WESTAFF, INC. EMPLOYMENT AGREEMENT
Exhibit 10.3.9.1
WESTAFF, INC.
This Employment Agreement (the “Agreement”) is entered into, effective as of March 16, 2005 (the “Effective Date”), by and among Westaff Support, Inc., a California corporation (the “Company”), its ultimate parent corporation known as Westaff, Inc., a Delaware corporation (“Westaff”) and Xxxxxxxx X. Xxxxxx (“Executive” or “you”).
(b) You agree to devote your full business time and energies to the business and affairs of the Company, to use your best efforts, skill and abilities to promote the Company’s interests and to perform your duties in accordance with policies, standards and practices established from time to time by the Board or a committee thereof. Your duties may also include serving as an officer and/or director of any subsidiaries or other affiliates, foreign or domestic, of the Company or Westaff as reasonably requested, and you agree to serve in those capacities without additional compensation. While employed by the Company, you agree that you will
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not render services to others or engage in any other activities that would interfere with or prevent your fulfilling your obligations to the Company.
(c) Your employment hereunder shall commence on the Effective Date and shall be of indefinite duration, subject to termination pursuant to Section 7 of this Agreement. You acknowledge that there is no express or implied agreement between you and the Company or Westaff or any of its subsidiaries, whether domestic or foreign, for any specific period of employment or for continuing or long-term employment.
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Company will guaranty payment of a minimum $90,000 bonus for fiscal 2005, which amount will not be subject to any proration.
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except as provided in this Section regarding a “Change in Control” a “Corporate Transaction,” or a “Hostile Take-Over,” all unvested Restricted Stock shall be forfeited to the Company.
Notwithstanding the foregoing vesting schedule, the New Option shall become fully vested and exercisable if you are either terminated without Cause or demoted from the positions of President or Chief Executive Officer of Westaff within one year of the effective date of a “Change in Control,” a “Corporate Transaction,” or a “Hostile Take-Over,” as such terms are defined in the Plan, whichever event shall first occur while you are employed by the Company or Westaff and notwithstanding any assumption, substitution or replacement of such grant in connection with such event.
At termination of the employment relationship by either party, the vested portion of the Initial Option
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and the New Option must be exercised within three (3) months from the date of termination; provided, however, that (i) should termination of your employment be for Misconduct (as defined in the Plan), such grants shall be cancelled upon the date of such termination, and (ii) should termination of your employment be on account of death or disability such grants shall remain exercisable for twelve (12) months from the date of such termination.
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(e) Relocation Expenses. You will be reimbursed for your moving and other expenses reasonably related to your relocation from the United Kingdom to Northern California. Such reimbursement will be in an aggregate amount not to exceed $30,000.00. In addition, in connection with the sale of your UK residence, you will be reimbursed for reasonable and customary transaction fees (including real estate broker commissions) associated with the sale of your UK residence. All reimbursement of the foregoing relocation and transaction expenses will be made upon submission of reasonable documentation relating to such expenses. Notwithstanding the foregoing, in the event you voluntarily resign during the one year following the Effective Date (except for a resignation after either (1) your removal or non-election to the Board treated as a termination without Cause as provided in section 1(a) above or (2) your demotion from the position of CEO or President) then you agree to reimburse the Company for the relocation expenses it has paid you under this paragraph.
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(i) Your conviction of, or plea of no contest with respect to, any crime involving fraud, dishonesty or moral turpitude;
(ii) Your fraud, embezzlement, misappropriation or dishonesty which has or could reasonably be expected to materially and adversely affect Westaff or its reputation;
(iii) Your intentional and material breach of this Agreement, violation of any lawful, written directive of the Board, intentional and material breach of any lawful written policy of Westaff that has been communicated to or made available to you, or intentional and material breach of any statutory or fiduciary duty owed to Westaff that has or could reasonably be expected to materially and adversely affect Westaff or its reputation; provided that the foregoing breach or violation is not corrected within fifteen (15) days after written notice thereof has been provided by the Board to you; or
(iv) Upon your death or Disability. “Disability” means any physical or mental condition which renders you unable to perform the essential duties of your position for a period of ninety (90) days within any twelve (12) month period.
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termination of employment, and your Severance Payment will be due upon receipt of the signed release from you as described in Section 7(e) below. You shall not be entitled to receive payment of any additional incentive bonus provided in Section 3.
(e) In consideration for the severance payments set forth in Section 7(b) above, you shall, as a condition of receiving any payments required hereunder, upon the termination of your employment, execute a release of Westaff and the Company, the Board, and all officers, employees and agents of the Company from any and all claims, liabilities, actions, causes of action, obligations, costs, damages, losses and demands of every kind and nature whatsoever known or unknown, which arise out of, relate to or are in any manner whatsoever connected with any action, transaction, occurrence or event which has occurred prior to the date of the release and those which may arise out of or are in any manner whatsoever connected with or related to the termination of your employment with the Company. Such release shall be in a form reasonably acceptable to you and the Company and shall include a waiver of all rights granted under Section 1542 of the California Civil
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Code which reads as follows: A general release does not extend to claims which the creditor does not know or suspect to exist in her favor at the time of executing the release, which, if known by her must have materially affected her settlement with the debtor.
(a) Survival. Your obligations under Sections 7(e), 8, 9, 10, and 11 of this Agreement, and under your Proprietary Information and Non-Solicitation shall survive the termination of employment.
(b) Cooperation in Pending Work. Following any termination of employment, you shall fully cooperate with Westaff by providing telephonic assistance in all matters relating to the winding up of pending work on behalf of Westaff and the orderly transfer of work to other employees of Westaff. Such cooperation shall be limited to 15 hours in the aggregate and shall extend no more than thirty days.
9. PROPRIETARY INFORMATION AND NON-SOLICITATION.
(a) Proprietary Information. You recognize and acknowledge that certain assets of Westaff
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and the Company constitute Proprietary Information, including all information that is known only to you or Westaff or the Company, and relating to the business of Westaff or the Company (including, without limitation, information regarding employees, clients, customers, pricing policies, methods of operation, sales, products, costs, markets, key personnel, formulae, product applications, technical processes, confidential data, and trade secrets), and that protection of such information is essential to the interests of Westaff and the Company. If you have not previously signed Westaff’s Confidential Information and Invention Agreement, you agree to do so as a condition of employment.
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activity that is or may be competitive with the Company or Westaff in any district, territory, state or country where the Company or Westaff conducts business.
10. ARBITRATION. Any controversy or claim arising out of or relating your employment and its termination, including, but not limited to, claims of employment discrimination, this Agreement, your Stock Option Agreements, your Restricted Stock Agreement, the Confidential Information and Invention Agreement, or the breach thereof, (except for injunctive relief as provided for below) shall be subject to binding, mandatory arbitration under the auspices of the American Arbitration Association (“AAA”) in Walnut Creek, California conducted by a single, neutral arbitrator in accordance with the AAA National Rules for the Resolution of Employment Disputes.
To the extent permitted by law, each party will pay one half (1/2) of the costs of the arbitration, and the parties shall bear their own attorneys’ fees and costs except as otherwise required by law. The parties shall have the right to conduct discovery which provides them with access to documents and witnesses that are essential to the dispute, as determined, by the arbitrator. The arbitrator’s written award shall include the essential findings and conclusions upon which the award is based.
This mutual agreement to arbitrate disputes does not prohibit or limit either you, Westaff or the Company’s right to seek equitable relief from a court for claims involving a violation of the Confidential Information and Invention Assignment Agreement, including, but not limited to, injunctive relief, pending the resolution of a dispute by arbitration or during limited judicial review. Except for such injunctive relief, claims under the Confidential Information and Invention Agreement are subject to arbitration under this Agreement.
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Company or Westaff, including without limitation trade secrets, processes, proposals, reports, methods, computer software or programming or budgets or other financial information regarding the Company or Westaff, its business, properties, customers or affairs obtained by you while you are employed by the Company, except to the extent required by you to perform your duties pursuant to this Agreement. Information will not be deemed to be confidential for purposes of this Agreement if it is or becomes generally available to the public other than as a result of a disclosure by you. You will have the right to use any such confidential information to the extent necessary to assert any right or defend against any claim arising under this Agreement or pertaining to confidential information or its use and to the extent necessary to comply within the applicable provision of law. All files, records, documents, computer recorded information, specifications and other similar items relating to the business of the Company or Westaff, whether prepared by you or otherwise coming into your possession, shall remain the exclusive property of the Company and Westaff and shall not be removed from the premises of the Company or Westaff except when (and only for the period) necessary to carry out your duties. If removed, all such materials shall be immediately returned to the Company or Westaff upon any termination of your employment, and no copies thereof shall be kept by you, except that you shall be entitled to retain documents reasonably related to your rights as an optionholder, stockholder and former employee of the Company or Westaff. You acknowledge and agree that the remedy for any breach of the provisions of this Section 11 may be inadequate in that the Company may, in addition to all other remedies that may be available to it at law, seek injunctive relief prohibiting any such breach.
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13. ENTIRE AGREEMENT; COUNTERPARTS. This Agreement, together with your Stock Option Agreements, your Restricted Stock Agreement, and the Confidential Information and Invention Agreement, sets forth the entire understanding of you, the Company and Westaff with respect to the subject matter hereof and supersedes all prior agreements (including your previous Employment Agreement and addendums), memoranda, discussions and understandings of any kind. This Agreement cannot be amended except in a writing signed by you, the Company and Westaff, and no course of dealing contrary to its terms shall constitute an amendment. No right or obligation hereunder can be waived except in a writing signed by the party making the waiver. This Agreement may be executed in multiple counterparts, each of which shall be deemed an original, but all of which together shall constitute one and the same instrument.
15. GOVERNING LAW. This Agreement shall be construed and enforced in accordance with the substantive law of the State of California without regard to provisions relating to choice of law or conflict of laws.
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The parties have duly executed this Agreement on the dates set forth below, with the understanding that this Agreement is to be effective on the Effective Date.
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WESTAFF, INC. |
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By: |
/s/ W. Xxxxxx Xxxxxx |
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Name: W. Xxxxxx Xxxxxx |
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Title: Chairman |
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Date: |
April 7, 2005 |
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WESTAFF SUPPORT, INC. |
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By: |
/s/ W. Xxxxxx Xxxxxx |
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Name: W. Xxxxxx Xxxxxx |
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Title: Chairman |
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Date: |
April 7, 2005 |
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AGREED: |
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/s/ Xxxxxxxx Xxxxxx |
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Xxxxxxxx Xxxxxx |
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Date: |
April 7, 2005 |
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