Status of Employees The employees involved in a job sharing arrangement will be classified as regular part-time and will be covered by the provisions of the applicable Collective Agreement.
Employee Benefits; ERISA (a) Except as set forth on Schedule 4.14 to the DHS Disclosure Letter, there are no employee benefit plans (including any plans for the benefit of directors or former directors), contracts or agreements (including employment agreements and severance agreements, incentive compensation, bonus, stock option, stock appreciation rights and stock purchase plans) of any type (including plans described in Section 3(3) of ERISA), maintained by DHS, any of its Subsidiaries or any trade or business, whether or not incorporated (an "DHS ERISA AFFILIATE"), that together with DHS would be deemed a "controlled group" within the meaning of Section 4001(a)(14) of ERISA, or with respect to which DHS or any of its Subsidiaries has or may have a liability (the "DHS BENEFIT PLANS"). Except as disclosed on Schedule 4.14 to the DHS Disclosure Letter (or as otherwise permitted by this Agreement), (i) neither DHS nor any ERISA Affiliate has any plan or commitment, whether legally binding or not, to create any additional DHS Benefit Plan or modify or change any existing DHS Benefit Plan that would affect any employee or terminated employee of DHS or any ERISA Affiliate, and (ii) since December 31, 1997, there has been no change, amendment, modification to, or adoption of, any DHS Benefit Plan.
(b) With respect to each DHS Benefit Plan: (i) if intended to qualify under Section 401(a), 401(k) or 403(a) of the Code, each such plan so qualifies, and its trust is exempt from taxation under Section 501(a) of the Code; (ii) no failures to administer such plan in accordance with its terms and applicable law have occurred that have had or would reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect on DHS; (iii) no breaches of fiduciary duty have occurred; (iv) no prohibited transaction within the meaning of Section 406 of ERISA has occurred; (v) as of the date of this Agreement, no lien imposed under the Code or ERISA exists; and (vi) all contributions and premiums due (including any extensions for such contributions and premiums) have been made in full or adequate provision has been made therefor in the DHS Financial Statements.
(c) None of the DHS Benefit Plans has incurred any "accumulated funding deficiency," as such term is defined in Section 412 of the Code, whether or not waived.
(d) Neither DHS nor any ERISA Affiliate has incurred any liability under Title IV of ERISA (including Sections 4063-4064 and 4069 of ERISA) since the effective date of ERISA that has not been satisfied in full.
(e) With respect to each DHS Benefit Plan that is a "welfare plan" (as defined in Section 3(l) of ERISA), no such plan provides medical or death benefits with respect to current or former employees of DHS or any of its Subsidiaries beyond their termination of employment, other than as required by law or on an employee-pay-all basis.
(f) The consummation of the Merger pursuant to this Agreement will not (i) entitle any individual to severance pay or any tax "gross-up" payments with respect to the imposition of any tax pursuant to Section 4999 of the Code or accelerate the time of payment or vesting, or increase the amount, of compensation or benefits due to any individual with respect to any DHS Benefit Plan, or (ii) constitute or result in a prohibited transaction under Section 4975 of the Code or Section 406 or 407 of ERISA with respect to any DHS Benefit Plan.
(g) There is no DHS Benefit Plan that is a "multiemployer plan," as such term is defined in Section 3(37) of ERISA, or which is covered by Section 4063 or 4064 of ERISA.
Continued Employee Benefits If Executive elects continuation coverage pursuant to the Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1985, as amended (“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 nine (9) 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 “COBRA Premiums”). However, if the Company determines in its sole discretion that it cannot pay the 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 payable on the last day of a given month (except as provided by the following sentence), 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 nine (9) 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.
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.