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.
WELFARE PLAN Section 1: The Plan
Section 2: Joint Welfare Board
Health and Welfare Plans (a) A copy of the master contracts with the carriers for the extended health care, dental and group life plans shall be sent to the President of the Union.
(b) The Employer will consult the Union before developing any pamphlet explaining the highlights of the plans for distribution to employees. The cost of such a pamphlet shall be borne by the Employer.
Health and Welfare Benefit Plans During the Employment Period, Executive and Executive’s immediate family shall be entitled to participate in such health and welfare benefit plans as the Employer shall maintain from time to time for the benefit of senior executive officers of the Employer and their families, on the terms and subject to the conditions set forth in such plan. Nothing in this Section shall limit the Employer’s right to change or modify or terminate any benefit plan or program as it sees fit from time to time in the normal course of business so long as it does so for all senior executives of the Employer.
Pension and Welfare Plans During the twelve-consecutive-month period prior to the Closing Date and prior to the date of any Credit Extension hereunder, no steps have been taken to terminate any Pension Plan, and no contribution failure has occurred with respect to any Pension Plan sufficient to give rise to a Lien under Section 302(f) of ERISA. No condition exists or event or transaction has occurred with respect to any Pension Plan which might reasonably be expected to result in the incurrence by the Borrowers or any member of the Controlled Group of any material liability, fine or penalty. Except as disclosed in Item 6.11 of the Disclosure Schedule, neither any Borrower nor any member of the Controlled Group has any contingent liability with respect to any post-retirement benefit under a Welfare Plan, other than liability for continuation coverage described in Part 6 of Title I of ERISA.
HEALTH AND WELFARE PLAN 9.01 The Employer shall make available the following or similar benefits as mutually agreed between the Employer and the Union to eligible regular full-time employees (as defined below). The cost of the benefits under Sections 9.07, 9.08, 9.09, 9.10, 9.11, 9.12 and 9.13 below shall be paid one hundred percent (100%) by the Employer. An eligible full-time employee shall be one who has three (3) consecutive months current employment at the effective date of the Plan. Benefits for full-time employees who are laid off will be maintained by the Employer for one half (½) of the employee's recall period as specified in Section 14.04 on the following basis: - B.C. Medical Services Plan (M.S.P.) - Group Life Insurance - Hearing aid, eyeglasses and prescription drug coverage A regular full-time employee who does not have three (3) months' current consecutive full-time service at the effective date of the Plan, or a new employee, shall be eligible the day following the date their current consecutive full-time service reaches three (3) months.
9.02 A regular full-time employee reduced to part-time shall continue to be eligible to participate in the Plan. Full-time employees reducing to below thirty-two (32) hours per week shall receive proportionate Weekly Indemnity benefits. Employees shall return completed enrollment forms as soon as possible. The Employer will only offer benefits after first eligibility test is met. If refused at that time by the employee, further testing is not required. If an employee later wants coverage, it is his or her responsibility to make application to the Employer. If he or she is eligible for coverage, the same rules regarding late enrollment as apply to full- time staff may be imposed.
9.03 The Employer shall also make available the benefits to employees (except students) who work an average of thirty-two (32) hours per week for a period of three (3) consecutive months. Such employees shall receive the same benefits as set out for full-time employees in this Section of the Agreement.
9.04 For the purposes of entitlement and disentitlement, the conditions set out below will apply:
A. Employees who average thirty-two (32) hours per week for a three (3) month period will be eligible for all benefits under Section 9 on the first of the month following meeting this requirement. Eligibility verifications will be done each month ending on the last Saturday of the month on a 4, 4, 5 basis, i.e.: if an employee had averaged thirty-two (32) hours per week in the three (3) months prior to April 25, he/she would become eligible for the benefit package on May 1.
B. If an employee fails to meet the eligibility test, he/she will continue to be eligible for three (3) months. At that time he/she will be tested again and, if eligible, will continue receiving benefits. If not eligible, will cease receiving benefits. Thereafter at the end of each month, the employee's eligibility will be tested and, as soon as he/she becomes eligible again, benefits will be reinstated.
9.05 The Employer shall also make available: - Medical Services Plan (M.S.P.) - Extended Health Benefit (E.H.B.) - Hearing Aid, Eyeglass, Prescription Drug Plan (H.E.P.) to employees (except students) who work an average of twenty-four (24) hours per week for a period of three (3) consecutive months. For the purposes of entitlement and disentitlement, the hours' tests set out above will apply, but will be based on twenty-four (24) hours instead of thirty-two (32) hours per week. New employees who are covered by the B.C. Medical Services Plan at the date of their employment can elect to maintain their continuity of coverage to be paid as defined above.
9.06 Enrollment of group benefits shall be compulsory at the option of the Employer. The Employer, at his option, may require all enrollment cards to be signed within three (3) months from the date that regular full-time employment commenced. If, under exceptional circumstances, an employee does not sign an enrollment card within three (3) months of employment, he or she may be allowed a further month of grace at the option of the Employer. A period of grace longer than one (1) month may be allowed by the Employer; but, in such cases, a medical examination at the employee's own expense shall be compulsory and a three (3) month penalty period may be imposed.
Welfare Benefit Plans During the Employment Period, the Executive and/or the Executive's family, as the case may be, shall be eligible for participation in and shall receive all benefits under welfare benefit plans, practices, policies and programs provided by the Company and its affiliated companies (including, without limitation, medical, prescription, dental, disability, employee life, group life, accidental death and travel accident insurance plans and programs) to the extent applicable generally to other peer executives of the Company and its affiliated companies, but in no event shall such plans, practices, policies and programs provide the Executive with benefits which are less favorable, in the aggregate, than the most favorable of such plans, practices, policies and programs in effect for the Executive at any time during the 120-day period immediately preceding the Effective Date or, if more favorable to the Executive, those provided generally at any time after the Effective Date to other peer executives of the Company and its affiliated companies.
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.
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.
Savings Plans Employee shall be entitled to participate in Employer’s 401(k) plan, or other retirement or savings plans as are made available to Employer’s other executives and officers and on the same terms which are available to Employer’s other executives and officers.
