Exempt Employees In conjunction with Section 1 above, employees declared to be exempt by the Employer or the United States Department of Labor shall be governed by this section.
Shift Employees Employees who work rotating shift patterns or those who work qualifying shifts shall be entitled, on completion of 12 months employment on shift work, to up to an additional 5 days annual leave, based on the number of qualifying shifts worked. The entitlement will be calculated on the annual leave anniversary date. Qualifying shifts are defined as a shift which involves at least 2 hours work performed outside the hours of 8.00am to 5.00pm, excluding overtime. Number of qualifying shifts per annum Number of days additional leave per annum 121 or more 5 days 96 – 120 4 days 71 – 95 3 days 46 – 70 2 days 21 – 45 1 day
Fixed Term Employees The only terms of this Agreement that apply to employees who are not regular employees are those that are set out in Articles 31A, 32, 33 and 34. 31A.1 Articles 31A.2 to 31A.16 apply only to fixed-term employees other than seasonal, student and GO Temp employees.
CLASSIFICATION OF EMPLOYEES Section 1. A full-time employee shall be deemed to be any employee regularly scheduled to work forty (40) hours per week. A regular employee is one whose employment is reasonably expected to continue for longer than fifteen (15) months.
Section 2. A part-time employee shall be deemed to be any employee regularly scheduled to work less than forty (40) hours per week.
Section 3. The Company shall have the right to reduce employee classifications from full-time to part-time or to increase employee classifications from part-time to full-time. Should the Company deem it appropriate to reclassify full-time employees to part-time employees, it will seek volunteers from the affected group and then force in reverse order of seniority.
Section 4. A temporary employee is one who is engaged for a specific project or a limited period, with the definite understanding that his/her employment is to terminate upon completion of the project or at the end of the period, and whose employment is expected to continue for more than three (3) consecutive weeks, but not more than fifteen (15) months. The termination of the employment of such temporary employees shall not be subject to the grievance or arbitration provisions of this Agreement.
Section 5. Agency workers and independent contractors shall not be deemed to be employees of the Company and, as such, shall not be covered by any of the terms or conditions of this Agreement.
Compensation of Employees Compensate its employees for services rendered at an hourly rate at least equal to the minimum hourly rate prescribed by any applicable federal or state law or regulation.
Employees and Employee Benefits (a) Prior to the Closing Date, Buyer shall determine in its sole discretion which Business Employees, if any, to offer employment, and shall set initial terms and conditions of employment for any such employees to whom it offers employment, including wages, benefits, job duties and responsibilities, and work assignments. Only Business Employees who are offered and accept such offers of employment, and actually commence employment with Buyer based upon the initial terms and conditions set by Buyer, shall become “Buyer Employees” after the Closing Date. Seller shall make available for interviews the Business Employees if so requested by Buyer to facilitate Buyer’s right to offer employment to such employees in its sole discretion pursuant to this Section 6.03(a). Buyer shall be responsible for any liability, obligation or commitment arising out of or relating to the (i) employment (including the application for or termination of employment) of any Buyer Employee by Buyer arising after the Closing Date pursuant to the terms and conditions of employment set by Buyer, and (ii) the provision of services by any other Person to Buyer after the Closing Date.
(b) Seller shall terminate, or shall cause to be terminated, on or prior to the Closing Date the employment and service of all Business Employees (which shall include releasing such Business Employees from any obligations to Seller or its Affiliates following the Closing Date incurred or that arose in connection with such employment or service, including confidentiality, non-competition and non-solicitation agreements) who are offered and accept offers of employment with Buyer pursuant to this Section 6.03. For the avoidance of doubt, (i) Buyer shall not be obligated to provide any severance, separation pay, final wage payments, or other payment or benefits to any Business Employee on account of any termination of such Business Employee’s employment on or before the Closing Date, and (ii) Seller acknowledges and agrees that any and all liabilities, obligations or commitments of Seller to pay any employee or former employee of Seller (including the Buyer Employees) for any salary, bonus, commission, vacation pay, severance, separation, key employee retention payments, or other compensation earned or accrued on or prior to the Closing Date, shall be an Excluded Liability and be borne solely by Seller.
(c) Seller shall have full responsibility under the WARN Act or any other labor or employment Law relating to any obligation, act, or omission of Seller prior to or on the Closing Date with respect to the Business Employees including, without limitation, any Liabilities that result from the Business Employees’ separation of employment from Seller or Business Employees not becoming Buyer Employees.
(d) With respect to any employee benefit plan maintained by Buyer or an Affiliate of Buyer for the benefit of any Buyer Employee (collectively, “Buyer Benefit Plans”), effective as of the Closing, Buyer shall, or shall cause its Affiliate to, recognize, to the extent permitted under applicable Law, all service of the Buyer Employees with Seller, as if such service were with Buyer, for purposes of any applicable Buyer Benefit Plan; provided, however, such service shall not be recognized to the extent that (x) such recognition would result in a duplication of benefits or (y) such service was not recognized under the corresponding Benefit Plan. Further, with respect to each Buyer Benefit Plan, in which any Buyer Employee will be eligible to participate effective as of the Closing, Buyer shall, or shall cause its applicable Affiliate(s) to, (i) waive, to the extent permitted under applicable Law, all pre-existing conditions, exclusions and waiting periods with respect to participation and coverage requirements applicable to such Buyer Employee under any such Buyer Benefit Plan in which such Buyer Employee may be eligible to participate on or after the Closing, except to the extent such pre-existing conditions, exclusions or waiting periods would apply under the analogous Benefit Plan; and (ii) to the extent permitted under applicable Law, provide each such Buyer Employee with credit for any payments made under any cost-sharing provisions prior to the Closing (to the same extent such credit was given under the analogous Benefit Plan prior to the Closing) in satisfying any applicable cost-sharing provisions in any Buyer Benefit Plan in which such Buyer Employee may be eligible to participate on or after the Closing.
(e) Effective as of the Closing Date, the Buyer Employees shall cease active participation in the Benefit Plans. Seller shall remain liable for all eligible claims for benefits under the Benefit Plans that are incurred by the Business Employees on or prior to the Closing Date. For purposes of this Agreement, the following claims shall be deemed to be incurred as follows: (i) life, accidental death and dismemberment, short-term disability, and workers’ compensation insurance benefits, on the event giving rise to such benefits; (ii) medical, vision, dental, and prescription drug benefits, on the date the applicable services, materials or supplies were provided; and (iii) long-term disability benefits, on the eligibility date determined by the long-term disability insurance carrier for the plan in which the applicable Business Employee participates.
(f) Buyer and Seller intend that the transactions contemplated by this Agreement should not constitute a separation, termination or severance of employment of any Business Employee who accepts an employment offer by Buyer that is consistent with the requirements of Section 6.03(b), including for purposes of any Benefit Plan that provides for separation, termination or severance benefits (if any). Each Buyer Employee shall resign from Seller and accept employment with Buyer at the same time resulting in no period of unemployment. Buyer shall be liable and hold Seller harmless for any claims relating to the employment of any Buyer Employee only to the extent such claims relate to activity occurring after the Closing Date.
(g) This Section 6.03 shall be binding upon and inure solely to the benefit of each of the parties to this Agreement, and nothing in this Section 6.03, express or implied, shall confer upon any other Person any rights or remedies of any nature whatsoever under or by reason of this Section 6.03. Nothing contained herein, express or implied, shall be construed to establish, amend or modify any benefit plan, program, agreement or arrangement. The parties hereto acknowledge and agree that the terms set forth in this Section 6.03 shall not create any right in any Business Employee, Buyer Employee or any other Person to any continued employment with Buyer or any of its Affiliates or compensation or benefits of any nature or kind whatsoever.
(h) Seller shall follow the “standard procedure” for preparing and filing Internal Revenue Service Forms W-2 (Wage and Tax Statements), as described in Revenue Procedure 2004-53 for Buyer Employees. Under this procedure, (i) Seller shall provide all required Forms W-2 to (x) all Buyer Employees reflecting wages paid and Taxes withheld by Seller in respect of such Buyer Employees’ employment with Seller through the Closing Date, and (y) all other employees and former employees of Seller who are not Buyer Employees reflecting all wages paid and taxes withheld by Seller, and (ii) Buyer (or one of its Affiliates) shall provide all required Forms W-2 to all Buyer Employees reflecting all wages paid and taxes withheld by Buyer (or one of its Affiliates) after the Closing Date.
Newly Hired Employees All employees hired to an insurance eligible position must make their benefit elections by their initial effective date of coverage as defined in this Article, Section 5C. Insurance eligible employees will automatically be enrolled in basic life coverage. If employees eligible for a full Employer Contribution do not choose a health plan administrator and a primary care clinic by their initial effective date, and do not waive medical coverage, they will be enrolled in a Benefit Level Two clinic (or Level One, if available) that meets established access standards in the health plan with the largest number of Benefit Level One and Two clinics in the county of the employee’s residence at the beginning of the insurance year. If an employee does not choose a health plan administrator and primary care clinic by their initial effective date, but was previously covered as a dependent immediately prior to their initial effective date, they will be defaulted to the plan administrator and primary care clinic in which they were previously enrolled.
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.
Public Employees Retirement System “PERS”) Members.
Treatment of Company Equity Awards (i) All options to acquire shares of Company Common Stock and other awards (collectively, “Company Equity Awards”) made under the Company’s stock plans (collectively, the “Company Stock Plans”) prior to the Effective Time, which are outstanding immediately prior to the Effective Time, are identified in Section 4.1(f) of the Company Disclosure Letter.
(ii) In the event a Company Equity Award constitutes a grant of restricted stock and to the extent such award is outstanding immediately prior to the Effective Time (“Company Restricted Stock Award”), such Company Restricted Stock Award shall be deemed to be fully vested as of the Effective Time, and the holder of such Company Restricted Stock Award shall receive the number of shares of Company Common Stock subject to such Company Restricted Stock Award in accordance with the terms and conditions of the applicable Company Stock Plan, including any terms and conditions regarding any Taxes required by Applicable Law to be withheld, if any, with respect to the vesting of such Company Restricted Stock Award.
(iii) In the event a Company Equity Award constitutes a stock option grant and to the extent such award is outstanding during the 30-day period that ends immediately prior to the Effective Time (“Company Stock Option Award”), (A) such Company Stock Option Award shall be deemed to be fully vested and exercisable during such period, and (B) to the extent such Company Stock Option Award is exercised during such period, the holder of such Company Stock Option Award shall receive the number of shares of Company Common Stock subject to such Company Stock Option Award (to the extent exercised) in accordance with the terms and conditions of the applicable Company Stock Plan, including any terms and conditions regarding the payment of the exercise price and any Taxes required by Applicable Law to be withheld, if any, with respect to the exercise of such Company Stock Option Award. To the extent any Company Stock Option Awards remain outstanding and unexercised as of the close of the 30-day period that ends immediately prior to the Effective Time, such Company Stock Option Awards (A) shall be deemed to be fully vested and exercisable and (B) shall be continued and assumed by Parent as of the Effective Time pursuant to their terms (such awards are referred to herein as the “Rollover Awards”); provided, however, that Parent Common Stock shall replace the shares of Company Common Stock subject to such awards pursuant to this Agreement and the exercise price, if any, for such awards, if any, shall be adjusted as provided pursuant to this Agreement.
(iv) The assumption of Rollover Awards shall be made pursuant to this Section 4.1(f), so that at the Effective Time, the applicable Company Stock Plans shall be assumed by Parent (with such adjustments thereto as may be required to reflect the Merger, including the substitution of Parent Common Stock for Company Common Stock thereunder) and the Rollover Awards shall be assumed and adjusted by Parent, subject to the same terms and conditions as set forth in the applicable Company Stock Plans and the applicable award agreements entered into pursuant thereto; provided, however, that for periods beginning immediately following the Effective Time, (A) each Rollover Award shall be exercisable only for that whole number of shares of Parent Common Stock equal to the product (rounded down to the nearest whole share) of the number of shares of Company Common Stock subject to such Rollover Award immediately prior to the Effective Time multiplied by the Exchange Ratio, and (B) the exercise price per share of Parent Common Stock shall be an amount equal to the exercise price per share of Company Common Stock subject to such Rollover Award in effect immediately prior to the Effective Time divided by the Exchange Ratio (the price per share, as so determined, being rounded up to the nearest whole cent); provided, that in no event shall the exercise price per share be less than the par value of Parent Common Stock. For the avoidance of doubt, any exercise of a Rollover Award shall be made in accordance with the terms and conditions of the applicable Company Stock Plan, including any terms and conditions regarding the payment of the exercise price and any Taxes required by Applicable Law to be withheld, if any, with respect to the exercise of such Rollover Award. The adjustments provided in this paragraph with respect to any Rollover Awards shall be and are intended to be effective in a manner which is consistent with Section 424(a) of the Code and the Treasury Regulations thereunder, and, to the extent applicable, Section 409A of the Code and the Treasury Regulations thereunder.
(v) Except as otherwise provided herein or as set forth in Section 4.1(f)(v) of the Company Disclosure Letter, from and after the period that begins as of the date of this Agreement, the Company and its Subsidiaries shall take no action to provide for the extension of the term or exercise period with respect to any Company Equity Award (unless such extension is required under such Company Equity Awards or any applicable employment or change in control agreement pursuant any terms thereunder that are in effect as of the date of this Agreement). To the extent such extension is required under the terms of such Company Equity Awards (or any applicable employment or change in control agreement) or as set forth in Section 4.1(f)(v) of the Company Disclosure Letter, the Company shall, prior to the Effective Time, take all actions (if any) as may be required to cause such extension to occur at the Effective Time and immediately prior to any assumption of the Company Stock Plan by Parent (to the extent permitted under the terms of such Company Stock Plan as of the date of this Agreement).
(vi) Promptly following the Closing Date, Parent shall file with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) a Registration Statement on Form S-8 (or any successor form) covering the shares of Parent Common Stock issuable upon exercise or vesting of the Company Equity Awards, and shall cause such registration statement to remain effective for as long as there are outstanding any such Company Equity Awards. Except as otherwise specifically provided by this Section 4.1(f), the terms of the Company Equity Awards and the relevant Company Stock Plans, as in effect on the Effective Time, shall remain in full force and effect with respect to the Company Equity Awards after giving effect to the Merger and the assumptions by Parent as set forth above. As soon as practicable following the Effective Time, Parent shall deliver to the holders of Rollover Awards appropriate notices stating that such Rollover Awards and such agreements shall have been assumed by Parent and shall continue in effect on the same terms and conditions (subject to the adjustments required by this Section 4.1(f)).
(vii) Nothing in this Section 4.1(f) is intended to release any employee or service provider to the Company from any provisions relating to any non-competition, non-solicitation, or confidentiality provisions (or similar provisions) of any Company Equity Award and any associated damages or forfeitures (the “Equity Award Restrictive Covenants”), which shall survive the Effective Time. The Company shall take such action as may be necessary to ensure the survival of the Equity Award Restrictive Covenants and the succession of Parent to the benefits of the Equity Award Restrictive Covenants.
