Employee Benefit Plans and Compensation (a) For purposes of this Section 2.22, the following terms shall have the meanings set forth below:
Employee Benefits Plans Schedule 7.14 hereto identifies as of the date hereof each ERISA Plan sponsored or maintained by a Company or BRJ Seller. Except as would not reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect: (a) no ERISA Event has occurred or is expected to occur with respect to an ERISA Plan; (b) payment has been made of all amounts which a Controlled Group member is required, under applicable law or under the governing documents, to have been paid as a contribution to or a benefit under each ERISA Plan; (c) the liability of each Controlled Group member with respect to each ERISA Plan has been fully funded based upon reasonable and proper actuarial assumptions, has been fully insured, or has been fully reserved for on its financial statements to the extent required by GAAP; and (d) to our knowledge, no changes have occurred or are expected to occur that would cause an increase in the cost of providing benefits under any ERISA Plan. Except as would not reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect, with respect to each ERISA Plan that is intended to be qualified under Code Section 401(a): (i) there has been no non-compliance by the ERISA Plan and any associated trust with the applicable requirements of Code Section 401(a), (ii) the ERISA Plan and any associated trust have been amended to comply with all such requirements as currently in effect, other than those requirements for which a retroactive amendment can be made within the “remedial amendment period” available under Code Section 401(b) (as extended under Treasury Regulations and other Treasury pronouncements upon which taxpayers may rely), (iii) the ERISA Plan and any associated trust have received a favorable determination letter from the Internal Revenue Service stating that the ERISA Plan qualifies under Code Section 401(a), that the associated trust qualifies under Code Section 501(a) and, if applicable, that any cash or deferred arrangement under the ERISA Plan qualifies under Code Section 401(k), unless the ERISA Plan was first adopted at a time for which the above-described “remedial amendment period” has not yet expired, (iv) the ERISA Plan currently satisfies the requirements of Code Section 410(b), without regard to any retroactive amendment that may be made within the above-described “remedial amendment period”, and (v) no contribution made to the ERISA Plan is subject to an excise tax under Code Section 4972. Except as would not reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect, with respect to any Pension Plan, the “accumulated benefit obligation” of Controlled Group members with respect to the Pension Plan (as determined in accordance with Statement of Accounting Standards No. 87, “Employers’ Accounting for Pensions”) does not exceed the fair market value of Pension Plan assets. Except as would not reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect, no Controlled Group Member has or has had in the past, an obligation to contribute to a Multiemployer Plan.
Employee Benefit Plans and Programs During the Employment Period, the Executive shall be treated as an employee of the Association and shall be entitled to participate in and receive benefits under any and all qualified or non-qualified retirement, pension, savings, profit-sharing or stock bonus plans, any and all group life, health (including hospitalization, medical and major medical), dental, accident and long term disability insurance plans, and any other employee benefit and compensation plans (including, but not limited to, any incentive compensation plans or programs, stock option and appreciation rights plans and restricted stock plans) as may from time to time be maintained by, or cover employees of, the Association, in accordance with the terms and conditions of such employee benefit plans and programs and compensation plans and programs and consistent with the Association's customary practices.
Compensation Plans Following any termination of the Executive's employment, the Company shall pay the Executive all unpaid amounts, if any, to which the Executive is entitled as of the Date of Termination under any compensation plan or program of the Company, at the time such payments are due.
Employee Benefit Plans; Employment Agreements Except in --------------------------------------------- each case as set forth in SCHEDULE 4.10, (i) there has been no "prohibited transaction," as such term is defined in Section 406 of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1975, as amended ("ERISA") and Section 4975 of the Code, with respect to any employee pension plans (as defined in Section 3(2) of ERISA, any material employee welfare plans (as defined in Section 3(1) of ERISA), or any material bonus, stock option, stock purchase, incentive, deferred compensation, supplemental retirement, severance and other similar fringe or employee benefit plans, programs or arrangements (collectively, the "COMPANY EMPLOYEE PLANS") which could result in any liability of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries; (ii) all Company Employee Plans are in compliance in all material respects with the requirements prescribed by any and all Laws (including ERISA and the Code), currently in effect with respect thereto (including all applicable requirements for notification to participants or the Department of Labor, Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (the "PBGC"), Internal Revenue Service (the "IRS") or Secretary of the Treasury), and the Company and each of its Subsidiaries have performed all material obligations required to be performed by them under, are not in any material respect in default under or violation of, and have no knowledge of any material default or violation by any other party to, any of the Company Employee Plans; (iii) each Company Employee Plan intended to qualify under Section 401(a) of the Code and each trust intended to qualify under Section 501(a) of the Code is the subject of a favorable determination letter from the IRS, and nothing has occurred which may reasonably be expected to impair such determination; (iv) all contributions required to be made to any Company Employee Plan pursuant to Section 412 of the Code, or the terms of any Company Employee Plan or any collective bargaining agreement, have been made on or before their due dates; (v) with respect to each Company Employee Plan, no "reportable event" within the meaning of Section 4043 of ERISA (excluding any such event for which the 30-day notice requirement has been waived under the regulations to Section 4043 of ERISA) nor any event described in Section 4062, 4063 or 4041 of ERISA has occurred; (vi) no withdrawal (including a partial withdrawal) has occurred with respect to any multiemployer plan within the meaning set forth in Section 3(37) of ERISA that has resulted in, or could reasonably be expected to result in, any withdrawal liability for the Company or any of its Subsidiaries; (vii) neither the Company nor any of its Subsidiaries has incurred, or reasonably expects to incur, any liability under Title IV of ERISA (other than liability for premium payments to the PBGC, and contributions not in default to the respective plans, arising in the ordinary course), (viii) none of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries is a party to any employment, consulting or similar agreement; and (ix) none of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries is or will be liable for any severance or other payments to any of its employees as a result of this Agreement or the consummation of the transactions contemplated hereby.
Employee Benefits Matters (a) From and after the Effective Time, each of the Surviving Corporation and its Subsidiaries shall honor all of its respective compensation and benefits plans, programs, agreements and arrangements of the Company and its Subsidiaries in accordance with their terms as in effect immediately prior to the Effective Time, provided that nothing in this sentence shall prohibit the Surviving Corporation or its Subsidiaries from amending or terminating any such plans, programs, agreements and arrangements in accordance with their terms. The Surviving Corporation shall, for the six-month period immediately following the Effective Time, provide each retained employee of the Company and its Subsidiaries as of the Effective Time (each, a “Retained Employee”), other than any Retained Employee whose employment is subject to a collective bargaining or other labor agreement, with compensation and employee benefits, excluding equity, equity-based and similar compensation, that are comparable in the aggregate to those provided by the Company and its Subsidiaries (other than with respect to change of control payments or other payments resulting from the Offer or the Merger) to such Retained Employees immediately prior to the Effective Time. Nothing herein shall be deemed to be a guarantee of employment for any employee or prohibit or restrict the right of the Surviving Corporation to (i) make changes to salaries, employee benefits and incentive compensation pursuant to negotiations in connection with a collective bargaining agreement or (ii) amend and/or eliminate any benefit program, subject to compliance with the first sentence of this Section 6.7(a).
(b) The Retained Employees shall receive credit for service with the Company and its Subsidiaries for all purposes (including for purposes of eligibility to participate, vesting, benefit accrual and eligibility to receive benefits, but excluding benefit accruals under any defined benefit pension plan) under any compensation or employee benefit plan, program or arrangement established or maintained by Parent (to the extent an Retained Employee is brought under any such plan), the Surviving Corporation or any of their respective Affiliates under which each Retained Employee may be eligible to participate on or after the Effective Time to the same extent recognized by the Company or any of the Company’s Subsidiaries under comparable benefit plans immediately prior to the Effective Time; provided, however, that such crediting of service shall not operate to duplicate any benefit or the funding of any such benefit.
(c) To the extent that, after the Effective Time, the Surviving Corporation changes the welfare benefit plans, programs and arrangements in which Retained Employees participate, Parent shall (i) waive, or use its reasonable best efforts to cause its insurance carrier to waive, all limitations as to preexisting and at-work conditions, if any, with respect to participation and coverage requirements applicable to each Retained Employee to the same extent waived under a comparable benefit plan and (ii) with respect to the plan year in which the change was made, provide a credit to each Retained Employee for any co-payments, deductibles and out-of-pocket expenses paid by such Retained Employee under the benefit plans during the relevant plan year, up to and including the Effective Time.
(d) During the period from the date hereof to the Acceptance Date, the Company shall not, and shall not permit any of its Subsidiaries to, without Parent’s prior written consent, make any payment or contribution to the Employee Benefit Plans except in accordance with past practices in the ordinary course.
(e) The parties agree that the provisions of this Section 6.7 may be modified without the consent of any employee (it being understood and agreed that the employees to whom this Section 6.7 applies shall not be third party beneficiaries of this Section 6.7).
Plans and Benefit Arrangements Except to the extent a violation of the following would not reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect:
(i) With respect to all Benefit Arrangements, Plans and Multiemployer Plans, the Borrower and each member of the Controlled Group is in compliance with all applicable provisions of ERISA and any other Applicable Laws. There has not been any non-exempt Prohibited Transaction or Reportable Event with respect to any Benefit Arrangement or any Plan or, to the best knowledge of the Borrower, with respect to any Multiemployer Plan or Multiple Employer Plan. The Borrower and all members of the Controlled Group have made any and all payments required to be made under any agreement relating to a Multiemployer Plan or a Multiple Employer Plan or any Applicable Law pertaining thereto. With respect to each Plan and Multiemployer Plan, the Borrower and each member of the Controlled Group (i) have fulfilled their obligations under the minimum funding standards of ERISA, (ii) have not incurred any liability to the PBGC and (iii) have not had asserted against them any penalty for failure to fulfill the minimum funding requirements of ERISA.
(ii) With respect to any Plan, no determination has been made that such Plan is in “at-risk” status (as defined in Section 303(i)(4) of ERISA or Section 430(i)(4) of the Code).
(iii) To the best of the Borrower’s knowledge, each Multiemployer Plan and Multiple Employer Plan is able to pay benefits thereunder when due.
(iv) Neither the Borrower nor any member of the Controlled Group has instituted proceedings to terminate any Plan in other than a “standard termination” (as defined in ERISA Section 4041(b)). Neither the Borrower nor any member of the Controlled Group has incurred any liability under Title IV of ERISA with respect to the termination of any Plan.
(v) No event requiring notice to the PBGC under Section 303(k)(4)(A) of ERISA has occurred or is reasonably expected to occur with respect to any Plan.
(vi) Neither the Borrower nor any member of the Controlled Group has been notified by any Multiemployer Plan or Multiple Employer Plan that such Multiemployer Plan or Multiple Employer Plan has been reorganized or terminated within the meaning of Title IV of ERISA or is in “endangered” or “critical” status, within the meaning of Section 432 of the Code or Section 305 of ERISA, and, to the best knowledge of the Borrower, no Multiemployer Plan or Multiple Employer Plan is or shall be reasonably expected to be reorganized or terminated, within the meaning of Title IV of ERISA.
(vii) To the extent that any Benefit Arrangement is insured, the Borrower and all members of the Controlled Group have paid when due all premiums required to be paid. To the extent that any Benefit Arrangement is funded other than with insurance, the Borrower and all members of the Controlled Group have made all contributions required to be paid for all prior periods.
(viii) Neither the Borrower nor any member of the Controlled Group has withdrawn from a Plan subject to Section 4063 of ERISA during a plan year in which such entity was a “substantial employer” as defined in Section 4001(a)(2) of ERISA, nor has a cessation of operations that is treated as such a withdrawal under Section 4062(e) of ERISA occurred.
Employee Benefits and Contracts (a) For a period of one year following the Effective Time, except as contemplated by this Agreement, any Buyer Entity shall provide generally to employees who are actively employed by a Seller Entity on the Closing Date (“Covered Employees”) while employed by such Buyer Entity following the Closing Date employee benefits under Buyer Benefit Plans, on terms and conditions which are, in the aggregate, substantially comparable to those provided by Buyer Entities to their similarly situated employees; provided, that in no event shall any Covered Employee be eligible to participate in any closed or frozen plan of any Buyer Entity. Until such time as Buyer shall cause the Covered Employees to participate in the applicable Buyer Benefit Plans, the continued participation of the Covered Employees in the Seller Benefit Plans shall be deemed to satisfy the foregoing provisions of this clause (it being understood that participation in Buyer Benefit Plans may commence at different times with respect to each of Buyer Benefit Plans). For purposes of determining eligibility to participate and vesting under Buyer Benefit Plans, and for purposes of determining a Covered Employee’s entitlement to paid time off under the applicable Buyer Entity’s paid time off program, the service of the Covered Employees with a Seller Entity prior to the Effective Time shall be treated as service with a Buyer Entity participating in such Buyer Benefit Plans, to the same extent that such service was formally recognized by the Seller Entities for purposes of a similar benefit plan; provided, that such recognition of service shall not (i) operate to duplicate any benefits of a Covered Employee with respect to the same period of service or (ii) apply for purposes of any plan, program or arrangement (x) under which similarly-situated employees of Buyer Entities do not receive credit for prior service, (y) that is grandfathered or frozen, either with respect to level of benefits or participation, or (z) for purposes of retiree medical benefits or level of benefits under a defined benefit pension plan.
(b) Prior to the Closing Date, the Seller Entities shall take all necessary action (including without limitation the adoption of resolutions and plan amendments and the delivery of any required notices) to terminate, effective as of no later than the day before the Closing Date, any Seller Benefit Plan that is intended to constitute a tax-qualified defined contribution plan under Internal Revenue Code Section 401(k) (a “401(k) Plan”). Seller shall provide Buyer with a copy of the resolutions, plan amendments, notices and other documents prepared to effectuate the termination of the 401(k) Plans in advance and give Buyer a reasonable opportunity to comment on such documents (which comments shall be considered in good faith), and prior to the Closing Date, Seller shall provide Buyer with the final documentation evidencing that the 401(k) Plans have been terminated.
(c) Upon request by Buyer in writing prior to the Closing Date, the Seller Entities shall cooperate in good faith with Buyer prior to the Closing Date to amend, freeze, terminate or modify any other Seller Benefit Plan to the extent and in the manner determined by Buyer effective upon the Closing Date (or at such different time mutually agreed to by the Parties) and consistent with applicable Law. Seller shall provide Buyer with a copy of the resolutions, plan amendments, notices and other documents prepared to effectuate the actions contemplated by this Section 7.8(c), as applicable, and give Seller a reasonable opportunity to comment on such documents (which comments shall be considered in good faith), and prior to the Closing Date, Seller shall provide Buyer with the final documentation evidencing that the actions contemplated herein have been effectuated.
(d) Without limiting the generality of Section 10.4, nothing in this Section 7.8, expressed or implied, is intended to confer upon any Person (other than the Parties or their respective successors), including any current or former employee, officer, director or consultant of Seller or any of its Subsidiaries or Affiliates, any rights, remedies, obligations, or liabilities under or by reason of this Agreement. In no event shall the terms of this Agreement: (i) establish, amend, or modify any Seller Benefit Plan or any “employee benefit plan” as defined in Section 3(3) of ERISA, or any other benefit plan, program, agreement or arrangement maintained or sponsored by Buyer, Seller or any of their respective Affiliates; (ii) alter or limit the ability of the Surviving Corporation, Buyer or any of their Subsidiaries or Affiliates to amend, modify or terminate any Seller Benefit Plan, employment agreement or any other benefit or employment plan, program, agreement or arrangement after the Closing Date; or (iii) confer upon any current or former employee, officer, director or consultant of Seller or any of its Subsidiaries or Affiliates, any right to employment or continued employment or continued service with Buyer or any Buyer Subsidiaries, the Surviving Corporation or the Seller Entities, or constitute or create an employment agreement with any employee, or interfere with or restrict in any way the rights of the Surviving Corporation, Seller, Buyer or any Subsidiary or Affiliate thereof to discharge or terminate the services of any employee, officer, director or consultant of Seller or any of its Subsidiaries or Affiliates at any time for any reason whatsoever, with or without cause.
(e) On the Closing Date, Seller shall provide Buyer with a list of employees who have suffered an “employment loss” (as defined in the WARN Act) in the 90 days preceding the Closing Date or had a reduction in hours of a least 50% in the 180 days preceding the Closing Date, each identified by date of employment loss or reduction in hours, employing entity and facility location.
Employee Benefits; ERISA (a) Schedule 3.10(a) of the Disclosure Schedule sets forth a true and complete list of each material, written profit-sharing, stock option, restricted stock option, deferred compensation, pension, severance, thrift, savings, incentive, change of control, employment, retirement, bonus, or equity-based, group life and health insurance or other employee benefit plan, agreement, arrangement or commitment, which is maintained, contributed to or required to be contributed to by any Company or any Company Subsidiary on behalf of any current or former employee, director or consultant of any Company or any Company Subsidiary, or by Seller on behalf of any Transferred Employee, or pursuant to which any current or former employee, director or consultant of any Company or Company Subsidiary or any Transferred Employee is eligible to receive benefits on account of service with Seller, its Subsidiaries, any Company or any Company Subsidiary (all of which are hereinafter referred to as the "Benefit Plans"). Schedule 3.10(a) of the Disclosure Schedule identifies each of the Benefit Plans which constitutes an "employee benefit plan" as defined in Section 3(3) of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, as amended ("ERISA") and identifies each of the Benefit Plans that are sponsored by or are otherwise obligations of the Company or any Company Subsidiary. None of the Companies or Company Subsidiaries has any formal commitment or intention communicated to employees, to create any additional Benefit Plan or materially modify or change any existing Benefit Plan.
(b) With respect to each of the Benefit Plans, Seller has made available to Buyer true and complete copies of each of the following documents, if applicable: (i) the plan document (including all amendments thereto); (ii) trust documents and insurance contracts; (iii) the annual report filed on Form 5500 for the last two years, if any; (iv) the actuarial report for the last two years, if any; (v) the most recent summary plan description, together with each summary of material modifications; (vi) the most recent determination letter received from the Internal Revenue Service; and (vii) any Form 5310 or Form 5330 filed with the Internal Revenue Service.
(c) Each Benefit Plan has been operated and administered substantially in accordance with its terms and with applicable law including, but not limited to, ERISA and the Code, and all notices, filings and disclosures required by ERISA or the Code (including notices under Section 4980B of the Code) have been timely made. Each Benefit Plan which is an "employee pension benefit plan" within the meaning of Section 3(2) of ERISA (a "Pension Plan") and which is intended to be qualified under Section 401(a) of the Code has received a favorable determination letter from the Internal Revenue Service for "TRA" (as defined in Rev. Proc. 93-39), and, to the knowledge of Seller or the Companies, there are no circumstances that are likely to result in revocation of any such favorable determination letter. There is no pending or, to the knowledge of Seller or the Companies, threatened litigation relating to any of the Benefit Plans. None of Seller, any affiliate of Seller, the Companies or the Company Subsidiaries has engaged in a transaction with respect to any Benefit Plan that, assuming the taxable period of such transaction expired as of the date hereof, could subject any Company or any Company Subsidiary or any Benefit Plan to a Tax or penalty imposed by either Section 4975 of the Code or Section 502(i) of ERISA in an amount which could be material. No action has been taken with respect to any of the Benefit Plans to either terminate any of such Benefit Plans or to cause distributions, other than in the Ordinary Course of Business to participants under such Benefit Plans.
(d) No Benefit Plan is, and no benefit plan of any entity which is considered one employer with any Company or any Company Subsidiary under Section 4001 of ERISA or Section 414 of the Code is, or has been for the past six years, subject to Title IV of ERISA. No notice of a "reportable event", within the meaning of Section 4043 of ERISA for which the 30-day reporting requirement has not been waived, has been required to be filed for any Benefit Plan or by any ERISA Affiliate within the 12-month period ending on the date hereof.
(e) All contributions required to be made under the terms of any Benefit Plan have been timely made when due or have been reflected on the Final Year End Statements.
(f) Except as set forth in Schedule 3.10(f) of the Disclosure Schedule, none of the Companies nor any Company Subsidiary has any obligations for retiree health or life benefits other than coverage mandated by applicable law. The amounts accrued as of the date hereof by each Company and each Company Subsidiary in respect of such obligations as of the date hereof are adequate to satisfy such obligations, and the amounts accrued as of the Closing Date by each Company and each Company Subsidiary in respect of such obligations as of the Closing Date will be adequate to satisfy such obligations as of the Closing Date. There are no restrictions on the rights of any Company or any Company Subsidiary to amend or terminate any Benefit Plan without incurring Liability thereunder.
(g) Except as set forth in Schedule 3.10(g) of the Disclosure Schedule, neither the execution of this Agreement nor the consummation of the transactions contemplated hereby will (or will upon termination of employment prior to or after the date hereof) (i) entitle any employee, director or consultant of any Company or any Company Subsidiary to severance pay or increase in severance pay, unemployment compensation or any other payment; (ii) accelerate the time of payment or vesting or funding (through a grantor trust or otherwise) or increase the amount of payment with respect to any compensation due to any employee, director or consultant; or (iii) meet the definition of a "Change in Control Event" or otherwise accelerate vesting of any award granted under the Seller's Performance Incentive Compensation Program.
Benefits Plans During the Employment Period, You will be eligible to participate in all benefit plans in effect for executives and employees of the Company, subject to the terms and conditions of such plans.
