Southern Company is an American gas and electric utility holding company based in the southern United States. It is headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, with executive offices also located in Birmingham, Alabama. The company is currently the second largest utility company in the U.S., in terms of customer base.
If the dispute or difference is not satisfactorily settled in Step 4, it may be referred, at the written request of either party, to an impartial arbitrator who shall be selected by mutual consent of the Company and the Union as soon as practicable after receipt of the request for arbitration. If the parties do not agree upon the selection of an arbitrator within 15 calendar days after receipt of the request for arbitration, the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service shall be requested to furnish a list of five arbitrators. The party requestÂing arbitration shall first strike the names of two persons from the list, and the other party shall then strike two names. The remaining name shall be the Arbitrator. The Company and the Union will have the right to reject one panel for each grievance scheduled for Arbitration. The award of the Arbitrator shall be final and binding upon both parties and upon the employees or employee involved. -Collective Bargaining Agreement between Nicor Gas and the International Brother of Electrical Workers (2020)