Article VI of the October 31, 1985 National Agreement gave the Carrier the right to combine service and deadheading "in any manner that traffic conditions require, and when so combined employees shall be paid actual miles or hours on a continuous time basis, with not less than a minimum day, for the combined service and deadheading." After the National Agreement was implemented, the BLE Informal Disputes Committee rendered a decision in Issue No. 12 that permits the Carrier to run around rested crews at an away-from-home terminal when deadheading and service are combined. This decision was based primarily on similar interpretations of identical language in the deadhead rules on the Conrail and its predecessor Pennsylvania Railroad, and it has been followed in several subsequent arbitration cases involving both BLE and UTU.

Here is an outline of how crews must be called and paid under various circumstances.

If you have any questions regarding specific scenarios after reviewing these examples, please contact us for additional clarification.