Company and union leaders from Alabama Power and Southern Company were key participants in this year’s joint meeting of the Southeast and Western Labor and Management Public Affairs Committees (LAMPAC).

Tom Fanning, chairman, president and CEO of Southern Company, was among the presenters at the event, held in San Antonio. Mark Crosswhite, chairman, president and CEO of Alabama Power, also attended.

The event drew 350 utility company managers and executives, and leaders of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) from 28 states. Energy industry experts, including leaders from the Edison Electric Institute and the Electric Power Research Institute, and top officials from other labor organizations, including North America’s Building Trades Unions, participated in the meeting.

Bill Frederick, corporate and utility relations manager at Alabama Power and executive director of Southeast LAMPAC, said this year’s event focused on the evolving utility industry and some of the challenges facing both utility companies and labor organizations. Those challenges include shifting federal energy and environmental policies and issues related to utility infrastructure.

Zeke Smith, Alabama Power executive vice president, said the annual LAMPAC events are important gatherings for utility company management and IBEW leaders. He said it is an opportunity to build relationships, discuss issues of mutual concern and share best practices.

“We always learn a lot from each other,” Smith said, “and that helps us build a stronger relationship moving forward.”

Frederick said the primary mission of LAMPAC is to inform and educate utility companies and IBEW leaders on public affairs issues that can affect their organizations, while promoting safety and positive labor and management relations through cooperative efforts.

He said Alabama Power Company is known among utility and labor leaders across the nation for their strong relations with the IBEW, built on mutual respect.

Casey Shelton, business manager for IBEW System Council U-19, said there are many issues that are of mutual concern for labor and utility company leaders. They include the potential impact of new environmental regulations on the industry, workforce development, and improving job safety.

He said LAMPAC provides a forum for drilling down on some of the issues, finding common ground, and identifying opportunities for collaboration. “It’s a great event, with a great purpose – to find ways we can work together, for our mutual benefit.”