Compensation; Employment Agreements; Etc Enter into or amend or renew any employment, consulting, severance or similar agreements or arrangements with any director, officer or employee of Metropolitan or its Subsidiaries, or grant any salary or wage increase or increase any employee benefit (including incentive or bonus payments), except (i) for normal individual increases in compensation to employees in the ordinary course of business consistent with past practice, (ii) for other changes that are required by applicable law, and (iii) to satisfy Previously Disclosed contractual obligations existing as of the date hereof.
Employee Matters; Benefit Plans (a) Subject to applicable Legal Requirements, the employment of each of the Company’s employees is terminable by the Company at will. The Company is not a party to, nor is currently negotiating in connection with entering into, any collective bargaining agreement or other Contract with a labor organization or work council representing any of its employees and there are no labor organizations representing, purporting to represent or, to the knowledge of the Company, seeking to represent any employees of the Company. Since January 1, 2019, there has not been any strike, slowdown, work stoppage, lockout, material labor dispute or any union organizing activity, or any threat thereof, in each case, involving any of the Company’s employees. There is not now pending, and, to the knowledge of the Company, no Person has threatened in writing to commence, any such strike, slowdown, work stoppage, lockout, material labor dispute or union organizing activity or any similar activity or dispute. (b) Since January 1, 2019, there has been no material Legal Proceeding pending or, to the knowledge of the Company, threatened in writing relating to the employment or engagement of any Company Associate. Since January 1, 2019, the Company has complied with all applicable Legal Requirements related to employment, including employment practices, payment of wages and hours of work, leaves of absence, plant closing notification, privacy rights, labor dispute, workplace safety, retaliation, immigration, and discrimination matters, except any lack of compliance which has not had and would not reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Effect. (c) Section 3.16(c) of the Company Disclosure Schedule sets forth a complete and accurate list of each Employee Plan. The Company has either delivered or made available to Parent or Parent’s Representatives prior to the execution of this Agreement with respect to each Employee Plan, accurate and complete copies of the following, as relevant: (i) all plan documents and all amendments thereto, and all related trust, insurance or other funding documents, and all amendments thereto; (ii) the most recent determination letter or opinion letter received from the IRS; (iii) for the three most recent plan years, (A) the annual actuarial or other valuation reports, (B) the IRS Form 5500 and all schedules thereto and (C) audited financial statements; (iv) the most recent summary plan descriptions and any material modifications thereto; (v) the most recent nondiscrimination tests required to be performed under the Code; and (vi) any material non-routine communications with any Governmental Body regarding any Employee Plan. (d) Neither the Company nor any of its ERISA Affiliates has at any time sponsored, maintained, contributed to, or been required to contribute to, or had any liability in respect of, (i) an “employee pension benefit plan” (as defined in Section 3(2) of ERISA) subject to Title IV of ERISA, Code Section 412 or Section 302 of ERISA, including any “multiemployer plan” as defined in Section 4001 of ERISA. No Employee Plan is a (i) a “multiple employer plan” as defined in Section 413(c) of the Code, or (ii) a “multiple employer welfare arrangement” within the meaning of Section 3(40) of ERISA. (e) Each Employee Plan that is intended to be qualified under Section 401(a) of the Code has obtained a favorable determination letter (or opinion letter, if applicable) as to its qualified status under the Code. Each Employee Plan is now and has been operated, maintained, and administered in compliance in all material respects with its terms and all applicable Legal Requirements, including but not limited to ERISA and the Code. No non-exempt “prohibited transaction” (within the meaning of Section 406 of ERISA and Section 4975 of the code) has occurred or is reasonably expected to occur with respect to any Employee Plan. (f) Except to the extent required under Section 601 et seq. of ERISA or 4980B of the Code (or any other similar state or local Legal Requirement) at the participant’s sole expense, neither the Company nor any Employee Plan has any present or future obligation to provide post-employment welfare benefits to or make any payment to, or with respect to any Company Associate. (g) Since January 1, 2019, all individuals who perform or have performed services for the Company have been properly classified under applicable law as (i) employees or independent contractors and (ii) for employees, as an “exempt” employee or a “non-exempt” employee (within the meaning of the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 and applicable state laws), and no such individual has been improperly included or excluded from any Employee Plan, except for misclassifications, non-compliance or exclusions which would not reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Effect and the Company has not received notice of any pending or, to the knowledge of the Company, threatened inquiry or audit from any Governmental Body concerning such classifications. (h) The Company maintains no obligations to gross-up or reimburse any individual for any tax or related interest or penalties incurred by such individual under Sections 409A or 4999 of the Code. (i) Each “nonqualified deferred compensation plan” maintained by the Company has been at all times in material documentary and operational compliance with the requirements of Code Section 409A and the guidance provided thereunder. (j) The consummation of the Transactions (including in combination with other events or circumstances) will not (i) result in any payment or benefit becoming due to any Company Associate or under any Employee Plan, (ii) increase any amount of compensation or benefits otherwise payable to any Company Associate or under any Employee Plan, (iii) result in the acceleration of the time of payment, funding or vesting of any benefits to any current or former employee, contractor or director of the Company or under any Employee Plan, (iv) limit the right to modify, amend or terminate any Employee Plan (except any limitations imposed by applicable Legal Requirements, if any). (k) The consummation of the Transactions (including in combination with other events or circumstances) will not result in the payment of any amount that could, individually or in combination with any other payment or benefit, constitute an “excess parachute payment” within the meaning of Section 280G of the Code, result in the payment of an excise tax by any Person under Section 4999 of the Code or any amount that would not be deductible under Section 280G of the Code. (l) With respect to any Employee Plan, (i) no Legal Proceeding (other than routine claims for benefits in the ordinary course) are pending, or, to the knowledge of the Company, threatened against any Employee Plan, the assets of any of the trusts under such plans or the plan sponsor or administrator, or against any fiduciary of any Employee Plan with respect to the operation thereof, and (ii) no facts or circumstances exist that could reasonably be expected to give rise to any such Legal Proceeding.
Termination of Employee Plans The Company shall have provided Parent with evidence, reasonably satisfactory to Parent, as to the termination of the benefit plans referred to in Section 5.12.
Third Party Administrators for Defined Contribution Plans 2.1 The Fund may decide to make available to certain of its customers, a qualified plan program (the “Program”) pursuant to which the customers (“Employers”) may adopt certain plans of deferred compensation (“Plan or Plans”) for the benefit of the individual Plan participant (the “Plan Participant”), such Plan(s) being qualified under Section 401(a) of the Code and administered by TPAs which may be plan administrators as defined in the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, as amended. 2.2 In accordance with the procedures established in Schedule 2.1 entitled “Third Party Administrator Procedures,” as may be amended by the Transfer Agent and the Fund from time to time (“Schedule 2.1”), the Transfer Agent shall: (a) Treat Shareholder accounts established by the Plans in the name of the Trustees, Plans or TPAs, as the case may be, as omnibus accounts; (b) Maintain omnibus accounts on its records in the name of the TPA or its designee as the Trustee for the benefit of the Plan; and (c) Perform all Services under Section 1 as transfer agent of the Funds and not as a record-keeper for the Plans. 2.3 Transactions identified under Sections 1 and 2 of this Agreement shall be deemed exception services (“Exception Services”) when such transactions: (a) Require the Transfer Agent to use methods and procedures other than those usually employed by the Transfer Agent to perform transfer agency and recordkeeping services; (b) Involve the provision of information to the Transfer Agent after the commencement of the nightly processing cycle of the TA2000 System; or (c) Require more manual intervention by the Transfer Agent, either in the entry of data or in the modification or amendment of reports generated by the TA2000 System, than is normally required.
Benefit; Assignment Subject to provisions herein to the contrary, this Agreement shall inure to the benefit of and be binding upon the parties hereto and their respective legal representatives, successors and assigns. No party may assign this Agreement without the prior written consent of the other party; provided, however, that a party hereto may assign its interest (or a portion thereof) in this Agreement to an Affiliate, but, in such event, the assignor shall be required to remain obligated hereunder in the same manner as if such assignment had not been effected.
Welfare Plans Effective as of the Closing Date, Purchaser shall provide group health, life insurance, long term disability and other welfare and fringe benefit plan coverage and benefits (for the purposes of this Section 6.8, “Purchaser’s Health, Welfare and Fringe Benefit Plans”) for Newsprint Employees and Apache Employees who are offered and accept employment with Purchaser as of the Closing Date and who otherwise qualify for such coverage or benefits. In the case of Hourly Newsprint Employees and Hourly Apache Employees, such coverage or benefits shall provide substantially comparable coverage and benefits in the aggregate as Seller’s health, life insurance, welfare and fringe benefit plans provide (for the purposes of this Section 6.8, “Seller’s Health, Welfare and Fringe Benefit Plans”) and otherwise comply with the relevant Collective Bargaining Agreements and in part shall provide for Purchaser’s assumption and continuation of Seller’s Health, Welfare and Fringe Benefit Plans covering Hourly Newsprint Employees and Hourly Apache Employees. In the case of Salaried Employees, Purchaser shall offer substantially comparable coverage and benefits in the aggregate as provided under Seller’s Health, Welfare and Fringe Benefit Plans, except for including retiree health and retiree life insurance. Purchaser may assume and continue any or all of Seller’s Health, Welfare and Fringe Benefit Plans, except for Seller’s health and dental benefits for Salaried Employees, coverage under which shall be provided to Retained Employees and Hired Employees in accordance with the terms of the Transitional Services Agreement. A Newsprint Employee’s or Apache Employee’s last continuous period of service with Seller or Apache shall be counted as if it had been service for Purchaser in determining eligibility for the coverage and benefits set forth in this Section 6.8. Attached as Schedule 6.8 is a list of the last continuous period of service of Newsprint Employees and Apache Employees as of the date set forth on Schedule 6.8. If Purchaser assumes and continues one or more of Seller’s Health, Welfare and Fringe Benefit Plans, the parties shall enter into the Welfare Benefit Plans Assignment and Assumption Agreement in this regard.
Employee Matters and Benefit Plans (a) Section 6.17(a) of the HealthAxis Disclosure Letter contains an accurate and complete list of each Employee Agreement and Employee Plan of HealthAxis (including for each such plan a description of any of the benefits of which will be increased, or the vesting of benefits of which will be accelerated, by the occurrence of any of the transactions contemplated by this Agreement of the value of any of the benefits of which will be calculated on the basis of any transactions contemplated by this Agreement). Except as set forth in Section 6.17(a) of the HealthAxis Disclosure Letter, neither HealthAxis nor any of the HealthAxis Subsidiaries or Affiliates has any announced plan or commitment, whether legally binding or not, to establish any new Employee Plan or Employee Agreement, to modify any Employee Plan or Employee Agreement (except to the extent required by law or to conform any such Employee Plan or Employee Agreement to the requirements of any applicable law, in each case as previously disclosed to BPOMS in writing, or as required by this Agreement), or to enter into any Employee Plan or Employee Agreement, nor does it have any intention or commitment to do any of the foregoing. (b) HealthAxis has provided or made available to BPOMS correct and complete copies of all material documents embodying or relating to each HealthAxis Employee Plan and Employee Agreement including: (i) all amendments thereto; (ii) the most recent annual actuarial valuations, if any, prepared for each HealthAxis Employee Plan; (iii) the three most recent annual reports (Series 5500 and all schedules thereto), if any, required under ERISA or the Code in connection with each HealthAxis Employee Plan or related trust; (iv) if the HealthAxis Employee Plan is funded, the most recent annual and periodic accounting of Employee Plan assets; (v) the most recent summary plan description together with the most recent summary of material modifications, if any, required under ERISA with respect to each HealthAxis Employee Plan; (vi) all IRS determination letters and rulings relating to HealthAxis Employee Plans and copies of all applications and correspondence to or from the IRS or DOL with respect to any HealthAxis Employee Plan; and (vii) all communications material to any Employee or Employees relating to any HealthAxis Employee Plan and any proposed HealthAxis Employee Plans, in each case, relating to any amendments, terminations, establishments, increases or decreases in benefits, acceleration of payments or vesting schedules or other events which would result in any material liability to HealthAxis or any HealthAxis Subsidiary. (i) Except as set forth in Section 6.l7(c) of the HealthAxis Disclosure Letter, HealthAxis and each of the HealthAxis Subsidiaries and Affiliates has performed in all material respects all obligations required to be performed by them under each HealthAxis Employee Plan, and each HealthAxis Employee Plan has been established and maintained in all material respects in accordance with its terms and in compliance with all applicable laws, statutes, orders, rules and regulations, including but not limited to ERISA and the Code; (ii) no “prohibited transaction,” within the meaning of Section 4975 of the Code or Section 406 of ERISA for which no class or statutory exemption is available, has occurred with respect to any HealthAxis Employee Plan; (iii) there are no material actions, suits or claims pending or, to the knowledge of HealthAxis, threatened or anticipated (other than routine claims for benefits) against any HealthAxis Employee Plan or against the assets of any HealthAxis Employee Plan; (iv) such HealthAxis Employee Plan can be amended, terminated or otherwise discontinued after the Effective Time in accordance with its terms, without material liability to HealthAxis or any of the HealthAxis Subsidiaries or any of its Affiliates (other than ordinary administration expenses typically incurred in a termination event); (v) there are no audits, inquiries or proceedings pending or, to the knowledge of HealthAxis, threatened by the IRS or DOL with respect to any HealthAxis Employee Plan; (vi) neither HealthAxis nor any of the HealthAxis Subsidiaries is subject to any penalty or tax with respect to any HealthAxis Employee Plan under Section 402(i) of ERISA or Section 4975 through 4980 of the Code; and (vii) all contributions, including any top heavy contributions, required to be made prior to the Closing by HealthAxis or any Affiliate to any Employee Plan have been made or shall be made on or before the Closing Date. (d) Neither HealthAxis nor any of the HealthAxis Subsidiaries or Affiliates currently maintain, sponsor, participate in or contribute to, nor have they ever maintained, established, sponsored, participated in, or contributed to, any Pension Plan which is subject to Part 3 of Subtitle B of Title I of ERISA, Title IV of ERISA or Section 412 of the Code. (e) At no time has HealthAxis or any of the HealthAxis Subsidiaries or Affiliates contributed to or been requested or obligated to contribute to any Multiemployer Plan. (f) Except as set forth in Section 6.17(f) of the HealthAxis Disclosure Letter or as required by local, state or federal law, no Employee Plan or any Employment Agreement to which HealthAxis is a party provides, or is required to provide, life insurance, medical or other employee benefits to any Employee upon his or her retirement or termination of employment for any reason, and HealthAxis and each of the HealthAxis Subsidiaries has never represented, promised or contracted (whether in oral or written form) to any Employee (either individually or to Employees as a group) that such Employee(s) would be provided with life insurance, medical or other employee welfare benefits upon their retirement or termination of employment. (g) The execution of this Agreement and the consummation of the transactions contemplated hereby will not (either alone or upon the occurrence of any additional or subsequent events) constitute an event under any HealthAxis Employee Plan, Employee Agreement, trust or loan that will or may result in any payment (whether of severance payor otherwise), acceleration, forgiveness of indebtedness, vesting, distribution, increase in benefits or obligation to fund benefits with respect to any HealthAxis Employee, except as set forth in Section 6.17(g) of the HealthAxis Disclosure Letter. (h) Except as set forth in Section 6.17(h) of the HealthAxis Disclosure Letter, HealthAxis and each of the HealthAxis Subsidiaries (i) is in compliance in all respects with all applicable foreign, federal, state and local laws, rules and regulations respecting employment, employment practices, terms and conditions of employment and wages and hours; in each case, with respect to Employees except as would not have an HealthAxis Material Adverse Effect; (ii) has withheld all amounts required by law or by agreement to be withheld from the wages, salaries, and other payments to Employees; (iii) is not liable for any arrears of wages or any taxes or any penalty for failure to comply with any of the foregoing; and (iv) is not liable for any payment to any trust or other fund or to any governmental or administrative authority, with respect to unemployment compensation benefits, social security or other benefits or obligations for Employees (other than routine payments to be made in the normal course of business and consistent with past practice). (i) No work stoppage or labor strike against HealthAxis or any HealthAxis Subsidiary is pending or, to the knowledge of HealthAxis, threatened. Neither HealthAxis nor any of the HealthAxis Subsidiaries is involved in or, to the knowledge of HealthAxis, threatened with, any labor dispute, grievance, administrative proceeding or litigation relating to labor, safety, employment practices or discrimination matters involving any Employee, including, without limitation, charges of unfair labor practices or discrimination complaints, which, if adversely determined, would, individually or in the aggregate, have a HealthAxis Material Adverse Effect. Neither HealthAxis nor any of the HealthAxis Subsidiaries has engaged in any unfair labor practices within the meaning of the National Labor Relations Act which would, individually or in the aggregate, directly or indirectly have a HealthAxis Material Adverse Effect. Neither HealthAxis nor any of the HealthAxis Subsidiaries or Affiliates has ever been a party to any agreement with any labor organization or union, and none of the HealthAxis Employees are represented by any labor organization or union, nor have any HealthAxis Employees threatened to organize or join a union or filed a petition for representation with the National Labor Relations Board. (j) There are no (i) bonus or severance payments that could be payable to Employees of HealthAxis under existing Employee Agreements or Employee Plans on account of the transactions contemplated by this Agreement (without regard to termination of employment), or (ii) severance obligations that could be payable to Employees of HealthAxis under existing Employee Agreements and Employee Plans on account of terminations of employment following the Effective Time, except as disclosed in Schedule 6.17(j) of the HealthAxis Disclosure Letter. (k) The employment agreements contemplated by Section 8.1(d) of this Agreement and the addition to shares of the 2005 Stock Incentive Plan (or a new plan) contemplated by Section 2.2(a)(viii) of this Agreement shall in all respects be excepted from the representations set forth in this Section 6.17.
Transferred Employees Effective as of the Closing Date, Purchaser or one of its Affiliates shall make an offer of employment to each Applicable Employee. Notwithstanding anything herein to the contrary and except as provided in an individual employment Contract with any Applicable Employee or as required by the terms of an Assumed Plan, offers of employment to Applicable Employees whose employment rights are subject to the UAW Collective Bargaining Agreement as of the Closing Date, shall be made in accordance with the applicable terms and conditions of the UAW Collective Bargaining Agreement and Purchaser’s obligations under the Labor Management Relations Act of 1974, as amended. Each offer of employment to an Applicable Employee who is not covered by the UAW Collective Bargaining Agreement shall provide, until at least the first anniversary of the Closing Date, for (i) base salary or hourly wage rates initially at least equal to such Applicable Employee’s base salary or hourly wage rate in effect as of immediately prior to the Closing Date and (ii) employee pension and welfare benefits, Contracts and arrangements that are not less favorable in the aggregate than those listed on Section 4.10 of the Sellers’ Disclosure Schedule, but not including any Retained Plan, equity or equity-based compensation plans or any Benefit Plan that does not comply in all respects with TARP. For the avoidance of doubt, each Applicable Employee on layoff status, leave status or with recall rights as of the Closing Date, shall continue in such status and/or retain such rights after Closing in the Ordinary Course of Business. Each Applicable Employee who accepts employment with Purchaser or one of its Affiliates and commences working for Purchaser or one of its Affiliates shall become a “Transferred Employee.” To the extent such offer of employment by Purchaser or its Affiliates is not accepted, Sellers shall, as soon as practicable following the Closing Date, terminate the employment of all such Applicable Employees. Nothing in this Section 6.17(a) shall prohibit Purchaser or any of its Affiliates from terminating the employment of any Transferred Employee after the Closing Date, subject to the terms and conditions of the UAW Collective Bargaining Agreement. It is understood that the intent of this Section 6.17(a) is to provide a seamless transition from Sellers to Purchaser of any Applicable Employee subject to the UAW Collective Bargaining Agreement. Except for Applicable Employees with non- standard individual agreements providing for severance benefits, until at least the first anniversary of the Closing Date, Purchaser further agrees and acknowledges that it shall provide to each Transferred Employee who is not covered by the UAW Collective Bargaining Agreement and whose employment is involuntarily terminated by Purchaser or its Affiliates on or prior to the first anniversary of the Closing Date, severance benefits that are not less favorable than the severance benefits such Transferred Employee would have received under the applicable Benefit Plans listed on Section 4.10 of the Sellers’ Disclosure Schedule. Purchaser or one of its Affiliates shall take all actions necessary such that Transferred Employees shall be credited for their actual and credited service with Sellers and each of their respective Affiliates, for purposes of eligibility, vesting and benefit accrual (except in the case of a defined benefit pension plan sponsored by Purchaser or any of its Affiliates in which Transferred Employees may commence participation after the Closing that is not an Assumed Plan), in any employee benefit plans (excluding equity compensation plans or programs) covering Transferred Employees after the Closing to the same extent as such Transferred Employee was entitled as of immediately prior to the Closing Date to credit for such service under any similar employee benefit plans, programs or arrangements of any of Sellers or any Affiliate of Sellers; provided, however, that such crediting of service shall not operate to duplicate any benefit to any such Transferred Employee or the funding for any such benefit. Such benefits shall not be subject to any exclusion for any pre-existing conditions to the extent such conditions were satisfied by such Transferred Employees under a Parent Employee Benefit Plan as of the Closing Date, and credit shall be provided for any deductible or out-of-pocket amounts paid by such Transferred Employee during the plan year in which the Closing Date occurs.
Continuing Employment (a) Continuing employment means full-time or fractional-time employment that does not have a fixed end date or a contingency upon which the employment contract will come to an end. (b) All employment other than fixed-term employment and casual employment will be continuing employment. (c) Notwithstanding subclause 16.0(b) above, the University may employ a person in Continuing (Contingent Funded Research) employment on a full-time or fractional-time basis in accordance with the terms of this Agreement.
WELFARE PLAN Section 1: The Plan Section 2: Joint Welfare Board