United States Steel Corporation Tubular Operations Lorain Works and United Steelworkers of America Local Union 1104

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1 Indiana University of Pennsylvania Knowledge IUP Arbitration Cases Sylvester Garrett Labor Arbitration Collection United States Steel Corporation Tubular Operations Lorain Works and United Steelworkers of America Local Union 1104 Sylvester Garrett Chairman Peter Florey Assistant to the Chairman Follow this and additional works at: Recommended Citation Garrett, Sylvester and Florey, Peter, "United States Steel Corporation Tubular Operations Lorain Works and United Steelworkers of America Local Union 1104" (1966). Arbitration Cases This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Sylvester Garrett Labor Arbitration Collection at Knowledge IUP. It has been accepted for inclusion in Arbitration Cases by an authorized administrator of Knowledge IUP. For more information, please contact cclouser@iup.edu, sara.parme@iup.edu.

2 BOARD OF ARBITRATION Case No. USS-5296-T February 18, 1966 ARBITRATION AWARD UNITED STATES STEEL CORPORATION TUBULAR OPERATIONS Lorain Works and Grievance Nos. T-L64-695; T-L65-34 UNITED STEELWORKERS OF AMERICA Local Union No Subject: Assignment of Work to Trade and Craft Jobs Statement of the Grievance: Grievance T-L "Employees other than r iggers doing riggers work, mainly sheeting. No. 1 Pipe Shop. "Carpenters putting on sheeting on "cease and desist, all monies lost." This grievance was filed in the First Step of the grievance procedure October 14, Grievance T-L65-34 "Non-riggers performed the work of riggers, namely the hanging of sheeting.

3 2. USS-5296-T "Sheeting on #1 skelp mill was hung by carpenters. This work was originally begun by riggers. "Cease and desist, all monies lost, respect the rigging craft." This grievance was filed in the First Step of the grievance procedure February 1, Sontract Provision Involved: Section 9-D of the April 6, 1962 Agreement, as amended June 29, Statement of the Award: The grievance is sustained to the extent set forth in the Findings.

4 BACKGROUND Case USS-5296-T The Union grieves that the hanging of Resolite sheets by Carpenters in the Central Maintenance Department of Lorain Works is in violation of the Board's Award in Case N-383 and Section 9-D of the April 6, 1962 Agreement, as amended June 29, The background facts in Case N-383 were as follows "This grievance on behalf of the Sheeting Gang of the Central Maintenance Department, the members of which are classified as Riggers (Job Class 14), protests the assignment of the installation of plastic sheeting to Boiler House Repairmen (Job Class 11) as the transfer of trade and craft work to a position-rated job in violation of the Agreement. "The work at issue was the installation of translucent corrugated fiberglass sheeting (Resolite) to replace six windows in the monitor (the raised portion of the roof) of the Coke Plant Boiler House. Briefly, the operation involved installing light steel frames in the window area and bolting to them the sheeting panels, which were cut to size by the Boiler House Repairmen with a saw. The men worked from scaffolds, and a simple block and tackle arrangement was used to raise the material to the window areas. The work was begun

5 2. USS-5296-T "in May 1959 and was done over a period of six or eight months, a day or two at a time as the work load allowed. Between May 22 and June 16, according to the Third Step minutes, a total of 304 hours had been spent on this maintenance job. The Boiler House Repairmen are employed in the Fuels and Power Department, which operates the Coke Plant Boiler House. "Plastic sheeting was first used at the Lorain Works about 1956, according to the testimony of the Superintendent of the Fuels and Power Department, George J. Crehore, Jr. Prior to the assignment in question the members of the Sheeting Gang have been the only Company employees who have installed plastic sheeting at Lorain Works. Contractors have been used on occasion to perform this work. "The duty of installing, repairing and replacing corrugated plastic sheets was added to the Boiler House Repairman job by a Form G in October Superintendent Crehore testified that the hanging of plastic sheets was assigned to the Repairmen to take up some of the time made available by reduced boiler maintenance work resulting from certain improvements.

6 3. USS-5296-T "Both the addition of this duty and the classification of the Boiler House Repairman job have been grieved by incumbents of that job; but the complaints have not been processed to arbitration by agreement of the parties pending the Board's decision in this case." After a careful analysis of prior awards, notably USC-419, the Board found "that hanging corrugated plastic sheeting is the work of, and. constitutes a significant part of the duties of the Rigger craft at Lorain Works, and therefore under the doctrine of the cited decisions, cannot be assigned to a position-rated job." In this case, Riggers protest that Central Maintenance Trade and Craft Carpenters replaced windows on the No. 1 Pipe Shop Monitor with Resolite beginning in October of Carpenters erected scaffolding and a wooden platform along the south side of the Pipe Shop, removed existing wood sashes and top and bottom frames, replaced them with 4x4 lumber, and fastened Resolite to the lumber with nails and wood screws. Also grieved is work in No. 1 Skelp Mill. In 1963, windows had been removed in No. 1 Skelp Mill by Carpenters. In November of 1964 Carpenters nailed 2 x 2's to wooden window frames, and Resolite sheeting to the frames. As stated in Case N-383, a so-called sheeting gang, consisting of ten to eleven Riggers, has been assigned at Lorain Works for many years to hang corrugated steel sheets. When plastic materials became available in the

7 4. USS-5296-T building industry in the late 1950's, they also were introduced at Lorain Works and handled by this sheeting gang. Resolite, which in appearance resembles corrugated steel sheeting, was attached by Riggers to steel frames; the same material was also used by Carpenters,and, in most instances, nailed to wooden frames. The Company reports the following use of Resolite by Carpenters: ti Date Location Work Performed September, October September November Monitor on Painter Removed the old wooden sanitary room in the monitor, which had glass lumber storage build- windows, and replaced it with ing. a new wooden monitor and Resolite. Resolite was nailed to wooden frames, and selftapping screws were used to join the sections of Resolite together. Windows in east end. of No. 1 Pipe Shop. Removed the wooden sashes and nailed Resolite to the existing wooden frames. Selftapping screws were used to join the sections of Resolite together June, July Foundry Sand House Rebuilt the entire building using Resolite for the windows and sky-light. Nailed the Resolite to wooden frames in,the windows and to wooden sheeting in the sky-light Fall Windbreakers in front Built wooden frames on legs of Continuous Weld. and inserted Resolite into Mill doors. grooves in the frames.

8 / / 5. USS-5296-T June to present time on a piece meal basis September Gables and siding on Blast Furnace filter plant. Sky-light in Blacksmith Shop. Removed existing sheet metal which was nailed to wooden stringers. Nailed Resolite to existing stringers. A tin-plate frame was built and installed by sheet metal workers. Carpenters laid the Resolite panels into the frame and nailed, them to wooden stops. " The Company also reports use of Resolite by other Trade and Craft jobs as follows: 8 Date & Craft Painters to present. Boilermakers August Sheet Metal Workers 1963 to present, Location Windows in various locations throughout the plant. Windows in southeast corner of the boiler shop. Pipe Mill crane cabs, Work Performed Replaced glass panes in steel and wood, sashes with structural glass (flat surface clear and frosted plastic). Have also used Resolite (corrugated sheeting) for larger windows. Removed steel sashes and tap-screwed Resolite R (corrugated sheeting) to metal frame. Installed Resolite (corrugated, sheeting) to back and bottom of sides of crane cabs. Secured Resolite to angle irons with screws and rivets.

9 6. USS-5296-T Sheet Metal Workers Fall to present on a piece meal basis. Windows on Blacksmith Shop. Removed wooden frames and sashes. Installed metal frames and tapscrewed Resolite (corrugated sheeting) to frames. " The assignment of Sheet Metal Workers to replace 9 windows in the Blacksmith Shop was made pursuant to the following agreement: "C. Roberts and the writer agreed on November 20, 1963 to retain four sheet metal employees, who would have otherwise been laid off November 25, 1963, and to utilize the services of these men to repair windows in the Smith Shop.. Although this work is normally performed by riggers, the workload, of this group is such that this job can't be accomplished, by a rigger crew. In addition, all available riggers are working in their respective unit. This agreement provides a means for accomplishing this work which otherwise would, remain undone at this time or otherwise would possibly be contracted out. A.C. Cooper Supt., Roll & Tool Shops Central Maintenance Division" The Union argues that the Board's decision in Case N-383, and the quoted, agreement reflect a practice of assigning all hanging of corrugated, sheeting to Riggers. 10

10 7. USS-5296-T In the grievance, the following remedy is requested: 11 "Cease and desist, all monies lost, respect the rigging craft." In the Third Step of the grievance procedure and 12 at the hearing the position of the Union was somewhat modified. as reflected in the following excerpt from the Step Three Minutes: "Grievance Committeeman Chovanec stated that he was not necessarily objecting to the assignment of the Carpenters to perform the work involved in this case, but he did object to the fact that he was not informed in advance by supervision that Carpenters would be assigned this work." This statement was corrected by the Union as follows: 13 "I certainly did object to Carpenters putting on resolite. I also stated that, being that Riggers were overloaded with work, management should have consulted me and an agreement could have been consumated, allowing Carpenters to do the job." In a special Step Three Meeting the position of the 14 Union is stated as follows: "Stated that once the company recognized. that the use of plastic sheeting was Rigger work exclusively, the union would. be willing to permit the Carpenters to use it when it would otherwise mean laying them off."

11 8. USS-5296-T The minutes of the Fourth Step Meeting contain the 15 following statement: "Grievance Committeeman Chovanec stated that he would have gone along with the Carpenters handling the plastic sheeting at the onset, had the company attempted to obtain mutual agreement under circumstances which found the Riggers overloaded in work. Since management unilaterally decided to have the Carpenters use this material, he stated that he objected and filed the grievance." FINDINGS The Board found in Case N-383: 16 "That hanging corrugated plastic sheeting is the work of, and constitutes a significant part of the duties of the Rigger craft at Lorain Works." The record in this case does not justify a distin- 17 ction in instances where resolite is nailed, to wood, and therefore this work should have been assigned to Riggers, as recognized even by the Company in the November 20, 1963 Agreement quoted in the Background. Therefore, as requested by the Union, the Board finds that prior agreement should. have been obtained from the Union before the disputed work was assigned to the Carpenter craft.

12 9. USS-5296-T Since all Riggers were fully employed at the time of the disputed assignment, or even "overloaded with work," an award of "monies lost" is not warranted under the circumstances here present. There is no indication in the record that grievants suffered any damages by reason of the work assignment other than the potential establishment of a precedent which could be used by supervision to justify utiliza tion of Carpenters for the disputed work at times of less than full employment of Riggers. Therefore, the Company is ordered to cease and desist from assigning the hanging of corrugated plastic sheeting to crafts other than that of Riggers, unless it first obtains Union agreement to do so. AWARD The grievance is sustained to the extent set forth in the Findings. Findings and Award recommended pursuant to Section 7-J of the Agreement, by Peter Florey Assistant to the ChaitSnan liana: Approved by the Board of Arbitration ""^ester Garrett, Chairman

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