Eligibility for Severance Benefits The Company or its successor shall pay or provide to the Executive the Severance Benefits if the Executive has a Separation from Service and his employment is terminated voluntarily or involuntarily during the term of this Agreement, either:
(a) by the Company (1) at any time within 24 months after a Change in Control of the Company, or (2) at any time prior to a Change in Control but after the commencement of any discussions with a third party relating to a possible Change in Control of the Company involving such third party, if such termination is in contemplation of such possible Change in Control and such Change in Control is actually consummated within 12 months after the date of such termination, in either case unless the termination is on account of the Executive’s death or Disability or for Cause, provided that, in the case of a termination on account of the Executive’s Disability or for Cause, the Company shall give Notice of Termination to the Executive with respect thereto; or
(b) by the Executive for Good Reason (1) at any time within 24 months after a Change in Control of the Company or (2) at any time after the commencement of any discussions with a third party relating to a possible Change in Control of the Company involving such third party, if such Change in Control is actually consummated within 12 months after the date of such termination, and, in any such case, provided that the Executive shall give Notice of Termination to the Company with respect thereto. For purposes of clarity, with respect to Section 3 above, an Executive who is collecting Disability benefits will not be eligible for benefits under this Agreement. An Executive who is no longer Disabled will be eligible for benefits under this Agreement if, in the period extending from 12 months before the Change in Control to 24 months after the Change in Control, either of the following occur: (1) the Executive attempts to return to his or her position, and no such position is available, or (2) the Executive returns to employment and is subsequently terminated pursuant to Section 3(a) or Section 3(b) above.
Continued Employee Benefits If Executive elects continuation coverage pursuant to COBRA within the time period prescribed pursuant to COBRA for Executive and Executive’s eligible dependents, the Company will reimburse Executive for the premiums necessary to continue group health insurance benefits for Executive and Executive’s eligible dependents until the earlier of (A) a period of twelve (12) months from the date of Executive’s termination of employment, (B) the date upon which Executive and/or Executive’s eligible dependents becomes covered under similar plans or (C) the date upon which Executive ceases to be eligible for coverage under COBRA (such reimbursements, the “COC COBRA Premiums”). However, if the Company determines in its sole discretion that it cannot pay the COC COBRA Premiums without potentially violating applicable law (including, without limitation, Section 2716 of the Public Health Service Act), the Company will in lieu thereof provide to Executive a taxable monthly payment in an amount equal to the monthly COBRA premium that Executive would be required to pay to continue Executive’s group health coverage in effect on the date of Executive’s termination of employment (which amount will be based on the premium for the first month of COBRA coverage), which payments will be made regardless of whether Executive elects COBRA continuation coverage and will commence on the month following Executive’s termination of employment and will end on the earlier of (x) the date upon which Executive obtains other employment or (y) the date the Company has paid an amount equal to twelve (12) payments. For the avoidance of doubt, the taxable payments in lieu of COBRA Premiums may be used for any purpose, including, but not limited to continuation coverage under COBRA, and will be subject to all applicable tax withholdings. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary under this Agreement, if at any time the Company determines in its sole discretion that it cannot provide the payments contemplated by the preceding sentence without violating applicable law (including, without limitation, Section 2716 of the Public Health Service Act), Executive will not receive such payment or any further reimbursements for COBRA premiums.
Employees; Employee Benefits (a) For the 12-month period following the Closing Date (the “Continuation Period”), Buyer shall provide, or shall cause the Company to continue providing, to each individual who is a Business Employee as of the Closing (each, a “Continuing Employee”): (i) a base salary or hourly wage rate, as applicable, that is at least equal to the base salary or hourly wage rate provided to such Continuing Employee immediately prior to the Closing, (ii) annual or other short-term cash bonus opportunities (for the avoidance of doubt, excluding equity and equity based rights) that are substantially comparable to those provided to such Continuing Employee immediately prior to Closing, and (iii) medical and defined contribution retirement benefits that are substantially comparable, in the aggregate, to those provided to similarly situated employees of Buyer or its Affiliates. If Buyer terminates, or causes the Company to terminate, any Continuing Employee in the 6-month period following the Closing Date (each, a “Terminated Employee”), Buyer or the Company, as the case may be, shall provide to such Terminated Employee the amount of severance, as determined by Buyer in good faith, to which such Terminated Employee would have been entitled under the Company’s existing severance plan in place as of the Closing Date.
(b) For all purposes, including vesting, eligibility to participate and level of benefits (other than benefits under defined benefit pension plans) under the Employee Benefit Plans of Buyer or its Affiliates (as applicable) providing benefits to Continuing Employees after the Closing in which such Continuing Employees are eligible to participate (the “New Plans”), each Continuing Employee in such plans shall be credited with his or her years of service with the Company and its predecessors prior to the Closing, to the same extent as such Continuing Employee was entitled, before the Closing, to credit for such service under any similar Employee Benefit Plan in which such Continuing Employee participated or was eligible to participate immediately prior to the Closing (such plans, collectively, the “Old Plans”); provided, however, that the foregoing shall not apply to the extent that its application would result in a duplication of benefits with respect to the same period of service. In addition, and without limiting the generality of the foregoing, Buyer shall undertake commercially reasonable efforts to provide that (i) each Continuing Employee shall be immediately eligible to participate, without any waiting time, in any and all New Plans to the extent coverage under any such New Plan replaces coverage under any Old Plan and (ii) for purposes of each New Plan providing medical, dental, pharmaceutical, vision, disability, life insurance and/or other welfare benefits to any Continuing Employee (collectively, the “New Welfare Plans”), Buyer shall cause (A) all pre-existing conditions, exclusions or limitations, eligibility waiting periods and actively-at-work requirements of such New Welfare Plans to be waived for such Continuing Employee and his or her covered dependents (to the extent such conditions, exclusions, limitations, periods and requirements were waived or satisfied as of immediately prior to the Closing under comparable Old Plans), and (B) any eligible expenses incurred by each Continuing Employee and his or her covered dependents during the portion of the plan year of the Old Plan ending on the date such Continuing Employee’s participation in the corresponding New Welfare Plan begins to be taken into account under such New Welfare Plan for purposes of satisfying all deductible, co-payment, 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 Welfare Plan.
(c) As of the Closing, Seller and its Affiliates (other than the Group Companies) shall assume and/or retain sponsorship of and be solely responsible for all Liabilities relating to or at any time arising under or in connection with or pursuant to any Employee Benefit Plan or other plan, program, arrangement, or agreement providing compensation or benefits to any current or former director, officer, employee or other service provider of Seller or its Affiliates.
(d) Nothing contained in this Section 7.3 or elsewhere in this Agreement, express or implied, shall confer upon any current or former Business Employee or Business Service Provider any right to continued employment or service (or resumed employment or service) subsequent to the Closing. This Section 7.3 shall operate exclusively for the benefit of the Parties and not for the benefit of any other Person, including any current or former Business Employees or the Continuing Employees, which Persons shall have no rights to enforce this Section 7.3 of this Agreement. Nothing in this Section 7.3 shall: (i) create any third party rights in any current or former Business Employee or Business Service Provider (including any beneficiary or dependent thereof) or (ii) be treated as an amendment of any Employee Benefit Plan or restrict the ability of the Parties or their Affiliates to amend, modify, discontinue or terminate any Employee Benefit Plan or any other employee benefit plan, practice or policy established or maintained by the Parties or their Affiliates.
Compensation Benefits Etc During the Employment Period, the Manager shall be compensated as follows:
(a) The Manager shall (i) receive an annual cash base salary, payable not less frequently than semi-monthly, which is not less than the annualized cash base salary payable to Manager as of the Effective Date; (ii) be entitled to at least as favorable annual incentive award opportunity under the Company's annual incentive compensation plan as he did in the calendar year immediately prior to the year in which the Change of Control Event occurs; and (iii) be eligible to participate in all of the Company's long-term incentive compensation plans and programs on terms that are at least as favorable to the Manager as provided to the Manager in the four calendar years prior to the Effective Date.
(b) The Manager shall be entitled to receive fringe benefits, employee benefits, and perquisites (including, but not limited to, vacation, medical, disability, dental, and life insurance benefits) which are at least as favorable to those made generally available as of the Effective Date to all of the Company's salaried managers as a group. In addition, the Manager shall be eligible to participate in the Company's Supplemental Retirement Income Program ("SRIP").
(c) Notwithstanding any other provision of this Agreement (whether in this Section 4, in Section 6, or elsewhere), (i) the Board of Directors may authorize an increase in the amount, duration, and nature of and/or the acceleration of any compensation or benefits payable under this Agreement, as well as waive or reduce the requirements for entitlement thereto and (ii) the Company may deduct from amounts otherwise payable to the Manager such amounts as it reasonably believes it is required to withhold for the payment of federal, state, and local taxes.
Continuation of Employee Benefits (a) On and after the Effective Time, directors, officers and employees of the Company and its Subsidiaries shall be provided employee benefits, plans and programs (including but not limited to incentive compensation, deferred compensation, pension, life insurance, medical (which eligibility shall not be subject to any exclusions for any pre-existing conditions if such individual has met the participation requirements of such benefits, plans or programs of the Company or its Subsidiaries), profit sharing (including 401(k)), severance salary continuation and fringe benefits) which are no less favorable in the aggregate than those generally available to similarly situated directors, officers and employees of Parent and its significant Subsidiaries. For purposes of eligibility to participate and vesting in all benefits provided to directors, officers and employees, the directors, officers and employees of the Company and its Subsidiaries will be credited with their years of service with the Company and its Subsidiaries and prior employers to the extent service with the Company and its Subsidiaries and prior employers is taken into account under plans of the Company and its Subsidiaries. Upon termination of any medical plan of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries, individuals who were directors, officers or employees of the Company or its Subsidiaries at the Effective Time shall become eligible to participate in the medical plan of Parent. Amounts paid before the Effective Time by directors, officers and employees of the Company and its Subsidiaries under any medical plans of the Company shall after the Effective Time be taken into account in applying deductible and out-of-pocket limits applicable under the medical plan of Parent provided as of the Effective Time to the same extent as if such amounts had been paid under such medical plan of Parent.
(b) This Section 6.14, which shall survive the Effective Time and shall continue without limit, is intended to benefit and bind the Company and the Surviving Corporation, each of whom may enforce the provisions of this Section 6.14. Nothing contained in this Section 6.14 shall create any third party beneficiary rights in any director, officer or employee or former director, officer or employee (including any beneficiary or dependent thereof) of the Company, any of its Subsidiaries or the Surviving Corporation in respect of continued employment for any specified period of any nature or kind whatsoever, and nothing contained in this Section 6.14 shall create such third party rights in any such person in respect of any benefits that may be provided, directly or indirectly, under any employee benefit plan or arrangement.
Compensation of Employee Employer shall pay Employee, and Employee shall accept from Employer, in full payment for Employee's services hereunder, compensation as follows:
Other Employee Benefits In addition to the foregoing, during the Employment Term, the Employee will be entitled to participate in and to receive benefits as a senior executive under all of the Company’s employee benefit plans, programs and arrangements available to senior executives, subject to the eligibility criteria and other terms and conditions thereof, as such plans, programs and arrangements may be duly amended, terminated, approved or adopted by the Board from time to time.
Employee Benefits; ERISA (a) Schedule 3.10(a) of the Disclosure Schedule sets forth a true and complete list of each material, written profit-sharing, stock option, restricted stock option, deferred compensation, pension, severance, thrift, savings, incentive, change of control, employment, retirement, bonus, or equity-based, group life and health insurance or other employee benefit plan, agreement, arrangement or commitment, which is maintained, contributed to or required to be contributed to by any Company or any Company Subsidiary on behalf of any current or former employee, director or consultant of any Company or any Company Subsidiary, or by Seller on behalf of any Transferred Employee, or pursuant to which any current or former employee, director or consultant of any Company or Company Subsidiary or any Transferred Employee is eligible to receive benefits on account of service with Seller, its Subsidiaries, any Company or any Company Subsidiary (all of which are hereinafter referred to as the "Benefit Plans"). Schedule 3.10(a) of the Disclosure Schedule identifies each of the Benefit Plans which constitutes an "employee benefit plan" as defined in Section 3(3) of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, as amended ("ERISA") and identifies each of the Benefit Plans that are sponsored by or are otherwise obligations of the Company or any Company Subsidiary. None of the Companies or Company Subsidiaries has any formal commitment or intention communicated to employees, to create any additional Benefit Plan or materially modify or change any existing Benefit Plan.
(b) With respect to each of the Benefit Plans, Seller has made available to Buyer true and complete copies of each of the following documents, if applicable: (i) the plan document (including all amendments thereto); (ii) trust documents and insurance contracts; (iii) the annual report filed on Form 5500 for the last two years, if any; (iv) the actuarial report for the last two years, if any; (v) the most recent summary plan description, together with each summary of material modifications; (vi) the most recent determination letter received from the Internal Revenue Service; and (vii) any Form 5310 or Form 5330 filed with the Internal Revenue Service.
(c) Each Benefit Plan has been operated and administered substantially in accordance with its terms and with applicable law including, but not limited to, ERISA and the Code, and all notices, filings and disclosures required by ERISA or the Code (including notices under Section 4980B of the Code) have been timely made. Each Benefit Plan which is an "employee pension benefit plan" within the meaning of Section 3(2) of ERISA (a "Pension Plan") and which is intended to be qualified under Section 401(a) of the Code has received a favorable determination letter from the Internal Revenue Service for "TRA" (as defined in Rev. Proc. 93-39), and, to the knowledge of Seller or the Companies, there are no circumstances that are likely to result in revocation of any such favorable determination letter. There is no pending or, to the knowledge of Seller or the Companies, threatened litigation relating to any of the Benefit Plans. None of Seller, any affiliate of Seller, the Companies or the Company Subsidiaries has engaged in a transaction with respect to any Benefit Plan that, assuming the taxable period of such transaction expired as of the date hereof, could subject any Company or any Company Subsidiary or any Benefit Plan to a Tax or penalty imposed by either Section 4975 of the Code or Section 502(i) of ERISA in an amount which could be material. No action has been taken with respect to any of the Benefit Plans to either terminate any of such Benefit Plans or to cause distributions, other than in the Ordinary Course of Business to participants under such Benefit Plans.
(d) No Benefit Plan is, and no benefit plan of any entity which is considered one employer with any Company or any Company Subsidiary under Section 4001 of ERISA or Section 414 of the Code is, or has been for the past six years, subject to Title IV of ERISA. No notice of a "reportable event", within the meaning of Section 4043 of ERISA for which the 30-day reporting requirement has not been waived, has been required to be filed for any Benefit Plan or by any ERISA Affiliate within the 12-month period ending on the date hereof.
(e) All contributions required to be made under the terms of any Benefit Plan have been timely made when due or have been reflected on the Final Year End Statements.
(f) Except as set forth in Schedule 3.10(f) of the Disclosure Schedule, none of the Companies nor any Company Subsidiary has any obligations for retiree health or life benefits other than coverage mandated by applicable law. The amounts accrued as of the date hereof by each Company and each Company Subsidiary in respect of such obligations as of the date hereof are adequate to satisfy such obligations, and the amounts accrued as of the Closing Date by each Company and each Company Subsidiary in respect of such obligations as of the Closing Date will be adequate to satisfy such obligations as of the Closing Date. There are no restrictions on the rights of any Company or any Company Subsidiary to amend or terminate any Benefit Plan without incurring Liability thereunder.
(g) Except as set forth in Schedule 3.10(g) of the Disclosure Schedule, neither the execution of this Agreement nor the consummation of the transactions contemplated hereby will (or will upon termination of employment prior to or after the date hereof) (i) entitle any employee, director or consultant of any Company or any Company Subsidiary to severance pay or increase in severance pay, unemployment compensation or any other payment; (ii) accelerate the time of payment or vesting or funding (through a grantor trust or otherwise) or increase the amount of payment with respect to any compensation due to any employee, director or consultant; or (iii) meet the definition of a "Change in Control Event" or otherwise accelerate vesting of any award granted under the Seller's Performance Incentive Compensation Program.
Employment Compensation Schedule 3.16 contains a true and correct list of all employees to whom Company is paying compensation, including bonuses and incentives, at an annual rate in excess of Fifteen Thousand Dollars ($15,000) for services rendered or otherwise; and in the case of salaried employees such list identifies the current annual rate of compensation for each employee and in the case of hourly or commission employees identifies certain reasonable ranges of rates and the number of employees falling within each such range.
Other Employment Benefits During the Employment Term, the Executive shall be entitled to the following employment benefits:
(a) four (4) weeks of paid vacation in each fiscal year of EDGEN while the Executive is employed hereunder (one week of which, if not used by the Executive in any given fiscal year, may be carried over to the next fiscal year; provided, that the Executive shall not have more than five (5) weeks of paid vacation in any given fiscal year as a result of such carry over), and sick leave in accordance with EDGEN’s policies from time to time in effect for executive officers of EDGEN; provided, that, except as provided herein, vacation and/or sick leave time not used in any year may not be carried over or transferred from one year to another or converted to cash, except in a year in which there is a Change of Control (as hereinafter defined) where the Executive is no longer employed;
(b) participation, subject to qualification requirements, in medical, life or other insurance or hospitalization plans and long-term disability policies which are presently in effect or hereinafter instituted by EDGEN and applicable to its executive officers generally;
(c) participation, subject to classification requirements and continued maintenance thereof by EDGEN in other Executive benefit plans, such as pension and profit sharing plans, which are from time to time applicable to EDGEN’s executive officers generally;
(d) an automobile allowance of $1,200 per month, which shall be used by the Executive to cover all lease and insurance payments with respect to one automobile of the Executive’s choice for business purposes, which automobile’s retail value shall not exceed $75,000. The Executive shall provide proof of insurance in limits and with a company approved by EDGEN. EDGEN shall also be listed as a “named insured” under the policy. EDGEN shall reimburse the Executive, upon the presentation of appropriate receipts, for all reasonable and necessary maintenance, repair and gasoline costs incurred by the Executive in connection with the use of such automobile; provided, that such costs are directly related to the performance by the Executive of his obligations to EDGEN and/or to Parent hereunder;
(e) EDGEN shall purchase (subject to the insurability of the Executive at standard rates) a life insurance policy in the amount of $1,000,000 on the life of the Executive to provide benefits under Section 5.2 (b) hereof; and
(f) a supplemental payment of $9500 per annum (the “Supplemental Payment”), which shall be paid in accordance with EDGEN’s customary payroll practices which are in effect from time to time during the Employment Term.
