ARTICLE 4

ROAD ASSIGNMENTS

A. BEGINNING AND ENDING OF DAY

In all classes of freight service employees' time will commence at the time they are required to report for duty and shall continue until the time they are relieved from duty at the end of the run.

B. ASSIGNMENTS AND POOL SERVICE

1. Work Trains

a. Unassigned work train service will be filled from the Extra Board. If the Extra Board is exhausted, the junior regular assigned employee will be called.

NOTE: This does not debar a regular assigned employee from claiming work train service when he desires it. However, if at calling time the employee standing first out on the Extra Board is senior to the regular assigned employee who claimed the work train service, the senior Extra Board employee will be called and the regular assigned employee will have no claim to the work or for any time which he may have lost because of his bidding for the extra work train service.

b. Work trains operating exclusively within switching limits shall be manned by yard crews; yard rates to apply.

c. Work trains operated partly in switching limits and partly on line of road (line of road being outside of switching limits) shall be manned by road crews; work train rates to apply.          

NOTE: Applicable to yardmen at Chattanooga, Tennessee who may work in work train service on the AGS.

At Chattanooga, Tennessee, if no road crew is available at Chattanooga, yard crews may be used for work train service partly outside of Chattanooga yard limits, provided they do not perform more than two (2) days' continuous service and do not work south of Wauhatchie. Pool freight crews at Chattanooga shall not be deemed to be available under this rule. Pool crews, or regular road crews may claim this service. Yard crews performing this service shall be paid yard rates.

d. Work trains operated on line of road shall be manned by road crews; work train rates to apply.

e. Trainmen engaged in work train service will not be required to handle revenue cars from terminal to terminal or from one station to another on line of road.

f.     1) A conductor will not be required on Sperry cars or other rail testing machines when operated without     train orders.

        2) A trainman will not be required on Sperry cars or other rail testing machines.

2. First-In First-Out

It is the intention to run crews not assigned to regular runs, first-in first-out, but the right is reserved to depart from this rule when the interest of the Company requires it.

3. Reduction of Crews

a. No more employees will be retained than may be necessary to move freight promptly.

b. When trains are cut off, except as provided in the next paragraph, employees affected will be permitted to    exercise their seniority.

When necessary to reduce pools or assignments, the junior conductor and his crew will be cut off; employees affected will be permitted to exercise their seniority as herein provided for.

4. Splitting Crews

In the event that conductors are off for any cause, their crews will be furnished with another conductor, and the crew will continue in the service, and will not be held off to await the return of the regular assigned conductor.

5. Tied up Between Terminals

Trainmen in any class of service will not be tied up between their terminals except at points where food and lodging can be procured.

C. REPORTING FOR RUNS

1. When conductors and regularly assigned trainmen lay off of their own accord they must report for duty at least six (6) hours before the scheduled leaving time of their runs. This will not prevent in an emergency calling employees who have not reported.

NOTE 1:

The word "scheduled" means the leaving time of the train as provided for in the time table or, if not a carded train, the time the train is called to leave. The words "their runs" mean their own assignment or any other run, the intention being that, except in emergency as herein provided, employees cannot take any run which does not leave more than six (6) hours after the time the employee reports.

NOTE 2 (Applicable to conductors):

This applies in all cases where employees are called for service as conductor, either for regular assignments or for extra service, or conductors who report for duty after having been off on vacation.

2. a. Applicable to Southern: A trainman reporting (marking up) for service on an outlying assignment must report (mark up) not later than thirty (30) minutes prior to the bulletined off duty time of the last preceding tour of duty prior to the day such trainman expects to protect the assignment.

Example: An outlying job works 7:00 am to 3:00 pm (the regularly assigned hours). If the trainman desires to report and work this job on Monday after having been off, and Sunday being the off day, he must report no later than 2:30 pm Saturday in order to work this job Monday.

b. Applicable to trainmen on CNO&TP, AGS and NO&NE: When a trainman working at an outlying point lays off for any cause and desires to report for duty, he must report not later than three (3) hours after the schedule or assigned on-duty time of the assignment on the work day before he expects to protect the assignment. (Not applicable to trainman reporting for duty at expiration of their vacation).

NOTE: An outlying job is defined as a job which does not originate and terminate at the point of supply for crews.

Example: An outlying job is assigned to go on duty at 7:00 a.m. If the trainman desires to report and work the outlying point assignment, he must report not later than 10:00 a.m. on the work day prior to the day he expects to protect the assignment. (If an assignment has Sunday as an off day, he must report on Saturday if he expects to work on Monday).

D. EXTRA EMPLOYEES LAYING OFF

1. Applicable to Southern - Extra trainmen laying off of their own accord will not be permitted to mark up for service until after the expiration of twelve (12) hours from the time they marked off. This will not prevent calling such employees who have laid off before the expiration of twelve (12) hours in an emergency.

Extra employees who have marked off will be placed at the foot of the Extra Board when they report for service.

2. Applicable to CNO&TP, AGS and NO&NE Trainmen and NO&NE Conductors

a. Extra employees laying off of their own accord will not be permitted to mark up for service until after the expiration of twelve (12) hours from the time they marked off. This will not prevent calling such employees who have laid off before the expiration of twelve (12) hours in an emergency.

Extra employees who have marked off will be placed at the foot of the Extra Board when they report for service.

b. When an extra employee standing first out on the Extra Board marks off for any cause, such employee will be governed by the following:

(1) He will not be permitted to mark up for service until the extra employee who accepts the next call is again marked up on the Extra Board; or

(2) If the call referred to in Paragraph D.2.b.(1) above is a call for an outlying vacancy, he shall not be allowed to mark up on the Extra Board until the employee who accepted the call works the outlying vacancy six (6) days; except he may, if he so desires, go to the outlying point and relieve the employee who accepted the call.

c. When an extra employee standing other than first out on the Extra Board marks off for any cause and, as a result thereof, misses a call in turn to an outlying run, such employee will not be permitted to mark up on the Extra Board until the employee who accepted the call to the outlying run returns to the terminal, or until six (6) working days on such vacancy have expired, whichever is the lesser; except he may go to the outlying point at the expiration of twelve (12) hours from the time he marked off and relieve the employee who had accepted the call.

d. The above Paragraphs D.2.a., b., and c. will not apply if the needs of the service require use of employees who are laying off, or who have not been permitted to mark up under Paragraphs D.2.a., b., and c. above, but all available extra employees will be used before calling such employees.

e. Articles governing temporary vacancies shall be considered amended to the extent indicated in Paragraphs D.2.b. and c. above.

f. Nothing herein shall be construed as changing in any way the payment with respect to deadheading.

E. SHORT TRIPS AND TURNAROUNDS

1. In through freight service, a turnaround run is a run from a terminal to an intermediate point and return to the starting terminal, and not less than a basic day will be allowed for each such run, except as provided in Paragraph 2.

2. Employees in pool or irregular freight service may be called to make short trips and turnarounds with the understanding that one or more turnaround trips may be started out of the same terminal and paid actual miles, with a minimum of a basic day, provided:

a. That the mileage of all the trips does not exceed 100 miles;

b. That employees shall not be required to begin work on a succeeding trip out of the initial terminal after having been on duty eight consecutive hours, except as a new day, subject to first-in, first-out rule or practice.

NOTE 1: In cases where exception a. prevents operating two or more trips out of the initial terminal because the total mileage would exceed 100 miles, each case will be handled fairly on its merits between Management and the Committee, looking to an agreement for a modification of the application of the rule in such case or cases, that relief may be afforded upon the merits.

Paragraph 2. does not apply to crews in helper, mine run, work train and wrecking service.

NOTE 2: In the instance of a crew that departs from their terminal and breaks down, and they return to their terminal for a relief engine with which the trip is completed:

It is agreed that, in such instances, if the distance from terminal to point of breakdown is 25 miles or less, will be paid on continuous time basis, i.e., actual mileage (with a minimum of a basic day mileage in the class of service) and overtime, if any, computed from the time first required to report at the initial terminal until relieved at the final terminal; if the distance is more than 25 miles, will be paid a minimum of a basic day for service from terminal to breakdown point and return and upon leaving the terminal on a second trip a new day or trip will begin. This being an emergency, the crew may be used for the second trip without penalty payment to other employees for being runaround. If any member of the crew remains at the breakdown point instead of accompanying the conductor to the terminal for another engine, such employee will be paid on the same basis as though he had returned to the terminal.

This shall not apply if the breakdown occurs near the final terminal of the trip, making it necessary that a relief engine be secured from the final terminal.

F. WRECKING SERVICE

Trainmen called from the Extra Board for wrecking service at outlying points will not be placed in pool freight service at the away-from-home terminal.

Wrecking service performed by a pool freight crew will constitute a "turn" in pool freight service. Pool freight crews are not entitled to difference in earnings when the crew is used in wrecking service.

G. LAYOVER PERIOD

Crews on regularly assigned local freight and work trains who lay over at the away-from-home terminal will be permitted to spend the layover period at home, and passes over home line will be furnished on request for that purpose, but no time will be allowed for deadheading. If required for service on layover periods, permission will not be granted.

H. Conductors will not be required to clean cars.

This page last updated: March 01, 2005