Section 1. (a) Road Freight Service Allotment.

On the effective date of this Agreement, all train service employes in road freight service not covered by the National Paid Holiday Rules will be entitled to personal leave days on the following graduated basis:

YEARS OF SERVICE              PERSONAL LEAVE DAYS

Less than five (5) years             2 days
5 years and less than 10 years       4 days
10 years and less than 15 years      6 days
15 years and less than 20 years      8 days
20 years and more                   10 days

Personal leave days may be taken one or more, at any time upon twelve hours' written notice to an appropriate Carrier officer or his designated representative The employe will be paid one basic day at the rate of the last service performed for each personal leave day.

(b) Blanked Vacancy. When a member of a standard crew is on personal leave day, if the position is not a must-fill position the assignment may be operated with a reduced crew. The remaining two crew members will be required to work and receive the special allowance.

A personal leave vacancy will be considered as blanked, unless it is a must-fill position. (Intpns. Pg. 22-24)

(c) Non-Covered Service. An employe who exercises seniority from passenger or yard service to road freight service and qualifies for personal leave, shall be entitled to one or more personal leave days after performing a tour of duty in road freight service.

(d) Holiday Offset. The number of personal leave days in any calendar year each road freight service employe is entitled to shall be reduced by the number of paid holidays received, or paid holidays deprived of through the employe's own volition during the calendar year.

(e) Productivity Fund Credit. On the effective date of this Agreement, payment of $48.25 shall be credited to the Trust Fund when a member of a standard crew is on personal leave day.

(a) Personal Leave Purpose. The personal leave day allotment is for the purpose of providing an opportunity for road service employes to be absent from work to meet personal needs without having to use their vacation time. It is not intended that personal leave days be used for gaining extended absence in lieu of vacation .

(b) Granting Personal Leave. The number of men permitted to be off on personal leave will recognize the requirements of the service and their seniority, assuring that must-fill positions will be filled either from available extra employes or £rom the source of employes on blankable positions. If the personal leave vacancy involves a must-fill position, such vacancy will be filled as provided in this Agreement. (Intpns. Pg. 22-24)

(c-1) Carry-Over. An employe making written request shall be granted the personal leave day(s)/re-quested. If the requirements of the service do not permit the employe to take the requested personal leave days and appropriate Carrier representative refuses in writing to grant the request, the number of personal leave days so requested and not granted may be carried over, but must be requested in writing and granted prior to July 1 of the following year.

(c-2) Due to six months having passed in the inaugural year (1980), the employe may request the total number of personal leave days to which entitled. However, if the request is denied, he may carry over to the following year (1981) only fifty percent (.50%) of the number requested.

(d) Trial Period. At the conclusion of twelve (12) months from the effective date of this Agreement, the Directors of Labor Relations and the General Chairmen will meet to evaluate the results of the personal leave day application issue to make whatever adjustments may be necessary relative to personal leave day requests and scheduling.