Premature Death of Employee. 1) Effective January 1, 1976, and not prior thereto, when an employee who has seniority rights under this Contract and who has ten (10) years or more of seniority under the provisions of this Contract dies before their normal retirement age, survived by a spouse, such spouse shall, beginning the month following the month in which the employee dies, receive seventy-five percent (75%) of the monthly payment the deceased employee would have been entitled to receive if the deceased employee had been of retirement age at the time of death and had retired. Such payments to the spouse shall continue until the death or remarriage of the spouse, provided, however, that if the employee had attained the age of sixty (60) at the time of their death, remarriage of the spouse will result in no forfeiture of benefits to the spouse.
Premature Death of Employee. In the event of Employee’s death prior to the Retirement Date, then the Retirement Date shall automatically be accelerated and deemed to have occurred upon the day immediately prior to Employee’s death and Employee’s estate and/or heirs shall be entitled to any and all of the benefits that Employee would have been entitled to receive hereunder, with such benefits to include, without limitation, benefits detailed in Sections 3(b), (c), (e), and (f) above. In addition, in the event of Employee’s death between the Retirement Date and November 2, 2009, Employee’s estate shall be entitled to the benefits detailed in Section 3(f) above.
