Opinion ID: 500031
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Arbitration of UTU Rock Island Ground Service Employees

Text: 29
30 On April 15, 1981, the General Chairman of the Committee of Adjustment for UTU Rock Island, Ralph Tambaro, sent a letter to the CNW objecting to the October 22, 1980 interim implementing agreement insofar as it related to ground service employees. See 7 Joint Appendix 1437. He objected, in part, because the agreement had been reached without the participation of the union representatives of former Rock Island employees and, in part, because it failed to give Rock Island employees seniority rights to which they felt entitled under the March 4th Agreement. Tambaro demanded arbitration pursuant to Article II, section 9(b) of the March 4th Agreement. On May 4, 1981, the CNW received a second letter from Fred Hardin, the International President of the UTU, seeking to invoke the same arbitration procedure on behalf of former Rock Island ground service employees. On May 18, 1981, Hardin by letter indicated that R.M. Crago, UTU International Vice President, would represent the UTU's Rock Island employees in the arbitration, but would not act as a representative of the international union. 31 Next, the CNW and CNW-UTU filed suit to stop this arbitration and succeeded in delaying it for approximately one and one-half years. See Chicago and Northwestern Transportation Co. v. United Transportation Union, C.A. 81-2472 (D.D.C); see also Supplemental Affidavit of Robert. W. Schmiege, 7 Joint Appendix at 1496. Thereafter, the arbitration went forward. The CNW and representatives of the Rock Island and the CNW ground service employees participated in the arbitration, which was conducted between February 23 and 25, 1983, by a neutral arbitrator appointed by the National Mediation Board. See Arbitration Board No. 406, Matter of Arbitration Between the Chicago and Northwestern Transportation Company and The United Transportation Union, at 2 (May 20, 1983) (Arbitration) (see 2 Joint Appendix 267). Although the UTU constitution required the union to enter the arbitration with a unified position, the arbitration consisted of a contest between the Rock Island UTU representatives and the CNW-UTU representatives, with the international union playing no significant independent or authoritative role. 32
33 Shortly after the matter was submitted to arbitration, but several months before the arbitrator rendered a decision, a relevant internal dispute was being resolved within the UTU. In UTU Board of Appeals Case No. 64, File 8-8-54 (March 11, 1983) (Tucumcari ) (see 2 Joint Appendix 441), former employees of the Rock Island challenged an implementing agreement quite similar to those involved in the case before us. 34 In Tucumcari, a segment of the former Rock Island railroad called the Tucumcari line had been purchased after a period of interim operation by the St. Louis Southwestern Railroad (SSW) on March 24, 1980. Pursuant to the terms of the March 4th Agreement, a subsequent implementing agreement was reached purporting to establish a seniority scheme for the former Rock Island employees. 35 The implementing agreement was signed by General Chairman R.H. Arnett, on February 23, 1982. Arnett was the representative of the SSW-UTU, the acquiring company's union, and had never represented Rock Island employees. As in the present case, the agreement gave former Rock Island employees seniority dates as of their first day of work for the SSW. 36 Two former Rock Island employees, J.W. Volkman and J.T. Kelso, brought an internal appeal within the UTU. They alleged that the implementing agreement was contrary to the terms of the March 4th Agreement. They argued, inter alia, that the agreement was improper because Arnett represented only employees of the acquiring company and not the Rock Island employees. They also maintained that the March 4th Agreement contemplated greater seniority rights than were provided by the February 23, 1982 implementing agreement. 37 The Board of Appeals held for Volkman and Kelso and, in reforming the terms of implementing agreement, stated that all employee representatives should participate in the negotiation of implementing agreements. Id. at 16. Second, the Board found that the former Rock Island employees were entitled to a seniority date as of the day they were hired by the Rock Island. Specifically, the Board stated: 38 In this case of acquisition, prior rights are of paramount concern. To place a termination date on those prior rights would not only be a travesty of justice but also would contravene the very concepts of seniority and prior rights. Id. at 18. The Board continued: 39 This Board also finds the former employees should be given the seniority dates of their earliest employment date, i.e., the seniority date carried on the Rock Island. Without extensive elaboration, we feel this would not be too hard to accomplish. 40 Id. 41
42 The arbitrator issued his award in the ground service employees' dispute on May 20, 1983. Without notice of the UTU's centrally announced position in Tucumcari and without reference to the UTU Constitution, the arbitrator declared that the October 22, 1980 implementing agreement met the requirements of the March 4th Agreement. In his analysis of the claims of the former Rock Island employees, the arbitrator found their situation to be unfortunate. Yet, he found that the CNW employees union representatives adequately represented them. Specifically he stated: 43 Full opportunity was given to all representatives of these employees to further discuss this matter with the Carrier in order to reach an implementing agreement. Unfortunately, with respect to the crafts here involved only the C & NW--UTU representative reached an understanding with the Carrier. This does not mean, however, that the UTU representatives of former Rock Island employees were not afforded the fullest opportunity to make their case with respect to the allocation of additional manpower. 44 Arbitration at 4. 45 Finally, in contravention of the clear intent of the March 4th Agreement, the UTU Constitution, and Tucumcari, the arbitrator declared that any notion of prior rights or dovetailing of seniority would be improper and that employees of bankrupt railroads were only entitled to limited relief. 46 Having set forth the factual background of the present dispute, we turn to resolving the specific legal claims of the parties. 47