ARTICLE 25

EXPENSES AWAY FROM HOME

When the Carrier ties up a road service crew, or individual members thereof, at a terminal (including tie-up points named by assignment bulletins, or presently listed in schedule agreements, or observed by practice, as regular points for tying up crews) other than the designated home terminal of the crew assignment for four (4) hours or more, each member of the crew so tied up shall be provided suitable lodging at the Carrier's expense or an equitable allowance in lieu thereof. The equitable allowance shall be provided only if it is not reasonably possible to provide lodging.

If an allowance is made in lieu of lodging as well as other considerations under provisions of existing agreements, the amount attributed only to lodging shall be removed if suitable lodging is supplied, or offset against an equivalent allowance.

B. MEAL ALLOWANCES

When the Carrier ties up a road crew, or individual members thereof, at a terminal (as defined in Paragraph A. of this Article 25) other than the designated home terminal for four (4) hours or more, each member of the crew so tied up shall receive a meal allowance of $6.00. An additional $6.00 meal allowance will be provided after being held an additional eight (8) hours.

C. EXTRA EMPLOYEES

This rule also covers employees in road or yard service called from the Extra Board or used in the capacity of an extra employee to fill vacancies at outlying points subject to the following additional conditions:

1. The outlying point must be 30 miles or more from the terminal limits of the location where the extra list from which called is maintained.

2. Lodging or allowances in lieu thereof, where applicable, will be provided only when extra employees are held at the outlying point for more than one tour of duty and will continue to be provided for the periods held for each subsequent tour of duty.

D. The parties agree that the following interprets and supplements Paragraph A. of this Article 25 relating to suitable lodging:

1. Those facilities which Carrier provides will consist of single occupancy bedrooms equipped with comfortable beds.

2. Accommodations will be air conditioned.

3. Central bath and toilet facilities, with necessary supplies, will be provided on each floor.

4. Clean linens will be furnished and changed by other than employees after each occupancy.

5. Reading room, separate from other facilities, equipped with ample lighting and comfortable chairs, will be provided.

6. Adequate facilities and space for the preparation and eating of light meals will be provided.

7. Pending such time as facilities as described above are provided or arrangements for such accommodations are made, employees entitled thereto will be allowed $2.00 per day in lieu of such accommodations.

8. When accommodations as described herein have been made available and are furnished, payment of the $2.00 provided for in Paragraph 7. will cease.

NOTE 1:For the purpose of Paragraphs A. and B. of this Article 25, Extra Board employees shall be provided with lodging and meal allowances in accordance with the rule governing the granting of such allowances to the crew they join; that is, the designated home terminal will be the designated terminal of the crew assignment.

NOTE 2: It is understood that if an extra employee used to fill a vacancy at an outlying point, who comes within the operation of this Article, after completing a tour of duty is held over for a second tour of duty which is to commence more than four hours after the completion of his first tour of duty, he will be provided lodging or an allowance in lieu thereof. He will continue to be provided such lodging or allowances (but not more than one such allowance for each 24-hour period at the outlying point) if he is thereafter so held over for one or more subsequent tours of duty.

NOTE 3: Train service employees will be transported between the on-and-off duty location and lodging location at the away-from-home terminal when the distance involved exceeds one half mile.

E. LODGING FACILITIES

1. While housed in public facilities, it is understood that:

a. The cost of any personal hotel services (such as personal telephone calls made by employees from their hotel rooms) must be borne by the employee.

b. If an employee is refused admittance by the hotel management to the hotel because of former misconduct at that lodging facility, the Carrier's obligation to the employee has been satisfied during the period such admittance is refused.

2. The United Transportation Union recognizes the right of the Carriers to determine whether they will provide dormitories or use commercial hotels or motels to satisfy the requirement of their obligations to provide suitable lodging for train and engine service employees at any point. However, the interested General Chairpersons of the Committees signatory to this Agreement will be afforded an opportunity to review and discuss with the Carriers all such plans regarding suitable lodging prior to the start of construction of any new dormitory or move to a different commercial hotel or motel.

3. The Carriers will furnish suitable lodging to crews on work, wreck and construction trains. This will not affect or prejudice the application of any other rules (such as away-from-home terminal rules, deadheading rules, rules affecting outlying points, etc.).

4. All other dormitories, motels, and hotels now being provided by the Carriers presently appear to meet the suitable lodging facility requirements of the effective agreements, but any questions regarding such matters that may arise will be handled locally between the Local Chairperson and the Superintendent, subject to appeal directly to the Assistant Vice President, Labor Relations, by the General Chairperson.

F. OAKDALE RESTAURANT AGREEMENT

1. In view of the differing circumstances surrounding this away-from-home terminal which collectively distinguish it from all other away-from-home terminals at which crews are tied up, the Carrier is willing to arrange for the establishment of a commercial restaurant at Oakdale, Tennessee, for the use of crews tying up at such point.

2. The provision quoted below, as contained in the agreement between the parties hereto, dated July 26, 1965, is hereby waived and deemed inapplicable to the dormitory facility established and maintained at Oakdale, Tennessee:

"D.(6) Adequate facilities and space for the preparation and eating of light meals will be provided."

3. The Carriers will not be expected to provide any vending machines for food at Oakdale, Tennessee.

4. It is agreed that the Committee will not make any request or demand for the establishment of a restaurant facility at any other away-from-home terminal, tie-up point or terminal on Carriers' lines; however, in the event the Committee signatory hereto serves a notice under Section 6 of the Railway Labor Act, as amended, calling for the establishment of a restaurant facility at any point on Carrier's lines other than Oakdale, Tennessee, this agreement, with the exception of Paragraph 2. above, shall immediately be abrogated except that in the event conditions at the point covered by such Section 6 Notice have materially changed to the point they are comparable to conditions existing at Oakdale, Tennessee, the provisions of this Paragraph 4. shall not apply. When conditions as referred to above change to the extent that either party signatory hereto contends that such conditions are comparable to those at Oakdale, the Carrier and the Committee (at the request of any party) will confer prior to any formal request, demand or notice, and will attempt to jointly determine if the changed conditions do actually and materially compare with conditions at Oakdale.

QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

Question #1: It is our understanding that Paragraph A. amends both Sections 1 and 2 of Article II of the June 25, 1964 National Agreement. Is this understanding correct?

Answer: Yes.

Question #2: Assuming extra employees will be entitled to meal allowances as well as lodging under Paragraph A., will an extra employee also be entitled to an additional meal allowance each time he is held for more than four hours following a tour of duty at an outlying point for another tour of duty?

Answer: It is the intent of Paragraph A. to provide a meal allowance, as well as lodging, to extra employees who meet the 30 mile criteria set forth in Paragraph C. thereof, in situations where they are tied-up at the outlying point for four hours or more (not under pay). Such extra employee also would be eligible for an additional meal allowance and lodging when held at such location for each tie-up of four hours or more after each additional tour of duty performed at that location.

Question #3: Is an extra employee who is sent to an outlying point and is held more than four hours in advance of the time he is needed to fill a vacancy entitled to lodging or a meal allowance?

Answer: He is entitled to a meal allowance but not to a lodging allowance for such a period.

Question #4: Is an extra employee who is relieved from duty at an outlying point, but the deadhead trip to his home terminal does not start for more than four hours after he is released, entitled to lodging or a meal allowance?

Answer: He is entitled to a meal allowance but not to a lodging allowance unless he is held for an additional tour of duty.

Question #5: An Extra Board at "A" is, when exhausted, supplemented by extra employees sent to "A" from "B" which is more than thirty miles from "A". Are such employees entitled to expenses while at "A"?

Answer: No.

Question #6: How is the note in Article II of the June 25, 1964 National Agreement affected by this amendment to Article II?

Answer: The provisions of Article XI of the UTU Agreement are applicable insofar as an extra employee's tie-up at an outlying point as defined in Paragraph A. is concerned, and the Note under Article II of the June 25, 1964 Agreement which provides ---

"For the purposes of Sections 1 and 2 of this Article II, extra board employees shall be provided with lodgings and meal allowance in accordance with the rule governing the granting of such allowance to the crew they join; that is, the designated home terminal will be the designated terminal of the crew assignment."

would be applicable when the crew which the extra employee joins is tied up at a terminal other than the designated home terminal of the crew he joins for four hours or more.

Question #7: Is the Carrier's understanding correct that this provision means that when train, engine or yard service employees are called from an Extra Board source, and used to fill vacancies at outlying points, these vacancies at outlying points referred to are road service vacancies and not yard service vacancies?

Answer: No. It was the intent that this Article apply to extra men filling vacancies in yard service as well as in road service.

Question No. 8: It is our understanding that an employee will not be entitled to more than two meal allowances under Article II, as amended by Article XI, Section 2, when tied up at an away-from-home terminal (outlying point) in excess of 12 hours. Is this understanding correct?

Answer: Yes. However, if after being tied up twelve hours or more he performs an additional tour of duty and is again tied up for twelve hours or more at such outlying point, he would again be eligible for the two $6.00 meal allowances.

Question No. 9: In connection with Article XI, Section 1(a), the Carrier does not maintain passenger transportation and employees are deadheaded to outlying points by bus or are paid mileage for using their personal automobile. Under these circumstances how should the 30 mile provision be calculated?

Answer: On the basis of rail mileage.

This page last updated: March 02, 2005