Employees; Employee Benefit Plans (a) During the 12-month period following the Effective Time (the “Protection Period”), Parent shall or shall cause the Surviving Company to provide to the Company Employees who are employees of the Company or a Subsidiary of the Company at the Effective Time (such Company Employees, “Continuing Employees”), while such Continuing Employees remain employed by the Company or a Subsidiary, (i) base salary or wages and cash incentive compensation opportunities that are no less favorable, in each instance, to those provided to the Continuing Employees immediately prior to the Closing and (ii) employee benefits (other than any defined benefit pension benefits or supplemental executive retirement plan benefits) that are substantially comparable, in the aggregate, to those provided to the Continuing Employees immediately prior to the Closing.
(b) During the Protection Period, Parent shall or shall cause the Surviving Company to assume and honor the Company’s and its Subsidiaries’ obligations under all employment, severance, and bonus agreements, if any, between the Company or a Subsidiary of the Company, on the one hand, and a Continuing Employee, on the other hand, immediately prior to the Effective Time, including but not limited to the MoneyGram Payment Systems, Inc. Severance Plan as in effect as of the Effective Time (the “Company Severance Plan”). Parent shall or shall cause the Surviving Company to provide the severance payments and benefits set forth in the Company Severance Plan to any Continuing Employees who are terminated during the Protection Period and neither Parent nor the Surviving Company shall decrease the severance payments and benefits payable under the Company Severance Plan during the Protection Period.
(c) For all purposes (including for purposes of vesting, eligibility to participate and level of benefits (other than for vesting purposes under any equity-based or incentive compensation Plan)) with respect to each applicable employee benefit plan sponsored or maintained by Parent or the Surviving Company (the “Parent Plans”), if any, for purposes of determining eligibility to participate, vesting, entitlement to benefits and vacation entitlement (but not for accrual of benefits under any defined benefit pension plan or post-retirement welfare benefit plan), service with the Company or any Subsidiary (or any predecessor entity thereto) shall be treated as service with Parent to the same extent recognized by the Company under a comparable Plan; provided, however, that such service shall not be recognized to the extent that such recognition would result in a duplication of benefits. Notwithstanding the foregoing, to the extent permitted under applicable law, Parent shall not be required to provide credit for such service for benefit accrual purposes under any employee benefit plan or arrangement of Parent that is a defined benefit pension plan, postretirement welfare plan or grandfathered plan (or other plan that is no longer open to new participants). Such service also shall apply for purposes of satisfying any waiting periods, evidence of insurability requirements, or the application of any pre-existing condition limitations with respect to any Parent Plan. Each Parent Plan shall waive pre-existing condition limitations and eligibility waiting periods to the same extent waived under the applicable Plan. The Continuing Employees shall be given credit for amounts paid under a corresponding Plan of the Company or any Subsidiary during the same period for purposes of applying deductibles, co-payments and out-of-pocket maximums as though such amounts had been paid in accordance with the terms and conditions of the Parent Plan during the applicable plan year.
(d) The provisions of this Section 5.6 are solely for the benefit of the parties hereto and nothing in this Section 5.6, express or implied, shall confer upon any Continuing Employee, or legal representative or beneficiary thereof, any rights or remedies, including any right to employment or continued employment for any specified period, or compensation or benefits of any nature or kind whatsoever under this Agreement. Nothing in this Section 5.6, express or implied, shall be deemed an amendment of any Plan.
Employees and Employee Benefit Plans (a) The Company Employee Plans that the Company has made available to Parent are true and correct copies of such Company Employee Plans. For each material Company Employee Plan, the Company will, within ten (10) Business Days of this Agreement, make available to Parent a copy of such plan (or a description, if such plan is not written) and all amendments thereto, together with a copy of (if applicable) (i) each trust, insurance or other funding arrangement, (ii) each summary plan description and summary of material modifications, (iii) the most recently filed IRS Forms 5500, (iv) the most recent favorable determination or opinion letter from the IRS, (v) the most recently prepared actuarial reports and financial statements in connection with each such Company Employee Plan, and (vi) all material documents and correspondence relating thereto received from or provided to any Governmental Authority during the past year.
(b) The Company will provide to Parent a list, within ten (10) Business Days of the date of this Agreement, containing with respect to each Key Employee: (i) name, (ii) date of hire, (iii) position, (iv) employment location, (v) base salary or wage rate, (vi) the current incentive opportunities of such employee and (vii) the legal entity that employs such employee.
(c) Neither the Company nor any of its ERISA Affiliates (nor any predecessor of any such entity) sponsors, maintains, administers or contributes to (or has any obligation to contribute to), or in the past six years has, sponsored, maintained, administered or contributed to (or had any obligation to contribute to), any plan subject to Title IV of ERISA, including any multiemployer plan, as defined in Section 3(37) of ERISA.
(d) Each Company Employee Plan that is intended to be qualified under Section 401(a) of the Code has received a favorable determination or opinion letter from the IRS or has applied to the IRS for such a letter within the applicable remedial amendment period or such period has not expired and, to the knowledge of the Company, no circumstances exist that would reasonably be expected to result in any such letter being revoked or not being reissued or a penalty under the IRS Closing Agreement Program if discovered during an IRS audit or investigation. Each trust created under any such Company Employee Plan is exempt from tax under Section 501(a) of the Code and has been so exempt since its creation.
(e) Except as has not had and would not reasonably be expected to have, individually or in the aggregate, a Company Material Adverse Effect, since January 1, 2017, each Company Employee Plan has been maintained in compliance with its terms and all Applicable Law. Except as has not had and would not reasonably be expected to have, individually or in the aggregate, a Company Material Adverse Effect, no Proceeding (other than routine claims for benefits and including an audit) is pending against or involves or, to the Company’s knowledge, is threatened against or reasonably expected to involve, any Company Employee Plan before any court or arbitrator or any Governmental Authority. To the knowledge of the Company, since January 1, 2017, no events have occurred with respect to any Company Employee Plan that would reasonably be expected to result in the assessment of any excise taxes or penalties against the Company or any of its Subsidiaries, except for events that have not had and would not reasonably be expected to have, individually or in the aggregate, a Company Material Adverse Effect.
(f) With respect to each director, officer, employee or independent contractor (including each former director, officer, employee or independent contractor) of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries, the consummation of the Transactions will not, either alone or together with any other event: (i) entitle any such individual to any payment or benefit, including any bonus, retention, severance, retirement or job security payment or benefit, (ii) accelerate the time of payment or vesting or trigger any payment or funding (through a grantor trust or otherwise) of compensation or benefits under, or materially increase the amount payable or trigger any other obligation under, any Company Employee Plan or (iii) limit or restrict the right of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries or, after the Closing, Parent to merge, amend or terminate any Company Employee Plan.
(g) Neither the Company nor any of its Subsidiaries has any current or projected liability for, and no Company Employee Plan provides or promises, any post-employment or post-retirement medical, dental, disability, hospitalization, life or similar benefits (whether insured or self-insured) to any director, officer, employee or individual independent contractor (including any former director, officer, employee or individual independent contractor) of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries (other than coverage mandated by Applicable Law).
(h) There has been no amendment to, written interpretation of or announcement (whether or not written) by the Company or any of its Affiliates relating to, or making a change in employee participation or coverage under, any Company Employee Plan that would materially increase the expense of maintaining such plan above the level of expense incurred in respect thereof for the fiscal year ended on the Company Balance Sheet Date, except as required in order to comply with Applicable Law.
(i) Without limiting the generality of Section 4.22(e), no amount paid or payable (whether in cash, in property, or in the form of benefits) by the Company or any of its Subsidiaries in connection with the Transactions (either solely as a result thereof or as a result of such transactions in conjunction with any other event) will be an “excess parachute payment” within the meaning of Section 280G of the Code. Neither the Company nor any of its Subsidiaries has any obligation to gross-up, indemnify or otherwise reimburse any current or former Company Service Provider for any tax incurred by such individual.
(j) Except as would not be expected to have, individually or in the aggregate, a Company Material Adverse Effect, each Company Employee Plan, and any award thereunder, that is or forms part of a “nonqualified deferred compensation plan” within the meaning of Section 409A of the Code has been timely amended (if applicable) to comply and has been operated in compliance with, and the Company and its Subsidiaries have complied in practice and operation with, all applicable requirements of Section 409A of the Code.
(k) With respect to any Company Employee Plan covered by Subtitle B, Part 4 of Title I of ERISA or Section 4975 of the Code, no non-exempt prohibited transaction has occurred that has caused or would reasonably be expected to cause the Company or any of its Subsidiaries to incur any material liability under ERISA or the Code.
(l) Each Company Employee Plan that is an International Plan (i) has been maintained in compliance with its terms and Applicable Law, (ii) if intended to qualify for special tax treatment, meets all the requirements for such treatment, and (iii) if required, to any extent, to be funded, book-reserved or secured by an insurance policy, is fully funded, book-reserved or secured by an insurance policy, as applicable, based on reasonable actuarial assumptions in accordance with applicable accounting principles, in each case, except as would not be expected to have, individually or in the aggregate, a Company Material Adverse Effect.
