21:0125(24)AR - GSA and AFGE, Council 236 -- 1986 FLRAdec AR

 21 FLRA No. 24
 
 GENERAL SERVICES ADMINISTRATION
 Agency
 
 and
 
 AMERICAN FEDERATION OF GOVERNMENT 
 EMPLOYEES, AFL-CIO, COUNCIL 236
 Union
 
                                            Case No. 0-AR-727
 
                                 DECISION
 
    I.  STATEMENT OF THE CASE
 
    This matter is before the Authority on an exception to the award of
 Arbitrator Thomas Angelo filed by the Agency pursuant to section 7122(a)
 of the Federal Service Labor-Management Relations Statute and part 2425
 of the Authority's Rules and Regulations.
 
    II.  BACKGROUND AND ARBITRATOR'S AWARD
 
    The substantive issue submitted to arbitration was whether the Agency
 violated section 7131(d) of the Statute and Article 27, Section 10 of
 the parties' negotiated agreement by failing to pay the travel and per
 diem expenses of the Union's Regional Vice President when he performed
 certain representational activities on official time.  Article 27,
 Section 10 provided that travel would be paid in accordance with the
 Federal Service Labor-Management Relations Statute.  The Arbitrator
 found that the parties had agreed in that provision that union
 representatives engaged in the activities set forth elsewhere in the
 parties' agreement (Article 6, which pertained to official time) were
 entitled to reimbursement for related travel and per diem expenses.  In
 his award, the Arbitrator determined that the Agency was obligated under
 Article 27, Section 10 of the parties' agreement to pay the individual
 representative in this case reasonable and necessary travel and per diem
 expenses in connection with the representational activities involved.
 As a remedy, the Arbitrator directed the Agency to reimburse the
 representative "in the same manner and to the same extent it would
 otherwise reimburse employees engaged in official Agency travel, upon
 presentation of appropriate documentation with respect to his expenses."
 
    I