IV. Pool Operations

A. The following pool consolidations may be implemented to achieve efficient operations in the Denver Hub:

1. All Grand Junction-Denver/Bond and Grand Junction-Minturn pool operations shall be combined into one pool with Grand Junction as the home terminal. Denver may have one, two or three pools, Denver-Phippsburg/Bond, Denver-Cheyenne, and Denver-Sharon Springs with the Carrier determining whether to combine the pools. Short pool operations when run shall be between Grand Junction-Bond and Denver-Bond.

2. All Pueblo-Denver and Pueblo-Dalhart pool operations shall be combined into one pool with Pueblo as the home terminal. The Pueblo-Alamosa local shall remain separate but Pueblo-Alamosa traffic may be combined with the Pueblo-Dalhart and Pueblo-Denver pool if future traffic increases result in pool operations. The Pueblo-Minturn pool shall remain separate until the number of pool turns drops below ten (10) due to the cessation of service on portions of that line, at that time, the Carrier may combine it with the remaining Pueblo pool. The Pueblo-Horace pool shall remain separate until terminated with the abandonment of portions of that line. The tri-weekly local provisions shall apply until abandonment of any portion of the line east of Pueblo where Pueblo crews now operate.

3. Pool, local, road switcher and yard operations not covered in the above originating at Grand Junction shall continue as traffic. volumes warrant.

4. Helper service at Minturn shall remain separate until terminated with the cessation of service on portions of the line where the helpers operate.

5. Any pool freight, local, work train or road switcher service may be established to operate from any point to any other point within the new Seniority District with the on duty point within one of the zones.

6. The operations listed in A 1-4 above, may be implemented separately, in groups or collectively upon. ten (10) days written notice from the Carrier to the General Chairman. Implementation notices covering item (5) above, shall be governed by applicable collective bargaining agreements.

7. Power plants between Denver and Pueblo may be serviced by either Pueblo-Denver pool or the Denver Extra board or a combination thereof.  The Denver extra board shall be used first and if exhausted, the pool crew will be used and deadheaded home after completion of service.

B. The terms and conditions of the pool operations set forth in Section A shall be the same for all pool freight runs whether run as combined pools or separate pools. The terms and conditions are those of the designated collective bargaining agreement as modified by subsequent national agreements, awards and implementing documents and those set forth below. The basic Interdivisional Service conditions shall apply to all pool freight service. Each pool shall be paid the actual miles run for service and combination service/deadhead with a minimum of a basic day.

1. Twenty-Five mile Zone - At Grand Junction, Pueblo, Sharon Springs Denver, Cheyenne and Dalhart, pool crews may receive their train up to twenty-five miles on the far side of the terminal and run-oh through to the scheduled terminal. Crews shall be paid an additional one-half (1/2) basic day for this service, in addition to the miles run between the two terminals. If the time spent in this zone is greater than four (4) hours then they shall be paid on a minute basis.

Example: A Pueblo crew receives their north bound train ten miles south of Pueblo terminal but within the 25 mile terminal zone limits and runs to Denver. They shall be paid the actual miles established for the Pueblo-Denver run arid an additional one-half basic day for handling the train from the point ten miles south of the Pueblo terminal.

 

2. Tumaround Service/Hours of Service Relief - Except as provided in (1) above, turnaround service and Hours of Service Relief at both home and away from home terminals shall be handled by extra boards, if available, prior to setting up other employees. Trainmen used for this service may be used for multiple trips in one tour of duty in accordance with the designated collective bargaining agreement rules. Extra boards may perform this service in all directions out of their home terminal within the Hub.

Note: Due to qualification issues at Minturn the pool crews will continue to perform Hours of Service relief at this location.

3. Nothing in this Section B (1) and (2) prevents the use of other trainmen to perform work currently permitted by prevailing agreements.,

C. Agreement Coverage - Employees working in the Denver Hub shall be governed, in addition to the provisions of this Agreement, by the Agreement between the Union Pacific Railroad Company and the UTU Union Pacific Eastern District, both road and yard, including all addenda and side letter agreements pertaining to that agreement, the 1996 National Agreement applicable to Union Pacific and previous National Agreement/Award/Implementing Document provisions still applicable. Except as specifically provided herein, the system and national collective bargaining agreements, awards and interpretations shall prevail. None of the provisions of these agreements are retroactive. Since most of the employees have not worked under a daily preference system in the yard the employees shall be governed by the regular application system for yard assignments and the daily preference system shall not apply in the Denver Hub.

D. After implementation, the application process will be used to fill all vacancies in the Hub as follows:

1. Prior right vacancies must first be filled by an employee with prior rights to the vacancy who is on a reserve board prior to considering applications from employees who do not have prior rights to the assignment including those in other zones within the Denver Hub. A reserve board employee will be recalled prior to considering applications from employees who do not have prior rights to the assignment.

2. If there are no prior right employees on the reserve board covering the vacant prior right assignment then the senior applicant without prior rights to the vacancy will be assigned. If no applications are received then the most junior employee on any of the other reserve boards will be recalled and will take the assignment or displace a junior employee. If there are no trainmen on any reserve board, then the senior furloughed trainman in the Denver Hub shall be recalled to the vacancy. When forcing or recalling, prior rights trainmen shall be forced or recalled to prior right assignments prior to trainmen who do not have prior rights.

3. Non prior right vacancies will be filled by the senior applicant from the dovetail roster. If no applicant then the junior employee on any reserve board in the Hub shall be recalled to the vacancy in accordance with the provisions of the UPED reserve board agreement.