27:0389(53)AR - AFGE Local 997, Montgomery, AL and Maxwell AFB, Montgomery, AL -- 1987 FLRAdec AR

 27 FLRA No. 53
 
 AMERICAN FEDERATION OF GOVERNMENT 
 EMPLOYEES, LOCAL 997, AFL-CIO 
 MONTGOMERY, ALABAMA
 Union
 
 and
 
 MAXWELL AIR FORCE BASE 
 MONTGOMERY, ALABAMA
 Agency
 
                                            Case No. 0-AR-1295
 
                                 DECISION
 
                         I.  Statement of the Case
 
    This matter is before the Authority on an exception to the award of
 Arbitrator Wanza C. Johnson filed by the Union under section 7122(a) of
 the Federal Service Labor-Management Relations Statute (the Statute) and
 part 2425 of the Authority's Rules and Regulations.
 
                  II.  Background and Arbitrator's Award
 
    A Federal prison camp and a laundry are located at Maxwell Air Force
 Base.  The Agency conducted a reduction in force of laundry service
 employees and transferred the work to Federal prison inmates.  The Union
 filed a grievance contending that the Agency did not have a right to
 assign the work to the prison inmates and that the work should be
 performed by bargaining unit employees.  The Agency stated that it was
 conducting the reduction in force for economic reasons and that the unit
 employees had the right to transfer into qualified positions whenever
 vacancies occur.
 
    The Arbitrator stated the issue as follows:  "Did the Air Force Base
 displace regular Employees, under the law, and transfer work to another
 agency, and if so what is the remedy?" The Arbitrator denied the Union's
 grievance.  The Arbitrator stated that all efforts should be made for
 the possible placement in other available jobs of employees involved in
 the reduction in force, and if employees are not qualified, an expedited
 training program should be conducted.
 
                             III.  Discussion
 
    The Union contends that the award is deficient because the Arbitrator
 did not address the issue before him.  We conclude that the Union has
 failed to establish that the Arbitrator's award is deficient on any of
 the grounds set forth in section 7122(a) of the Statute;  that is, that
 the award is contrary to any law, rule or regulation, or that the award
 is deficient on other grounds similar to those applied by Federal courts
 in private sector labor-management relations.  See, for example, Defense
 Logistics Agency, Defense Depot Memphis, Memphis, Tennessee and American
 Federation of Government Employees, Local 2501, 13 FLRA 5 (1983) (a
 union's contention that an arbitrator did not address the issue in the
 case essentially constitutes disagreement with the arbitrator's
 reasoning and provides no basis for finding an award deficient).
 Accordingly, the Union's exception is denied.
 
    Issued, Washington, D.C. May 29, 1987.
 
                                       /s/ Jerry L. Calhoun, Chairman
                                       /s/ Henry B. Frazier III, Member
                                       /s/ Jean McKee, Member
                                       FEDERAL LABOR RELATIONS AUTHORITY