Employee Matters (a) Parent hereby acknowledges that a “change of control” (or similar phrase) within the meaning of the Employee Plans, as applicable, will occur as of the Appointment Time or Effective Time, as applicable.
(b) Except as provided in Section 7.2(b), from and after the Effective Time, the Surviving Corporation shall (and Parent shall cause the Surviving Corporation to) honor all Employee Plans and compensation arrangements in accordance with their terms as in effect immediately prior to the Appointment Time, provided that nothing in this sentence shall prohibit the Surviving Corporation from amending or terminating, or from causing the Surviving Corporation to amend or terminate, any such Benefit Plans, arrangements or agreements in accordance with their terms or if otherwise required by applicable Law. As of the Effective Time, Parent shall or shall cause the Surviving Corporation to assume the Employee Plans set forth in Section 7.2(b) of the Company Disclosure Letter.
(c) The Company shall take (or cause to be taken) all action necessary or appropriate to terminate, effective no later than the day immediately preceding the Appointment Time, any Employee Plan that contains a cash or deferred arrangement intended to qualify under Section 401(a) of the Code (the “401(k) Plans”), unless Parent, in its sole and absolute discretion, agrees to sponsor and maintain any such 401(k) Plan by providing the Company with written notice of such election (an “Election Notice”) at least three days before the Appointment Time. Unless Parent timely provides an Election Notice to the Company, the Company shall deliver to Parent, prior to the Appointment Time, evidence that the Company’s board of directors has validly adopted resolutions to terminate the 401(k) Plans (the form and substance of which resolutions shall be subject to review and approval of Parent), effective no later than the date immediately preceding the Appointment Time. Parent shall cause a plan intended to qualify under Section 401(k) of the Code (the “Parent 401(k) Plan”) to accept rollovers (including rollover loans) from any 401(k) plan of the Company.
(d) For a period of one year following the Effective Time, the Surviving Corporation shall (and Parent shall cause the Surviving Corporation to) provide (i) at least the same level of base salary or base wages to each Continuing Employee as the base salary or base wages provided to each such Continuing Employee immediately prior to the Effective Time, and (ii) benefits and severance payments (other than equity based benefits, change in control benefits and individual employment agreements) to each Continuing Employee employed in the United States that, taken as a whole, are substantially similar in the aggregate to the benefits and severance payments (other than equity based benefits, change in control benefits and individual employment agreements) provided to similarly situated employees of Parent and its Subsidiaries. Parent agrees that it shall cause the Surviving Corporation to pay an annual cash bonus to each participant in an annual cash bonus plan of the Company as of the Effective Time (excluding, for avoidance of doubt, sales and commission plans) equal to the amount determined by (i) determining the annual cash bonus that would have been paid to such participant based on deemed performance for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2011 using the rate of accrual for purposes of the Company’s financial statements as of immediately prior to the date of this Agreement and (ii) multiplying the number determined pursuant to clause (i) by 0.8356 (i.e., 305/365), with the resulting amount reduced by any portion of such annual bonus previously paid to the participant. Such bonus will be paid in February 2011 subject to the participant’s continued employment through January 31, 2011.
(e) To the extent that an Employee Plan or employee benefit plan of Parent is made available to any Continuing Employee on or following the Effective Time, the Surviving Corporation shall (and Parent shall cause the Surviving Corporation to) cause to be granted to such Continuing Employee credit for all service with the Company and its Subsidiaries (and their predecessors) prior to the Effective Time for purposes of eligibility to participate, vesting and entitlement to benefits where length of service is relevant (including, but not limited to, for purposes of vacation, sick and paid time off accrual and severance pay entitlement); provided, however, that such service need not be credited (i) to the extent that it would result in duplication of coverage or benefits or (ii) under any new plan or arrangement to the extent that such plan or arrangement does not provide prior service credit to employees generally. In addition, and without limiting the generality of the foregoing, at the Effective Time: (i) each Continuing Employee shall be immediately eligible to participate, without any waiting time, in any and all employee benefit plans sponsored by the Surviving Corporation and its Subsidiaries (other than the Employee Plans) (such plans, collectively, the “New Plans”) to the extent coverage under any such New Plan replaces coverage under a comparable Employee Plan in which such Continuing Employee participates immediately before the Appointment Time (such plans, collectively, the “Old Plans”); and (ii) for purposes of each New Plan providing medical, dental, pharmaceutical, vision and/or disability benefits to any Continuing Employee, the Surviving Corporation shall cause all waiting periods, pre-existing condition exclusions, evidence of insurability requirements and actively-at-work or similar requirements of such New Plan to be waived for such Continuing Employee and his or her covered dependents, and the Surviving Corporation shall cause any eligible expenses incurred by such Continuing Employee and his or her covered dependents during the portion of the plan year of the Old Plan ending on the date such employee’s participation in the corresponding New Plan begins to be given full credit under such New Plan for purposes of satisfying all deductible, coinsurance and maximum out-of-pocket requirements applicable to such Continuing Employee and his or her covered dependents for the applicable plan year as if such amounts had been paid in accordance with such New Plan, and (iii) the Surviving Corporation shall credit the accounts of such Continuing Employees under any New Plan which is a flexible spending plan with any unused balance in the account of such Continuing Employee under the applicable Employee Plan. Any vacation or paid time off accrued but unused by a Continuing Employee as of immediately prior to the Effective Time shall be credited to such Continuing Employee following the Effective Time, and shall not be subject to accrual limits or other forfeiture and shall not limit future accruals.
(f) Notwithstanding anything to the contrary set forth in this Agreement, no provision of this Agreement shall be deemed to (i) guarantee employment for any period of time for, or preclude the ability of Parent or the Surviving Corporation to terminate, any Continuing Employee for any reason, or (ii) subject to the limitations and requirements specifically set forth in this Section 7.2, require Parent or the Surviving Corporation to continue any Employee Plan or prevent the amendment, modification or termination thereof after the Effective Time.
(g) This Section 7.2 shall be binding upon and inure solely to the benefit of each of the parties to this Agreement, and nothing in this Section 7.2, expressed or implied, is intended to confer upon any other Person any rights or remedies of any nature whatsoever under or by reason of this Section 7.2. Without limiting the foregoing, no provision of this Section 7.2 will create any third party beneficiary rights in any current or former employee, director or consultant of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries in respect of continued employment (or resumed employment) or any other matter.
(h) Effective as of immediately prior to, and contingent upon, the Appointment Time, the Company shall cause to be amended each outstanding Company RSU, Company Option and Company Restricted Stock Award to provide that, if upon or within twelve (12) months following the Appointment Time, the employment or service of the holder of any such Company RSU, Company Option and/or Company Restricted Stock Award is terminated by the Company or the Parent (or any employing parent or subsidiary thereof) by reason of elimination of the holder’s position due to redundancy or integration of Parent and Company business units (but, for avoidance of doubt, excluding terminations for death, “Disability,” “Serious Misconduct,” or “Poor Performance,” (as such terms are defined in Section 7.2(h) of the Company Disclosure Letter), then one hundred percent (100%) of the then unvested shares subject to such Company RSU, Company Option and/or Company Restricted Stock Award shall become immediately vested and, if applicable, exercisable.
Administrative Matters (a) The Member is the sole member of the Company. Accordingly, for U.S. federal income tax purposes, the Company shall be disregarded as an entity separate from the Member, and the assets and liabilities and all items of income, gain, loss and deduction shall be treated as the assets and liabilities and items of income, gain, loss and deduction of the Member.
(b) The fiscal year of the Company shall be the same as the fiscal year of the Member.
(c) The Member’s Membership Interest shall be uncertificated.
Transitional Matters (a) Each of the parties acknowledges and agrees that the transition of the Business from the Selling Companies to Buyer will require that certain transactions and relationships will need to be entered into, restructured and reorganized in connection with the transition of the Business from the Selling Companies to Buyer. The parties agree that prior to the Closing Date, the parties shall cooperate with each other to identify all such transactions and relationships and negotiate in good faith to enter into a mutually acceptable Transitional Agreement effective as of the Closing Date, which agreement shall provide for all such transactions and relationships as are reasonably necessary to provide,
(i) for (A) the operation of the Business and use of the Purchased Assets by Buyer, (B) the operation and use of the Excluded Assets by Sellers and the Selling Subsidiaries and (C) the separation of the Business, the Purchased Assets and the Assumed Liabilities from Parent and its Affiliates (including the Selling Companies), in each case during the period commencing on and after the Closing Date and ending no later than the one year anniversary of the Closing Date or such longer period as the parties may agree, including the following:
(1) the transitioning of the financial systems, assets and hedging valuation systems, asset management systems, payroll and employee benefits systems and any other applicable business operating systems;
(2) the provision of rights of access (provided that access to the ALSS Platform shall be governed and limited by the Intellectual Property Rights Agreement and the Services Agreement) to the Parent and its Affiliates to Intellectual Property currently owned (or licensed) by the Selling Companies (and included in the Purchased Assets) and used by Parent or the Selling Companies in the ordinary course of their business, or required by the Selling Companies for the operation and use of the Excluded Assets or Excluded Liabilities; provided, that access to the ALSS Platform and other Software shall be governed solely by the Intellectual Property Rights Agreement and the Services Agreement and, provided further, anything foregoing to the contrary notwithstanding, Buyer shall not be required to disclose or deliver trade secret or confidential information regarding the ALSS Platform, Software or Acquired Intellectual Property unless required by the Intellectual Property Rights Agreement, the Services Agreement or required by law or legal proceedings and under the type of protective provisions in the Intellectual Property Rights Agreement.
(3) the provision of rights of access (to the extent not covered by the Intellectual Property Rights Agreement) to Buyer to Intellectual Property currently owned (or licensed) by Parent (or the Selling Companies) and used by the Selling Companies in connection with the Purchased Assets or Assumed Liabilities;
(4) moving corporate records related to the Selling Companies; and
(5) the provision of office space, computer equipment and supplies sufficient to enable the Selling Companies to complete any transition services; and
(ii) for such services and facilities as Sellers and Selling Subsidiaries may require to monitor compliance with, and implementation of the Subservicing Agreement, during its term, including the provision of office space, computer equipment and supplies sufficient to enable Sellers to monitor compliance with the Retained Portfolio Subservicing Agreement throughout its term.
(b) In addition to the matters to be identified pursuant to paragraph (a) of this Section 5.12, the Transition Agreement shall specifically provide for the transactions and matters outlined in Section 5.12 of Sellers' Disclosure Schedule.
(c) For the purpose of facilitating the transition of the financial system, on or prior to the 15th day prior to the Closing Date, the Selling Companies shall create on their general ledger, a separate general ledger company ("GL Company"), as well as accounts for such GL Company ("Buyer GL Accounts"), which accounts shall be duplicative of the Selling Companies' own accounts ("Seller GL Accounts") and are intended to be used by the Buyer in the operation of the Business, the Purchased Assets and the Assumed Liabilities from and after the Closing Date. From and after the creation of the Buyer GL Accounts, until Closing, the Selling Companies shall maintain such accounts (as duplicate entries on the books of the Selling Companies in the name of the GL Company). From and after Closing until the completion of the transition of the financial system of the Selling Companies, the Buyer shall operate the Business by recording entries using the Buyer GL Accounts, and shall maintain on behalf of the Selling Companies, the Seller GL Accounts on its general ledger.
(d) The party receiving service under the Transitional Agreement shall pay to the party providing service the costs incurred by such providing party. Services provided under the Transitional Agreement shall be performed at the same standard as the providing party performs such service for its own account.
Insurance Matters (a) Parent and SpinCo agree to cooperate in good faith to provide for an orderly transition of insurance coverage from the date hereof through the Effective Time. In no event shall Parent, any other member of the Parent Group or any Parent Indemnitee have Liability or obligation whatsoever to any member of the SpinCo Group in the event that any (i) insurance policy or insurance policy related contract shall be terminated or otherwise cease to be in effect for any reason, shall be unavailable or inadequate to cover any Liability of any member of the SpinCo Group for any reason whatsoever or shall be cancelled, not renewed or not extended beyond the current expiration date or (ii) any insurer declines, denies, delays or obstructs any claim payment.
(b) From and after the Effective Time, SpinCo, any member of the SpinCo Group or any of their respective employees (including former or inactive employees) shall cease to be insured by, shall have no access or availability to or under, shall not be entitled to make claims on or under and shall not be entitled to claim benefits from or seek coverage under, and shall not have any rights to or under, any of Parent’s or any member of the Parent Group’s insurance policies or any of their respective self-insured programs in place prior to the Effective Time. With respect to claims on or under the policies provided on Schedule 5.1(b) (collectively, the “Designated Policies”) SpinCo:
(i) shall notify Parent, as promptly as practicable, of any incident, circumstance or occurrence that may lead to a claim made by Parent or any member of the Parent Group under a Designated Policy;
(ii) shall, and shall cause the other members of the SpinCo Group to, at SpinCo’s sole cost and expense, cooperate with and assist Parent and the members of the Parent Group and share such information as is necessary in order to permit Parent and the members of the Parent Group to manage and conduct the insurance matters contemplated by this Section 5.1, including with respect to any claims by Parent or any member of the Parent Group under any Designated Policy; and
(iii) shall exclusively bear (and neither Parent nor any members of the Parent Group shall have any obligation to repay or reimburse SpinCo or any member of the SpinCo Group for) and shall be liable for all excluded, uninsured, uncovered, unavailable or uncollectible amounts (including where any insurer declines, denies, delays or obstructs any claim payment) of all claims made with respect to any losses, damages and Liability incurred by any member of the SpinCo Group prior to the Effective Time under the Designated Policies.
(c) At the Effective Time, SpinCo shall have in effect all insurance programs required to comply with SpinCo’s contractual obligations and such other Policies required by Law or as reasonably necessary or appropriate for companies operating a business similar to SpinCo’s.
(d) Neither SpinCo nor any member of the SpinCo Group, in connection with any claim under any insurance policy of Parent or any member of the Parent Group (including the Designated Policies), shall take any action that would be reasonably likely to (i) have a materially adverse impact on the then-current relationship between Parent or any member of the Parent Group, on the one hand, and the applicable insurance company, on the other hand; (ii) result in the applicable insurance company terminating or materially reducing coverage, or materially increasing the amount of any premium owed by Parent or any member of the Parent Group under the applicable insurance policy; or (iii) otherwise compromise, jeopardize or interfere in any material respect with the rights of Parent or any member of the Parent Group under the applicable insurance policy.
(e) Parent shall retain the exclusive right to control its insurance policies and programs, including the right to exhaust, settle, release, commute, buy-back or otherwise resolve disputes with respect to any of its insurance policies and programs and to amend, modify or waive any rights under any such insurance policies and programs and no member of the SpinCo Group shall erode, exhaust, settle, release, commute, buy-back or otherwise resolve disputes with Parent’s insurers with respect to any of Parent’s insurance policies and programs, or amend, modify or waive any rights under any such insurance policies and programs. SpinCo shall cooperate with Parent and share such information as is necessary in order to permit Parent to manage and conduct its insurance matters as Parent deems appropriate. Each Party and any member of its applicable Group has the sole right to settle or otherwise resolve Third-Party Claims made against it or any member of its applicable Group covered under an applicable insurance policy. Notwithstanding anything in the foregoing to the contrary, Parent shall have the sole right to settle or otherwise resolve Third-Party Claims covered under a Designated Policy without the prior written consent of SpinCo unless such settlement (i) involves any admission, finding or determination of wrongdoing or violation of Law by any member of the SpinCo Group or (ii) does not provide for a full, unconditional and irrevocable release of the applicable member(s) of the SpinCo Group from all Liability in connection with the Third-Party Claim, in which case Parent shall not settle or otherwise resolve such Third-Party Claims without the prior written consent of SpinCo (which consent may not be unreasonably withheld, delayed or conditioned).
(f) This Agreement shall not be considered as an attempted assignment of any policy of insurance or as a contract of insurance and shall not be construed to waive any right or remedy of any member of the Parent Group in respect of any insurance policy or any other contract or policy of insurance.
(g) SpinCo does hereby, for itself and each other member of the SpinCo Group, agree that no member of the Parent Group shall have any Liability whatsoever as a result of the insurance policies and practices of Parent and the members of the Parent Group as in effect at any time, including as a result of the level or scope of any such insurance, the creditworthiness of any insurance carrier, the terms and conditions of any policy, or the adequacy or timeliness of any notice to any insurance carrier with respect to any claim or potential claim or otherwise.
Transition Matters (a) Prior to the Closing, each party shall use its commercially reasonable efforts to negotiate in good faith the schedules to, and Provider Fees provided for in, the Transition Services Agreement in accordance with the terms thereof. To the extent that the Parties are unable to reach such agreement, the applicable provisions of the Transition Services Agreement shall control from and after the Closing, subject to amendment in accordance with the terms of the Transition Services Agreement. The Parties acknowledge and agree that if there are any disputes with respect to the Transition Services Agreement prior to the Closing, such disputes shall not affect the obligations of the Parties to effect the Closing and shall be resolved in accordance with the terms of the Transition Services Agreement.
(b) Acquiror acknowledges that Seller has the absolute and exclusive proprietary right to the trademark “OPTIMUM”, other “OPTIMUM” inclusive trademarks and designs and logos associated therewith currently used by the Business (collectively, the “Names”) and that none of the rights thereto or goodwill represented thereby or pertaining thereto are being transferred hereby or in connection herewith. Notwithstanding the foregoing, for a period of 360 days following the Closing, the Company and the Subsidiaries may continue to operate the Systems using the Names, including (i) use of the phrase “Optimum is now Charter,” (ii) use of any Name affixed to vehicles, signage or other equipment which are used by any of them in Business as of the Closing Date, (iii) use of any printed purchase orders or sales, maintenance or license agreements that bear a Name (as limited by any existing agreements the Seller or any of its Affiliates may have with third parties) until the supplies thereof existing on the Closing Date have been exhausted, and (iv) use of any printed billing statements that bear a Name (such billing statements and purchase orders and sales, maintenance and license agreements are collectively referred to herein as “Forms”); provided, however, that notwithstanding the foregoing with respect to any advertising, marketing, packaging, displays, merchandise or other promotional materials (“Promotional Materials”) which are used by the Company or any Subsidiary in the Business as of the Closing Date the Company and the Subsidiaries shall have the right to use such Promotional Materials only: (i) for a period of 60 days following the Closing with respect to mass marketing Promotional Materials (such as television advertising and mass mailings) and 180 days for all other Promotional Materials, (ii) in the exact form as such Promotional Materials exist on the Closing Date, (iii) to the extent that the Company or Subsidiary using such Promotional Materials has not modified the products or services of the Business in any way which would render the use of such Promotional Materials inaccurate or misleading in any respect, and (iv) provided the Company and the Subsidiaries shall xxxx such materials as necessary in order to indicate clearly and prominently to indicate that neither the Acquiror nor any of its Affiliates is affiliated with the Seller or any of its Affiliates. With respect to Forms, within 60 days after the Closing Date the Company and the Subsidiaries shall sticker or otherwise xxxx such documents as necessary in order to indicate clearly that neither the Seller nor any of its Affiliates are a party to such documents or affiliated with the Seller or any of its Affiliates. From and after the expiration of the period for use applicable to Promotional Materials or Forms, the Company and the Subsidiaries shall cease to use any such Promotional Materials or Forms. With respect to the other uses of the Names permitted above, from and after the 360-day period permitted above the Company and the Subsidiaries shall delete or cover (as by stickering) any Name from any item included in inventory that bears Name and take such other actions as may be necessary or advisable clearly and prominently to indicate that neither the Acquiror nor any of its Affiliates is affiliated with the Seller or any of its Affiliates. If Acquiror determines that it wishes the Company and the Subsidiaries to use any Promotional Materials or Forms to which the applicable period provided above applies for a duration longer than such period or to use any other Promotional Materials or Forms or to create new Promotional Materials or Forms incorporating the Names in a manner exceeding the scope of the rights granted herein, Acquiror shall notify Seller and the parties shall negotiate in good faith the terms of a trademark license granting to the Company and the Subsidiaries such rights for an agreed-upon term and otherwise on terms and conditions mutually acceptable to Acquiror and Seller. For the avoidance of doubt, the execution and delivery of any such trademark license shall not be a condition to Closing or otherwise affect the obligations of the parties to consummate the Transaction. Notwithstanding the foregoing, nothing in this Section 5.11(b) shall require the Acquiror to remove or discontinue using any Name that is affixed as of the Closing Date to converters or other items in or to be used in consumer homes or properties, or as are used in a similar fashion making such removal or discontinuation impracticable.
Section 16 Matters Prior to the Effective Time, the Company shall take all such steps as may be required to cause to be exempt under Rule 16b-3 promulgated under the Exchange Act any dispositions of shares of Company Common Stock (including derivative securities with respect to such shares) that are treated as dispositions under such rule and result from the transactions contemplated by this Agreement by each director or officer of the Company who is subject to the reporting requirements of Section 16(a) of the Exchange Act with respect to the Company immediately prior to the Effective Time.
Operational Matters 7.1 The LGB shall comply with the obligations set out in Appendix 2 which deals with the day-to-day operation of, and delegation of responsibilities to, the LGB.
7.2 The LGB will adopt and will comply with all policies of the Trustees communicated to the LGB from time to time.
7.3 Both the Trustees and all members of the LGB have a duty to act with integrity, objectivity and honesty in the best interests of the Company and the Academy and shall be open about decisions and be prepared to justify those decisions except in so far as any matter may be considered confidential.
7.4 The LGB will review its policies and practices on a regular basis, having regard to recommendations made by the Trustees from time to time, in order to ensure that the governance of the Academy is best able to adapt to the changing political and legal environment.
7.5 The LGB shall provide such data and information regarding the business of the Academy and the pupils attending the Academy as the Trustees may require from time to time.
7.6 The LGB shall submit to any inspections by the Trustees, and any inspections pursuant to section 48 of the Education Act 2005 (Statutory Inspections of Anglican and Methodist Schools).
7.7 The LGB shall work closely with and shall promptly implement any advice or recommendations made by the Trustees in the event that intervention is either threatened or is carried out by the Secretary of State and the Trustees expressly reserve the unfettered right to review or remove any power or responsibility conferred on the LGB under this Scheme in such circumstances.
Franchise Matters (a) Since June 30, 2003, the Company and its Subsidiaries (i) have maintained records of all franchise activities in which full, true, and complete entries have been made of all material dealings and transactions in relation to their franchise activities, including all offering circulars, Franchise Agreements (as defined below), correspondence with franchisees, written complaints by franchisees, and government audits, (ii) have complied in all material respects with all applicable Laws regarding franchise activities and other franchise-related matters, (iii) have complied with all franchise agreements and other agreements by which the Company or its Subsidiaries directly or indirectly grant any third party franchise rights (whether not such agreement was entered into before or after June 30, 2002, each, a “Franchise Agreement”), (iv) have obtained and maintained in place franchisee agreements which contain provisions requiring the franchisee to (A) indemnify the Company or any Subsidiary, as applicable, with respect to claims relating to the franchisee’s business and (B) to obtain insurance from financially sound and respectable insurers to cover such indemnity, naming the Company as additional insured and loss payee, (v) have timely filed with the applicable Governmental Entities all Uniform Franchise Offering Circulars and other required filings, (vi) each Uniform Franchise Offering Circular delivered to any franchisee, prospective franchisee, or Governmental Entity by the Company or any Subsidiary complied in all material respects as of the date delivered with all requirements of applicable Law, and, when delivered, did not contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary in order to make the statements therein, in light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading, and (vii) the Company and its Subsidiaries have accounted for and administered in accordance with the Franchise Agreements and applicable franchise laws all advertising and marketing funds and cooperatives, if any, which the Company and its Subsidiaries administer and into which monies are paid by their franchisees. Section 3.25(a) of the Company Disclosure Letter sets forth a complete and accurate list, as of the date hereof, of all currently effective Franchise Agreements, including the name of the franchisee and the date and expiration date of the applicable Franchise Agreement. The Company has provided the Buyer with true, complete and correct copies of all currently effective Franchise Agreements, including any amendments or modifications thereto, as of the date hereof, and there are no oral agreements, promises or understandings with respect to any currently effective Franchise Agreements.
(b) Except as set forth in Section 3.25(b) of the Company Disclosure Letter:
(i) the royalty rates and required advertising contributions specified in each currently effective Franchise Agreement remain in effect, are being paid when due and have not been reduced, modified, waived, or otherwise affected by any Franchise Agreement “side letter,” modification, amendment, waiver, or suspension, in whole or in part and each currently effective Franchise Agreement is in full force and effect;
(ii) all franchise registrations remain in full force and effect and are not the subject of any existing or threatened action by a Governmental Entity or otherwise intended, in whole or in part, to result in the termination, revocation, modification, suspension, conditioning, or dissolution of any such franchise registration and/or any other circumstance which might or would impair, impede or preclude the Company’s ability routinely to renew or amend (as the case may be) any such franchise registration and/or enter into Franchise Agreements in any jurisdiction;
(iii) there are no written, or to the Knowledge of the Company, threatened, franchisee complaints, threats to initiate litigation or arbitration, or threats to file complaints with a Governmental Entity, whether such threats have been filed either with the Company or any Subsidiary and/or any third party (including any Governmental Entity);
(iv) there exists no extant formal or, to the Knowledge of the Company, informal, complaint, inquiry, investigation, or judicial or administrative action or proceeding, communicated or commenced (as the case may be) by any Governmental Entity, to or against the Company or any Subsidiary regarding its offer and sale of franchises; the administration of its franchise network; advancing or referring to any complaint received from any franchisee; inquiring of or contesting any element of the Company’s franchise program or franchise relationships (including antitrust issues such as predatory pricing or monopolization); and/or, otherwise related to the Company’s or any Subsidiary’s compliance with any franchise Law;
(v) there exists no litigation or other claims asserted by any third party against any of the Company’s franchisees in which the Company or any Subsidiary is a party thereto under any theory, including negligence or “vicarious liability”;
(vi) no supply Contract to which the Company or any Subsidiary is a party may be unilaterally terminated by the subject supplier as a result of this Agreement, the Offer, the Merger or any of the other transactions contemplated by this Agreement, if that supply contract is material to the operation of the Company’s network of franchisees, taken as a whole;
(vii) since December 31, 2004, neither the Company, nor any of its Subsidiaries has refused to renew any Franchise Agreement;
(viii) to the Company’s Knowledge, no franchisee of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries is currently in default in any material respect under any Franchise Agreement;
(ix) since December 31, 2004, neither the Company nor any of its Subsidiaries has terminated any Franchise Agreement; and
(x) the Company may enter into this Agreement and consummate the transactions contemplated hereby without the consent of any Franchisee.
Labour Matters No material work stoppage, strike, lock-out, labour disruption, dispute grievance, arbitration, proceeding or other conflict with the employees of the Corporation or the Subsidiaries currently exists or, to the knowledge of the Corporation, is imminent or pending and the Corporation and the Subsidiaries are in material compliance with all provisions of all federal, national, regional, provincial and local laws and regulations respecting employment and employment practices, terms and conditions of employment and wages and hours.
Personnel Matters 7.1 Verbal or written complaints regarding an employee made to any member of the Administration by any parent, student or other person which is to be placed in any personnel file or which may be used to evaluate or discipline an employee shall be promptly investigated. The employee shall be given prompt notice of such complaint and shall be given the opportunity to respond to the complaint. Unsubstantiated complaints shall not be placed in an employee’s file.
7.2 Each employee shall be entitled to access to his/her personnel file. This review shall take place during an agreed upon time; requests to examine the file need to be made to the Superintendent or his/her designee at least 24 hours prior and shall not be unreasonably withheld. The employee may, if he/she wishes, have a representative of the Association accompany him/her during such review.
7.3 The employee shall have the right to make a response to any material contained in his/her personnel file and such response shall be made a part of said employee’s file. Reproductions of such material may be made by hand or copying machine, if available.
7.4 No disciplinary material will be placed in an employee's personnel file without written or electronic notification to the employee.
7.5 The Board agrees to maintain, as part of its general policy manual, job descriptions for members of the bargaining unit; said policy manual to be made available to each member of the bargaining unit and any new employee. Whenever the District contemplates any changes in job description, the District will notify the Association on the planned action and convene the Job Description Team per the Memorandum of Understanding included in Exhibit 1.
