    2. Section 3(e) and Section 5 of this Article 3 shall not apply to:

    Car Eetarder Operators

    Buap Motor Car Operators (Chauffeurs)

    Levermen

    Switchtenders (sometimes classified as Switchmen)

    1. Hone of the provisions of this Article 3 relating to starting time shall be applicable to any classifications of e -res included within the scope of this Article 3 which is not r >bject to starting time rules.

    Section 13. Existing rules and practices, including those relating to the establishment of regular assignments, the establishment and regulation of extra boards, the operation or working lists or “mark-up-boardsw, etc., shall be changed or eliminated to conform to the provisions of this Article 3 in order to imple•eat the operation of the reduced work week on a straight timeb-”

    section 14. The parties hereto having in mind conditions

    •fcich exist or may arise on individual carriers in the application

    •t* the five-day work week agree that the duly authorised re pre-sentative (General Chairman) of the employes, party to ttit
    agreement, and the officer designated by the carrier, ea- e-t?
    into additional written understandings to implement th»
    of this Article 3, provided that auch understandings s
    be inconsistent with this Article 3.