Plant Farley and workers' union sign new contract

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Aug 25, 2014, 03:50 ET

BIRMINGHAM, Ala., Aug. 25, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- On Monday, Aug, 25, leaders of the Joseph M. Farley Nuclear Plant and the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers signed a new five-year contract effective Aug. 15.

"I commend the leadership of the IBEW for helping to establish an environment of mutual respect necessary for the development of an agreement beneficial to our employees and the safe operation of our facility," said Farley Site Vice President Cheryl Gayheart.

Cheryl Gayheart, Plant Farley Site Vice President, Danny Bost, Southern Nuclear Chief Nuclear Officer, and Anna Jerry, IBEW Local 796 President, sign the new five-year contract at Plant Farley on Aug. 25. They were also joined by Casey Shelton, IBEW System Council U-19 Business Manager, and Cheryl Brakefield, Southern Nuclear Vice President, Treasurer and Secretary. (PRNewsFoto/Southern Nuclear)

"This contract is a building block toward a collaborative relationship between us and the leadership team," said IBEW Local 796 President Anna Jerry. "We are all learning a cooperative attitude will regularly pay dividends. What is gained is not at the expense of the other, and together we cultivate team work."

The contract covers IBEW employees working in departments including operations, maintenance, radiation protection, chemistry and the warehouse. It represents approximately one-third of the employees at the plant.

"Our relationship allows us to work together to ensure we are operating at the highest levels of safety and reliability," continued Gayheart. "The work that we have achieved together has made us stronger as a company and has improved our efforts in industrial and radiological safety."

Negotiations on the new memorandum of agreement began on June 18, 2014. The final version was approved and voted in by members of the IBEW on July 30.

About Southern Nuclear:
Southern Nuclear, a subsidiary of Southern Company (NYSE: SO), is one of the nation's leading nuclear energy facility operators. Producing safe, reliable and environmentally friendly nuclear energy, Southern Nuclear operates a total of six units for Alabama Power and Georgia Power at the Joseph M. Farley Nuclear Plant near Dothan, Ala.; the Edwin I. Hatch Nuclear Plant near Baxley, Ga., and the Alvin W. Vogtle Electric Generating Plant near Waynesboro, Ga. Southern Nuclear is the licensee of two new nuclear units currently under construction at Plant Vogtle, which will be the first nuclear units constructed in the United States in more than 30 years. Southern Nuclear employs more than 3,500 skilled and dedicated professionals who are committed each day to nuclear and personal safety and the health and safety of the public. The company's headquarters is based in Birmingham, Ala.
Twitter: @SouthernNuclear; Facebook: facebook.com/southernnuclear;
www.southerncompany.com/southernnuclear

About Southern Company:
With 4.4 million customers and more than 43,000 megawatts of generating capacity, Atlanta-based Southern Company (NYSE: SO) is the premier energy company serving the Southeast through its subsidiaries. A leading U.S. producer of clean, safe, reliable and affordable electricity, Southern Company owns electric utilities in four states and a growing competitive generation company, as well as fiber optics and wireless communications. Southern Company brands are known for energy innovation, excellent customer service, high reliability and retail electric prices that are below the national average. Southern Company and its subsidiaries are leading the nation's nuclear renaissance through the construction of the first new nuclear units to be built in a generation of Americans and are demonstrating their commitment to energy innovation through the development of a state-of-the-art coal gasification plant. Southern Company has been recognized by the U.S. Department of Defense and G.I. Jobs magazine as a top military employer and listed by DiversityInc as a top company for Blacks. The company received the 2012 Edison Award from the Edison Electric Institute for its leadership in new nuclear development, was named Electric Light & Power magazine's Utility of the Year for 2012 and is continually ranked among the top utilities in Fortune's annual World's Most Admired Electric and Gas Utility rankings. Visit our website at www.southerncompany.com.

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SOURCE Southern Nuclear