DISCIPLINE AND DISMISSAL 27.01 The Employer may discipline, suspend or dismiss an employee for just cause only, except for the dismissal of a probationary Employee. Unsatisfactory conduct or performance by an Employee which is considered by the Employer to be serious enough to be entered on the Employee's record but not serious enough to warrant suspension or dismissal shall result in a written warning to the Employee and a copy to the Union within fifteen (15) days of the date the Employer first became aware of, or reasonably should have become aware of the occurrence of the act. The Union shall not deny a request by the Employer to extend the timelines due to availability of persons identified by the Employer to be interviewed. A written warning that is grieved and determined to be unjustified shall be removed from the Employee's record.
27.02 In the event an Employee is suspended or dismissed, the Employer shall provide written reasons for the suspension or dismissal to the Employee and the Union forthwith and in any event not later than five (5) days of the action being taken. The action or suspension or dismissal shall be within fifteen (15) days of the date the Employer first became aware of, or reasonably should have become aware of the occurrence of the act, giving rise to the suspension or dismissal. The Union shall not deny a request by the Employer to extend the timelines due to unavailability of persons identified by the Employer to be interviewed. When action involves a suspension, the notice shall specify the time period of the suspension.
27.03 An Employee who has been subject to disciplinary action may after two (2) years of continuous service from the date the disciplinary measure was invoked, request in writing that their personnel file be cleared of any record of the disciplinary action. Such request shall be granted provided the Employee's file does not contain any further record of disciplinary action during the two (2) year period of which the Employee is aware. The Employer shall confirm in writing to the Employee that such action has been effected.
27.04 The procedures stated in Articles 27.01, 27.02 and 27.03 do not prevent immediate suspension or dismissal for just cause.
(a) An Employee required by the Employer to attend an investigation meeting or a disciplinary discussion shall be paid at the applicable rate of pay for time spent in that meeting.
(b) Where circumstances permit, the Employer shall schedule a disciplinary discussion with the Employee by giving reasonable advance notice which shall not be less than twenty-four (24) hours. At such discussion an Employee may be accompanied by a representative of the Union.
27.06 In the event that an Employee is reported to their licensing body by the Employer, the Employee shall be so advised, and unless otherwise requested a written copy shall be forwarded to the Union forthwith. In the event, an Employee is reported to their licensing body, by someone other than the Employer, the Employee shall advise the Employer of such and the Employee may copy the Union on such notification.
27.07 An Employee absent for three (3) consecutive work days without good and proper reason and without notifying the Employer shall be considered to have terminated their Employment with the Employer.
27.08 For the purposes of this Article, periods of time referred to in days shall be deemed to mean consecutive calendar days exclusive of Saturdays, Sundays and Named Holidays, which are specified in Article 19.
Without Cause; For Good Reason If the Executive’s employment is terminated by the Company without Cause before expiration of the Term, or if the Executive resigns for Good Reason before expiration of the Term, the Company shall have no further payment obligations to the Executive or his legal representatives, other than for payment of: (1) in a lump sum in cash within thirty (30) days after the Date of Termination (or such earlier date as required by applicable law) the Accrued Obligations; (2) the Accrued Incentives, which shall be payable in accordance with the terms and conditions of the Incentive Plans; (3) subject to Section 4(f) below, a lump-sum cash payment, to be made on the first normal payroll date following the Release Consideration Period (the “Initial Severance Payment Date”) in an amount equal to (x) the average of the annual bonuses paid to the Executive for the three immediately preceding completed fiscal years, or (y) if upon the Date of Termination the Executive has not been employed for three complete fiscal years, then the average of the annual bonuses paid to the Executive for the years employed with the Company (the “Average Bonus”); and (4) subject to Section 4(f) below, beginning on the Initial Severance Payment Date and thereafter in accordance with the customary payroll practices of the Company, continuation of the Executive’s Base Salary in effect on the Date of Termination (“Salary Continuation Payments”) for a period of 12 months. Any installments of the Severance Payments that, in accordance with customary payroll practices, would have typically been made during the Release Consideration Period shall accumulate and shall then be paid on the Initial Severance Payment Date. The Average Bonus together with the Salary Continuation Payments shall be referred to collectively as the “Severance Payments”.
Termination Without Cause; Resignation for Good Reason If during the term of this Agreement, either (A) the Executive's employment with the Company and/or any of its parent, subsidiaries or affiliates is terminated for any reason other than death, disability (as defined in Section 5(e) hereof) or for Cause (as such term is defined in Section 5(a)(ii) hereof), or (B) the Executive resigns for Good Reason (as such term is defined in Section 5(a)(iii) hereof) from employment with the Company and/or any of its parent, subsidiaries or affiliates, the Executive shall be entitled (C)(x) to receive his then current Base Salary for a period of twelve (12) months from the termination or resignation date, payable at such times as such Base Salary would be payable as if no such termination or resignation had occurred, (C)(y)
(1) to continue participation in the plans and arrangements described in clauses (b) and (f) of Section 4 hereof (to the extent permissible by law and the terms of such plans and arrangements) for a period of twelve (12) months after such termination or resignation (the "Continuation Period"), or (C)(y)(2) to the extent at any time following termination of this Agreement and during the Continuation Period that the plans and arrangements described in clauses (b) and (f) of Section 4 hereof are discontinued or terminated and no comparable plans in which the Executive is permitted to continue participation are established in their place, then to receive a gross bonus payment in an amount which after payment therefrom of all applicable federal and state income and employment taxes, will equal the cost to the Company at the time of the termination, resignation or discontinuation of any such plans, attributable to the Executive's participation in the plans and arrangements described in clauses (b) and (f) of Section 4 hereof for the Continuation Period less any portion thereof in which the Executive has continued his participation in such plans and arrangements described in clauses (b) and (f) of Section 4 hereof in accordance with subsection 5(b)(C)(y)(1) above; which payment shall be due following termination or resignation of the Executive's employment immediately upon the date of termination, resignation or discontinuation of any such plan, and (C)(z) to have all stock options which have been granted to the Executive to immediately become fully exercisable and to remain exercisable for a period of three (3) months after the employment termination date in accordance with the terms of the Plans and the relevant stock option agreement, provided, however, that if the provisions of Section 5(c) are applicable to such termination or resignation of employment, the Executive's rights shall be governed by Section 5(c).
Termination Without Cause or Resignation for Good Reason If the Executive’s employment with the Company is terminated by the Company (other than for Cause, Disability or death) or the Executive resigns for Good Reason during the Term, then the Executive shall be entitled to the following benefits, subject to compliance, where applicable, with the requirements in Section 4.4 below regarding release of claims, the Company shall:
(a) pay to the Executive in a lump sum (i) any unpaid base salary of the Executive, (ii) any accrued but unused and unpaid vacation pay of the Executive, (iii) any earned and unpaid bonuses of the Executive, and (iv) the amount of any unpaid compensation previously deferred by the Executive (together with any accrued interest or earnings thereon) (provided that this clause (iv) shall not cause accelerated payment of amounts subject to Section 409A (as defined below) if not provided for under the terms by which such amounts were or are deferred), in each case of clauses (i) through (iv) through the Date of Termination (collectively, the “Accrued Obligations”);
(b) continue to provide to the Executive in accordance with the Company’s ordinary payroll practices, the Executive’s base salary for a period of time after the Date of Termination equal to 12 months (the “Severance Period”), with payments beginning as provided in 4.4 below;
(c) if and while the Executive and his or her family qualifies for and elects to participate in continuation health coverage under Section 4980B of the Code (“COBRA”), the Company will continue to pay the share of the premium for such coverage that it pays for active and similarly-situated employees who receive the same type of coverage until the earlier of (i) the end of the Severance Period or (ii) the date the Executive’s COBRA continuation coverage expires, unless the Company’s providing payments for COBRA will violate the nondiscrimination requirements of applicable law, in which case this benefit will not apply; and
(d) to the extent not previously paid or provided, the Company shall timely pay or provide to the Executive any other amounts or benefits required to be paid or provided or which the Executive is eligible to receive following the Executive’s termination of employment under any plan, program, policy, practice, contract or agreement of the Company (collectively, the “Other Benefits”).
Without Cause or for Good Reason If, during the Employment Period, the Company shall terminate the Executive's employment without Cause or the Executive shall terminate his employment for Good Reason:
(i) The Executive shall be paid, in a single lump sum payment within 60 days after the Date of Termination, the aggregate amount of (A) the Executive's earned but unpaid Base Salary and accrued vacation pay through the Date of Termination, and any Annual bonus required to be paid to the Executive pursuant to Section 2(b)(ii) above for any fiscal year of the Company that ends on or before the Date of Termination to the extent not previously paid (the "Accrued Obligations"), and (B) two (the "Severance Multiple") times the sum of (x) the annual Base Salary in effect on the Termination Date plus (y) the average Annual Bonus received by the Executive for the three complete fiscal years (or such lesser number of years as the Executive has been employed by the Company) of the Company immediately prior to the Termination Date (the "Severance Amount");
(ii) At the time when annual bonuses are paid to the Company's other senior executives for the fiscal year of the Company in which the Date of Termination occurs, the Executive shall be paid an Annual Bonus in an amount equal to the product of (x) the amount of the Annual Bonus to which the Executive would have been entitled if the Executive's employment had not been terminated, and (y) a fraction, the numerator of which is the number of days in such fiscal year through the Date of Termination and the denominator of which is the total number of days in such fiscal year (a "Pro-Rated Annual Bonus");
(iii) For a period of years equal to the Severance Multiple, the Company shall continue to provide the Executive and the Executive's eligible family members with group health insurance coverage at least equal to that which would have been provided to them if the Executive's employment had not been terminated; provided, however, that if the Executive becomes re-employed with another employer and is eligible to receive group health insurance coverage under another employer's plans, the Company's obligations under this Section 4(a)(iii) shall be reduced to the extent comparable coverage is actually provided to the Executive and the Executive's eligible family members, and any such coverage shall be reported by the Executive to the Company.
(iv) The Company shall, at its sole expense and on an as-incurred basis, provide the Executive with outplacement services the scope and provider of which shall be reasonable and consistent with industry practice for similarly situated executives; and
(v) To the extent not theretofore paid or provided, the Company shall timely pay or provide to the Executive any vested benefits and other amounts or benefits required to be paid or provided or which the Executive is eligible to receive under any plan, program, policy or practice or contract or agreement of the Company and its affiliates (such other amounts and benefits shall be hereinafter referred to as the "Other Benefits"). Notwithstanding the foregoing, it shall be a condition to the Executive's right to receive the amounts provided for in Sections 4(a)(i)(B) and 4(a)(ii), (iii) and (iv) above that the Executive execute, deliver to the Company and not revoke a release of claims in substantially the form attached hereto as Exhibit A.
Termination for Cause; Resignation Without Good Reason If the Company terminates Executive’s employment with the Company for Cause, or Executive resigns without Good Reason, then Executive will not be entitled to any further compensation from the Company (other than accrued salary, and accrued and unused vacation, through Executive’s last day of employment), including severance pay, pay in lieu of notice or any other such compensation.
For Good Reason If terminated by Executive for Good Reason, upon written notice by Executive to Company that Executive is terminating Executive’s employment for Good Reason and that sets forth the factual basis supporting the Good Reason, which termination shall be effective 30 days after the date of such notice, or such earlier date as specified in writing by the Company in its sole discretion during such 30-day period. For the avoidance of doubt, such termination shall not constitute a termination for Good Reason if Company cures the conditions identified in Executive’s notice as provided in Section 3(d)(iii).
Termination Without Cause; Termination for Good Reason Subject to Section 6(b) below, upon termination of the Employee’s employment with the Company by the Company without Cause (as defined in Section 5(f) below) or by the Employee for Good Reason (as defined in Section 5(f) below), other than as a result of death or Disability, the Company shall pay to or provide the Employee the following: (1) any unpaid base salary the Employee has earned through the date of termination, (2) any unpaid annual bonus that the Employee has earned with respect to a year ending prior to such termination, (3) 12 months of the Employee’s then current base salary paid on the Company’s normal payroll dates, (4) the pro-rated portion (based on the number of days in the year completed through the date of termination) of the Employee’s target bonus for the year of termination (paid on the normal date for the payment of the bonus), such amount to be paid only if the Employee has met his pro-rated objective performance targets through the date of termination, (5) an amount equal to the Employee’s target bonus for the year of termination, (6) the costs of COBRA continuation coverage for the Employee and his dependents from the date the Employee’s employment terminates through the earlier of (A) the first anniversary of such termination and (B) the date on which the Employee becomes entitled to health coverage of a similar type from another employer, plus/less (7) any positive/negative accrued vacation days. In addition to the foregoing, upon a termination of the Employee’s employment described in this Section 5(b), any stock options, stock appreciation rights, performance shares, restricted stock, share rights and all other similar types of equity incentives held by the Employee immediately prior to the termination of the Employee’s employment that, but for the termination of the Employee’s employment, would have become vested and, if applicable, exercisable by the first anniversary of the date of his termination of employment, will become immediately vested and, if applicable, exercisable. No amount shall be payable and no benefits shall be provided pursuant to this Section 5(b) until the Employee has executed a release and waiver agreement (substantially in the form attached hereto as Schedule C) releasing and waiving any claims against the Company and in which the Company releases and waives claims against the Employee and if the Employee is serving as a Director of the Company a valid and effective resignation from the Board unless the Employee beneficially owns, directly or indirectly, 5% or more of the Company’s Common Stock.
Termination for Cause or Resignation without Good Reason If, during the Term of this Agreement, Executive’s employment is terminated by the Company for Cause, or Executive resigns his employment hereunder without Good Reason, the Company shall pay Executive the Termination Amounts, less standard deductions and withholdings. The Company shall thereafter have no further obligations to Executive under this Agreement, except as otherwise provided by law.
Termination by Company without Cause or by Executive for Good Reason If Executive's employment is terminated by the Company without Cause or by Executive for Good Reason:
(i) the Company shall pay to Executive (A) his Base Salary and accrued vacation pay through the Date of Termination, as soon as practicable following the Date of Termination, and (B) a payment equal to two times Executive's current base scheduled annual salary and two times the average total additional compensation (i.e., bonus, pension, 401(k) Company contributions, medical benefits and car allowance) for the two (2) preceding fiscal years of the Company ending prior to termination within seven (7) calendar days following the Date of Termination; provided, however, if the Executive has previously given a notice not to extend the Employment Period pursuant to Section 2, the payment referred to in this subsection (i) shall not be made;
(ii) the Company shall maintain in full force and effect, for the continued benefit of Executive, his spouse and his dependents for a period of three (3) years following the Date of Termination the medical, hospitalization, dental, disability and life insurance programs in which Executive, his spouse and his dependents were participating immediately prior to the Date of Termination at the level in effect and upon substantially the same terms and conditions (including without limitation contributions required by Executive for such benefits) as existed immediately prior to the Date of Termination; provided, that if Executive, his spouse or his dependents cannot continue to participate in the Company programs providing such benefits, the Company shall arrange to provide Executive, his spouse and his dependents with the economic equivalent of such benefits which they otherwise would have been entitled to receive under such plans and programs ("Continued Benefits"), provided, that such Continued Benefits shall terminate on the date or dates Executive receives substantially equivalent coverage and benefits, without waiting period or pre-existing condition limitations, under the plans and programs of a subsequent employer (such coverage and benefits to be determined on a coverage-by-coverage, or benefit-by-benefit, basis); and
(iii) the Company shall reimburse Executive pursuant to Section 5(d) for reasonable expenses incurred, but not paid prior to such termination of employment;
(iv) Executive shall be entitled to any other rights, compensation and/or benefits as may be due to Executive in accordance with the terms and provisions of any agreements, plans or programs of the Company;
(v) all stock options and other pension or employment benefits granted to Executive prior to the Date of Termination shall fully vest as of the Date of Termination (inclusive of any granted to Executive prior to the Employment Period);
(vi) the Company shall forgive and cancel all loans made by the Company or any Affiliate to Executive, if any, and shall take all actions and execute all documents necessary to evidence the forgiveness and cancellation of such loans; and
(vii) the Company shall eliminate any and all restrictions on Executive's ability either to engage in any activities, directly or indirectly, in competition with the Company (including, without limitation, the restrictions set forth in Section 10(c) of this Agreement but not the restrictions set forth in Sections 10(a) and (b)), or to make any investment in competition with the Company, and shall execute all documents necessary or reasonably requested by Executive to reflect such elimination of restrictions. The foregoing notwithstanding, the total of the severance payments payable under this Section 8(a) shall be reduced to the extent the payment of such amounts would cause Executive's total termination benefits (as determined by Executive's tax advisor) to constitute an "excess" parachute payment under Section 280G of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the "Code") and by reason of such excess parachute payment Executive would be subject to an excise tax under Section 4999(a) of the Code, but only if Executive determines that the after-tax value of the termination benefits calculated with the foregoing restriction exceed those calculated without the foregoing restriction.
