Stock Subject to the Plan A. The stock issuable under the Plan shall be shares of authorized but unissued or reacquired Common Stock, including shares repurchased by the Corporation on the open market. The maximum number of shares of Common Stock initially reserved for issuance over the term of the Plan shall not exceed [ ] shares. Such authorized share reserve is comprised of (i) the number of shares which remain available for issuance, as of the Stockholder Approval Date, under the Predecessor Plan as last approved by the Corporation's stockholders, comprised of the shares subject to the outstanding options to be incorporated into the Plan as of the Stockholder Approval Date and the additional shares which would otherwise be available for future grant under the Predecessor Plan (estimated to be 395,800 shares in the aggregate as of March 1, 1998), plus (ii) an additional increase of [ ] shares authorized by the Board on [ ], 1998, subject to approval by the Corporation's stockholders at the 1998 Annual Meeting.
B. No one person participating in the Plan may receive options, separately exercisable stock appreciation rights and direct stock issuances for more than [250,000] shares of Common Stock in the aggregate per calendar year, beginning with the 1998 calendar year.
C. Shares of Common Stock subject to outstanding options (including options incorporated into this Plan from the Predecessor Plan) shall be available for subsequent issuance under the Plan to the extent those options expire or terminate for any reason prior to exercise in full. Unvested shares issued under the Plan and subsequently cancelled or repurchased by the Corporation, at the original issue price paid per share, pursuant to the Corporation's repurchase rights under the Plan shall be added back to the number of shares of Common Stock reserved for issuance under the Plan and shall accordingly be available for reissuance through one or more subsequent option grants or direct stock issuances under the Plan. However, should the exercise price of an option under the Plan be paid with shares of Common Stock or should shares of Common Stock otherwise issuable under the Plan be withheld by the Corporation in satisfaction of the withholding taxes incurred in connection with the exercise of an option or the vesting of a stock issuance under the Plan, then the number of shares of Common Stock available for issuance under the Plan shall be reduced by the gross number of shares for which the option is exercised or which vest under the stock issuance, and not by the net number of shares of Common Stock issued to the holder of such option or stock issuance.
D. If any change is made to the Common Stock by reason of any stock split, stock dividend, recapitalization, combination of shares, exchange of shares or other change affecting the outstanding Common Stock as a class without the Corporation's receipt of consideration, appropriate adjustments shall be made to (i) the maximum number and/or class of securities issuable under the Plan, (ii) the number and/or class of securities for which any one person may be granted stock options, separately exercisable stock appreciation rights and direct stock issuances under this Plan per calendar year, (iii) the number and/or class of securities for which grants are subsequently to be made under the Automatic Option Grant Program to new and continuing non-employee Board members, (iv) the number and/or class of securities and the exercise price per share in effect under each outstanding option under the Plan and (v) the number and/or class of securities and price per share in effect under each outstanding option incorporated into this Plan from the Predecessor Plan. Such adjustments to the outstanding options are to be effected in a manner which shall preclude the enlargement or dilution of rights and benefits under such options. The adjustments determined by the Plan Administrator shall be final, binding and conclusive.
Agreement Subject to the Plan This Agreement is subject to the provisions of the Plan and shall be interpreted in accordance therewith. The Holder hereby acknowledges receipt of a copy of the Plan.
Shares Subject to the Plan Subject to the provisions of Section 13 of the Plan, the maximum number of Shares that the Company may issue for all Awards is 1,453,334 Shares, provided that the Company shall not make additional awards under the Commonwealth Energy Corporation 1999 Equity Incentive Plan, as amended and assumed by Commerce Energy Group, Inc. For all Awards, the Shares issued pursuant to the Plan may be authorized but unissued Shares, or Shares that the Company has reacquired or otherwise holds in treasury. Shares that are subject to an Award that for any reason expires, is forfeited, is cancelled, or becomes unexercisable, and Shares that are for any other reason not paid or delivered under the Plan shall again, except to the extent prohibited by Applicable Law, be available for subsequent Awards under the Plan. In addition, the Committee may make future Awards with respect to Shares that the Company retains from otherwise delivering pursuant to an Award either (i) as payment of the exercise price of an Award, or (ii) in order to satisfy the withholding or employment taxes due upon the grant, exercise, vesting or distribution of an Award. Notwithstanding the foregoing, but subject to adjustments pursuant to Section 13 below, the number of Shares that are available for ISO Awards shall be determined, to the extent required under applicable tax laws, by reducing the number of Shares designated in the preceding paragraph by the number of Shares granted pursuant to Awards (whether or not Shares are issued pursuant to such Awards), provided that any Shares that are either issued or purchased under the Plan and forfeited back to the Plan, or surrendered in payment of the Exercise Price for an Award shall be available for issuance pursuant to future ISO Awards.
Grant of Restricted Stock Unit Award The Company hereby grants to the Participant, as of the Grant Date specified above, the number of RSUs specified above. Except as otherwise provided by the Plan, the Participant agrees and understands that nothing contained in this Agreement provides, or is intended to provide, the Participant with any protection against potential future dilution of the Participant’s interest in the Company for any reason, and no adjustments shall be made for dividends in cash or other property, distributions or other rights in respect of the shares of Common Stock underlying the RSUs, except as otherwise specifically provided for in the Plan or this Agreement.
Settlement of Restricted Stock Units (a) The Grantee shall receive payment, subject to satisfaction of the Grantee's tax withholding obligations as described below, with respect to such vested Restricted Stock Units in the form of shares of Company Stock on the date that the Restricted Stock Units become vested and nonforfeitable. However, if a scheduled issuance date falls on a Saturday, Sunday or U.S. federal holiday, such issuance date shall instead fall on the next following day that the principal executive offices of the Company are open for business. The Grantee is not required to make any monetary payment (other than applicable tax withholding, if required) as a condition to settlement and payment of the Restricted Stock Units. The Company will issue to the Grantee, in settlement of the Grantee's vested Restricted Stock Units and subject to the provisions of subsection 5(b) below, the number of whole shares of Company Stock that equals the number of whole Restricted Stock Units that become vested, and such vested Restricted Stock Units will terminate and cease to be outstanding upon such issuance of the shares of Company Stock. Upon issuance of such shares, the Company will determine the form of delivery (e.g., a stock certificate or electronic entry evidencing such shares) and may deliver such shares of Company Stock on the Grantee's behalf electronically to the Company's designated stock plan administrator or such other broker-dealer as the Company may choose at its sole discretion, within reason.
(b) All obligations of the Company under this Agreement shall be subject to the rights of the Company or the Grantee’s employer as set forth in the Plan to withhold amounts required to be withheld for any taxes, if applicable. Regardless of any action the Company or the Grantee’s employer takes with respect to any or all income tax, social insurance, payroll tax, payment on account or other tax-related items related to the Grantee’s participation in the Plan and legally applicable to the Grantee (“Tax-Related Items”), the Grantee acknowledges that the ultimate liability for all Tax-Related Items is and remains the Grantee’s responsibility and may exceed the amount actually withheld by the Company or the Grantee’s employer. The Grantee further acknowledges that the Company and/or the Grantee’s employer (1) make no representations or undertakings regarding the treatment of any Tax-Related Items in connection with any aspect of the Restricted Stock Units, including, but not limited to, the grant, vesting or settlement of the Restricted Stock Units, the issuance of shares of Company Stock upon settlement of the Restricted Stock Units, the subsequent sale of shares of Company Stock acquired pursuant to such issuance and the receipt of any dividends and (2) do not commit to and are under no obligation to structure the terms of the grant or any aspect of the Restricted Stock Units to reduce or eliminate the Grantee’s liability for Tax-Related Items or achieve any particular tax result. Further, if the Grantee has become subject to tax in more than one jurisdiction between the Date of Grant and the date of any relevant taxable or tax withholding event, as applicable, the Grantee acknowledges that the Company and/or the Grantee’s employer (or former employer, as applicable) may be required to withhold or account for Tax-Related Items in more than one jurisdiction. Prior to any relevant taxable or tax withholding event, as applicable, the Grantee will pay or make adequate arrangements satisfactory to the Company and/or the Grantee’s employer to satisfy all Tax-Related Items. In this regard, the Grantee authorizes the Company and/or the Grantee’s employer, or their respective agents, at their discretion, to satisfy the obligations with regard to all Tax-Related Items by one or a combination of the following:
(i) withholding from the Grantee’s wages or other cash compensation paid to the Grantee by the Company and/or the Grantee’s employer; or (ii) withholding from proceeds of the sale of shares of Company Stock acquired upon vesting of the Restricted Stock Units either through a voluntary sale or through a mandatory sale arranged by the Company (on the Grantee’s behalf pursuant to this authorization); or (iii) withholding in shares of Company Stock to be issued upon vesting of the Restricted Stock Units. If the Grantee is subject to the short-swing profit rules of Section 16(b) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and the Company elects to satisfy the obligations by withholding in shares of Company Stock, the Grantee is advised to consult with his or her personal legal, tax, or financial advisor. To avoid negative accounting treatment, the Company may withhold or account for Tax-Related Items by considering applicable minimum statutory withholding amounts or other applicable withholding rates. If the obligation for Tax-Related Items is satisfied by withholding in shares of Company Stock, for tax purposes, the Grantee is deemed to have been issued the full number of shares of Company Stock subject to the vested Restricted Stock Units, notwithstanding that a number of the shares of Company Stock are held back solely for the purpose of paying the Tax-Related Items due as a result of any aspect of the Grantee’s participation in the Plan. Finally, the Grantee shall pay to the Company or the Grantee’s employer, as the case may be, any amount of Tax- Related Items that the Company or the Grantee’s employer may be required to withhold or account for as a result of the Grantee’s participation in the Plan that cannot be satisfied by the means previously described. The Company may refuse to issue or deliver the shares of Company Stock or the proceeds of the sale of shares of Company Stock if the Grantee fails to comply with the Grantee’s obligations in connection with the Tax-Related Items.
(c) Notwithstanding the foregoing, in the event that (i) the Grantee is subject to the Company's policy permitting employees to sell shares of Company Stock only during certain "window" periods, in effect from time to time or the Grantee is otherwise prohibited from selling shares of Company Stock in the public market and any shares of Company Stock covered by the Grantee's Restricted Stock Units are scheduled to be issued on a day (the "Original Distribution Date") that does not occur during an open "window period" applicable to the Grantee, as determined by the Company in accordance with such policy, or does not occur on a date when the Grantee is otherwise permitted to sell shares of Company Stock in the open market, and (ii) the Company elects not to satisfy its tax withholding obligations by withholding shares of Company Stock from the Grantee's distribution and such Tax-Related Items have not otherwise been satisfied in accordance with Section 5(b), then, at the Company’s election, such shares of Company Stock may not be issued and delivered on such Original Distribution Date and shall instead be issued and delivered on the first business day of the next occurring open "window period" applicable to the Grantee pursuant to such policy (regardless of whether the Grantee is still providing continuous services at such time) or the next business day when the Grantee is not prohibited from selling shares of Company Stock in the open market, but in no event later than the fifteenth day of the third calendar month of the calendar year following the calendar year in which the Original Distribution Date occurs. In all cases, the issuance and delivery of shares of Company Stock under this Agreement is intended to comply with U.S. Treas. Reg. § 1.409A-1(b)(4) and shall be construed and administered in such a manner. Notwithstanding anything in the Plan to the contrary, in no event shall the Board exercise its discretion to accelerate the payment or settlement of the Restricted Stock Units where such payment or settlement constitutes deferred compensation within the meaning of section 409A of the Code unless, and solely to the extent that, such accelerated payment or settlement is permissible under U.S. Treas. Reg. § 1.409A- 3(j)(4) or any successor provision.
(d) The obligation of the Company to deliver Company Stock shall be subject to the condition that if at any time the Board shall determine in its discretion that the listing, registration or qualification of the shares of Company Stock upon any securities exchange or under any state, federal or foreign law, or the consent or approval of any governmental regulatory body is necessary or desirable as a condition of, or in connection with, the issuance of shares of Company Stock, the shares of Company Stock may not be issued in whole or in part unless such listing, registration, qualification, consent or approval shall have been effected or obtained free of any conditions not acceptable to the Board. The issuance of shares of Company Stock to the Grantee pursuant to this Agreement is subject to any applicable taxes and other laws or regulations of the United States or of any state or U.S. or foreign government having jurisdiction thereof.
Grant of Restricted Stock Award The Restricted Stock Award will be in the form of issued and outstanding shares of Stock that will be either registered in the name of the Participant and held by the Company, together with a stock power executed by the Participant in favor of the Company, pending the vesting or forfeiture of the Restricted Stock, or registered in the name of, and delivered to, the Participant. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Company may in its sole discretion, issue Restricted Stock in any other format (e.g., electronically) in order to facilitate the paperless transfer of such Awards. If certificated, the certificates evidencing the Restricted Stock Award will bear a legend restricting the transferability of the Restricted Stock. The Restricted Stock awarded to the Participant will not be sold, encumbered hypothecated or otherwise transferred except in accordance with the terms of the Plan and this Agreement.
Vesting of Restricted Stock Units The restrictions and conditions of Section 1 of this Agreement shall lapse on the Vesting Date or Dates specified in the following schedule so long as the Grantee remains in a Business Relationship (as defined in Section 3 below) on such Dates. If a series of Vesting Dates is specified, then the restrictions and conditions in Section 1 shall lapse only with respect to the number of Restricted Stock Units specified as vested on such date. Incremental Number of Restricted Stock Units Vested Vesting Date The Administrator may at any time accelerate the vesting schedule specified in this Section 2.
Subject to the Plan The Option evidenced by this Agreement and the exercise thereof are subject to the terms and conditions of the Plan, which is incorporated by reference and made a part hereof, but the terms of the Plan shall not be considered an enlargement of any rights or benefits under this Agreement. In addition, the Option is subject to any rules and regulations promulgated by the Committee.
Forfeiture of Restricted Stock Units i. If the Participant’s employment is terminated by reason of the Retirement of the Participant before October 1, <Year_of_Grant>, then the Restricted Stock Units shall be forfeited immediately and all rights of the Participant to such Units shall terminate immediately without further obligation on the part of the Corporation or any Subsidiary Company.
ii. If the Participant’s employment is terminated for any reason other than Retirement, Disability, or death, any Restricted Stock Units that are subject to a Restriction Period shall be forfeited immediately without further obligation on the part of the Corporation or any Subsidiary Company, and all rights of the Participant with respect to such Restricted Stock Units shall terminate. If the Participant is granted a leave of absence before the expiration of the Restriction Period, the Participant shall not forfeit any rights with respect to any Restricted Stock Units subject to the Restriction Period, except for Dividend Equivalent Payments as provided in Section 4 of this Agreement, unless the Participant’s employment with the Corporation or a Subsidiary Company terminates at any time during or at the end of the leave of absence and before the expiration of the Restriction Period, at which time all rights of the Participant with respect to such Restricted Stock Units shall terminate without further obligation on the part of the Corporation or any Subsidiary Company.
iii. Notwithstanding any provision of this Agreement to the contrary, if the Participant’s employment is terminated by reason of the Retirement or Disability of the Participant, and the Participant Engages in Competing Employment within a period of two years following Retirement or Disability, and before the expiration of the Restriction Period, then any Restricted Stock Units subject to a Restriction Period shall be forfeited immediately and all rights of the Participant to such Units shall terminate without further obligation on the part of the Corporation or any Subsidiary Company. A Participant “Engages in Competing Employment” if the Participant works for or provides services for any Competitor, on the Participant’s own behalf or on behalf of others, including, but not limited to, as a consultant, independent contractor, director, owner, officer, partner, joint venturer, or employee. For this purpose, a “Competitor” is any entity in the same line of business as the Corporation in North American markets in which the Corporation competes, including, but not limited to, any North American Class I rail carrier, any other rail carrier competing with the Corporation (including without limitation a holding or other company that controls or operates or is otherwise affiliated with any rail carrier competing with the Corporation), and any other provider of transportation services competing with Corporation, including motor and water carriers. Moreover, notwithstanding any provision of this Agreement to the contrary, the Restricted Stock Units shall be forfeited immediately and all rights of the Participant to such Units shall terminate if:
A. the Participant’s employment is terminated by reason of the Retirement or Disability of the Participant before the expiration of the Restriction Period, and
B. it is determined that the Participant engaged in any of the following:
1. the Participant engaged in an act of fraud, embezzlement, or theft in connection with the Participant’s duties or in the course of the Participant’s employment with the Corporation or Subsidiary Company; or
2. the Participant disclosed confidential information in violation of a confidentiality agreement with the Corporation or a Subsidiary Company, or otherwise in violation of the law. A determination under this paragraph shall be made by the Committee with respect to a participant who was, at any time, employed at the level of Vice President or above, and this determination shall be made by the Vice President Human Resources with respect to all other participants, and in either situation upon consultation with the Corporation’s chief legal officer. Participant understands that nothing in this Agreement (1) prohibits or impedes Participant from reporting possible violations of federal law or regulation to any governmental agency or entity (including but not limited to the Department of Justice, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), the Congress, and any agency Inspector General), from making other disclosures that are protected under the whistleblower provisions of federal law or regulation, or from receiving a monetary award from the SEC related to participation in an SEC investigation or proceeding, or (2) requires Participant to obtain prior authorization of the Corporation to make any such reports or disclosures or to notify the Corporation of such reports or disclosures.
Grant of Restricted Stock Units The Corporation hereby awards to the Participant, as of the Award Date, Restricted Stock Units under the Plan. Each Restricted Stock Unit represents the right to receive one share of Common Stock on the date that unit vests in accordance with the express provisions of this Agreement. The number of shares of Common Stock subject to the awarded Restricted Stock Units, the applicable vesting schedule for those shares, the dates on which those vested shares shall become issuable to Participant and the remaining terms and conditions governing the award (the “Award”) shall be as set forth in this Agreement.
