AMENDMENTAND RESTATEMENTEmployee Benefits Plan Agreement |
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Search Employee Benefits Plan Agreement by:
Exhibit 10.2
A MENDMENT
AND
R ESTATEMENT
OF THE
R ETIREMENT
P LAN
FOR
E MPLOYEES
OF
A LLIANCE
B ERNSTEIN
L.P.
(As
Amended through September 1, 2007)
TABLE
OF CONTENTS
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ARTICLE
I
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DEFINITIONS
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1
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ARTICLE
II
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ELIGIBILITY
FOR PARTICIPATION
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17
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ARTICLE
III
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RETI
REMENT ON OR AFTER NORMAL RETIREMENT DATE
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19
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ARTICLE
IV
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VESTING
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24
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ARTICLE
V
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EARLY
RETIREMENT AND DISABILITY BENEFIT
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26
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ARTICLE
VI
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OPTIONAL
METHODS OF PAYMENT
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27
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ARTICLE
VII
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DEATH
BENEFIT
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32
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ARTICLE
VIII
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DIRECT
ROLLOVER DISTRIBUTIONS
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34
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ARTICLE
IX
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EMPLOYER
CONTRIBUTION AND FUNDING POLICY
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35
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ARTICLE
X
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LIMITATIONS
ON BENEFITS
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36
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ARTICLE
XI
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TOP-HEAVY
PLAN YEARS
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37
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ARTICLE
XII
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NON-ALIENABILITY
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42
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ARTICLE
XIII
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AMENDMENT
OF THE PLAN
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43
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ARTICLE
XIV
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TERMINATION
OF THE PLAN
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44
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ARTICLE
XV
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TRUST
AND ADMINISTRATION
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48
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ARTICLE
XVI
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CLAIM
AND APPEAL PROCEDURE
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52
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ARTICLE
XVII
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MISCELLANEOUS
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57
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ARTICLE
XVIII
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ADMINISTRATION
OF THE PLAN
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59
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i
R
ETIREMENT
P LAN
FOR
E MPLOYEES
OF
A
LLIANCE
B ERNSTEIN
L.P.
WHEREAS,
the Retirement Plan for Employees of AllianceBernstein L.P.
(the “Plan”) (formerly known as the Retirement
Plan for Employees of Alliance Capital Management L.P.) was
originally established effective as of January 1, 1980 by the
predecessor of Alliance Capital Management L.P.;
and
WHEREAS,
the Plan was amended and restated from time to time to reflect
changes in the predecessor’s business, certain other
changes and changes in applicable law; and
WHEREAS,
the Plan was amended to comply with the Economic Growth and
Tax Relief Reconciliation Act of 2001 (“EGTRRA”)
and other applicable legislation, and the provisions
reflecting EGTRRA are intended as good faith compliance with
the requirements of EGTRRA and are to be construed in
accordance with EGTRRA and guidance issued thereunder;
and
WHEREAS,
any Employee of the Company hired on or after October 2, 2000
is not eligible to participate in the Plan; and
WHEREAS,
the Plan was amended and restated, effective as of January 1,
2006, to incorporate all Plan amendments adopted since the
Plan was last amended and restated and certain additional
design changes, changes required to comply with applicable law
and to reflect the name change of Alliance Capital Management
L.P. to AllianceBernstein L.P.
NOW,
THEREFORE, the Plan is hereby amended and restated, as of
September 1, 2007, to incorporate certain additional design
changes.
ARTICLE
I
DEFINITIONS
The
following words and phrases as used herein shall, when
initially capitalized, have the following meanings unless a
different meaning is required by the context:
1.01
“ACCRUED BENEFIT” as of any specified date, means
the Retirement Pension, commencing on his Normal Retirement
Date, earned by a Participant as of such date, which shall be
equal to the Retirement Pension, computed in accordance with
Section 3.02, to which he would have been entitled had he
continued as an Employee until his Normal Retirement Date, had
been credited with one (1) Year of Service in each year of
employment during such period and had the same Average Final
Compensation, Final Average Compensation and Past Final
Average Compensation, as applicable, at his date of Retirement
as that which he would have had if his Average Final
Compensation, Final Average Compensation and Past Final
Average Compensation, as applicable, had been computed as of
the date of computation of his Accrued Benefit, such amounts
to be multiplied by a fraction, the numerator of which is his
number of years of Credited Service as of the specified date,
and the denominator of which is the number of such years which
he would have completed as of his Normal Retirement
Date.
1.02
“ACTUARIAL EQUIVALENT” means, except as provided
below, a benefit of equivalent value that is actuarially
calculated based on an annual investment rate of 6% compounded
annually and mortality determined in accordance with the
UP-1984 mortality table with ages set back one
year.
Notwithstanding
the foregoing, for purposes of determining actuarial
equivalent with respect to any distribution under the Plan
after December 31, 1995:
(a)
whether
the consent of the Participant (and if applicable, the
Participant’s Spouse) is necessary prior to distribution of
the Participant’s benefit;
(b)
the
single sum value of the Participant’s benefit;
and
(c)
the
value of a benefit under Option 4 or Option 5 provided for in
Section 6.01;
a
benefit of equivalent value shall be the greater of that
determined in accordance with the assumptions set forth above,
and that determined by applying the Applicable Interest Rate
for the month of September of the Plan Year immediately
preceding the Plan Year with respect to which the benefit is
being determined and the Applicable Mortality Table; provided,
however, in no event shall the single sum value of the
Participant’s benefit distributed during the 1996
calendar year be less than would result by applying the
Applicable Interest Rate for January 1996 and the Applicable
Mortality Table.
1.03
“ADMINISTRATIVE COMMITTEE” or
“COMMITTEE” means the administrative committee
appointed by the Board pursuant to Section
15.02. The term “Investment Committee”
shall mean the investment committee appointed by the Board
pursuant to Section 18.02.
1
1.04
“AFFILIATE” means any corporation or
unincorporated business (i) controlled by, or under common
control with, the Company within the meaning of Sections
414(b) and (c) of the Code; provided, however, that for all
purposes of the Plan, “Affiliate” status shall be
determined by application of Section 415(h) of the Code, or
(ii) which is a member of an “affiliated service
group”, as defined in Section 414(m)(2) of the Code, of
which the Company is a member.
1.05
“ANNUITY PURCHASE RATE” means, effective as of
July 1, 1994, (a) the interest rate which would be used by the
Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation as of the first day of
the Plan Year of the date of the distribution involved for the
purpose of determining the present value of a single sum
distribution in connection with the termination of the Plan if
the present value of the applicable vested Accrued Benefit
(using such rate) does not exceed $25,000, or (b) one hundred
twenty percent of the rate used by the Pension Benefit
Guaranty Corporation for that purpose if the present value of
the vested Accrued Benefit, as determined in accordance with
clause (a) exceeds $25,000, provided that in no event shall
the present value of a Participant’s vested Accrued
Benefit determined by application of this clause (b) be less
than $25,000; provided that the Annuity Purchase Rate with
respect to the Accrued Benefit as of such first day of the
Plan Year shall not be larger than the Annuity Purchase Rate
which would have been computed under the definition of Annuity
Purchase Rate in effect immediately prior to July 1,
1994.
1.06
“APPLICABLE INTEREST RATE” means an annual
investment rate equal to the annual interest rate on 30-year
Treasury securities as specified by the Commissioner of
Internal Revenue.
1.07
“APPLICABLE MORTALITY TABLE” means the mortality
table based on the then prevailing standard table (described
in Section 807(d)(5)(A) of the Code) used to determine
reserves for group annuity contracts issued as of the date as
of which the value of the benefit involved is determined
(without regard to any other subparagraph of Section 807(d)(5)
of the Code) that is prescribed by the Commissioner of
Internal Revenue for purposes of determining the value of
benefits.
1.08
(a) “AVERAGE FINAL COMPENSATION” means
an amount obtained by totaling the Compensation of a
Participant for the five (5) consecutive full calendar years
preceding the date of his Retirement or other Termination of
Employment, whichever is applicable, in which he received his
highest aggregate Compensation (or his Compensation for his
consecutive full calendar Years of Service, if less than five
(5)), and dividing the sum thus obtained by five (5) (or the
number of his full calendar Years of Service if less than five
(5)). Notwithstanding the foregoing, partial
calendar Years of Service, other than the year of termination
of employment, shall be taken into account in determining
Average Final Compensation, if the Participant completed at
least 750 Hours of Service in each of such partial
years. If any partial Year of Service is to be
taken into account under the preceding sentence, the
Compensation for such year shall be included in the
calculation of Average Final Compensation as
follows: The Compensation for any such partial Year
of Service shall be added to the Compensation for the full
calendar years included in calculating Average Final
Compensation, and the total of such Compensation shall be
divided by the sum of (i) the number of full calendar years
included in calculating Average Final Compensation and (ii)
the fraction whose numerator is the number of days worked
during the partial Year of Service (including any weekends,
holiday or vacation that occur during a continuous period of
employment) and whose denominator is 365.
2
(b)
If,
during any of the calendar years taken into account in determining
a Participant’s Average Final Compensation, there was a
period during which such Participant was an Inactive Participant,
or was on unpaid Leave of Absence, or was compensated for fewer
hours than are customary for his job category by reason of
disability, the Compensation paid in such period shall be included
in his Compensation for such calendar year (solely for the purpose
of determining Average Final Compensation) at the rate of
Compensation he was receiving immediately preceding such
period.
1.09
“BENEFICIARY” means such person or persons as may
be designated by a Participant or Retired Participant or as
may otherwise be entitled, upon his death, to receive any
benefits or payments under the terms of this
Plan.
1.10
“BOARD OF DIRECTORS” or “BOARD” means
the Board of Directors of the general partner of the Company
responsible for the management of the Company’s business
or a committee thereof designated by such Board.
1.11
“BREAK IN SERVICE” with respect to any Employee,
means any calendar year in which he completes fewer than five
hundred and one (501) Hours of Service with Employers or
Affiliates.
1.12
“CODE” means the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as
amended from time to time.
1.13
“COMPANY” means AllianceBernstein L.P. and any
successor thereto; prior to February 24, 2006, known as
Alliance Capital Management L.P.; and prior to April 21, 1988,
known as Alliance Capital Management Corporation.
1.14
( a
) “COMPENSATION” means, for any
calendar year, an amount equal to a Participant’s base
salary; provided that in the case of a Participant whose
Compensation from an Employer includes commissions,
commissions shall be included only up to the annual amount of
the Participant’s draw against actual commissions in
effect at the beginning of the Plan Year
involved.
(b)
There shall be excluded from Compensation overtime pay, bonuses,
severance pay, distributions on Units representing assignments of
beneficial ownership of limited partnership interests in the
Company, and any amounts paid or payable to or for a Participant or
Retired Participant pursuant to any welfare plan or any pension
plan, profit sharing plan or any other plan of deferred
compensation, or any other extraordinary item of compensation or
income.
(c)
Effective as of January 1, 2006, Compensation of a Member in excess
of $220,000 (or such other amount prescribed under Code Section
401(a)(17), including any cost-of-living adjustments) shall not be
taken into account under the Plan for the purpose of determining
benefits. The increase in the limit provided under
Section 401(a)(17) of the Code under the Economic Growth and Tax
Relief Reconciliation Act of 2001 shall only be applied with
respect to Participants who accrue a benefit under the Plan on or
after January 1, 2002.
(d)
For any year for which Compensation is relevant under the
Plan, in connection with any Employee who is paid based on an
annual rate of salary that applies for only a portion of the year,
the Compensation attributable to that portion of the year for such
Employee shall be equal to the product of (i) such annual rate of
salary, multiplied by (ii) a fraction, the numerator of which is
the number of pay periods during such year during which such
Employee was paid at that annual rate of salary, and the
denominator of which is 26.
3
The
determination of eligible Compensation shall be in accordance
with records maintained by the Employer and shall be
conclusive.
Compensation
shall include Deemed 125
Compensation. “Deemed 125 Compensation”
shall mean, in accordance with Internal Revenue Service
Revenue Ruling 2002-27, 2002-20 I.R.B. 925, any amounts not
available to a Participant in cash in lieu of group health
coverage because the Participant is unable to certify that he
or she has other health coverage. An amount shall
be treated as Deemed 125 Compensation only if the Employer
does not request or collect information regarding the
Participant’s other health coverage as part of the
enrollment process for the health plan.
1.15
(a) “CREDITED SERVICE” means, unless
excluded by Subsection (b), an Employee’s Years of
Service;
(b)
Credited Service shall not include:
(1)
With
respect to all Employees, Years of Service ending on or before
December 31, 1969; or
(2)
Any
Year of Service during any part of which an Employee is an Excluded
Employee; provided that if the Employee is employed by an Employer
after employment with an Affiliate who during a period of
employment with the Affiliate maintained a “defined benefit
plan” within the meaning of Section 414(j) of the Code, the
service with the Affiliate while an Affiliate upon which the
Employees accrued benefits under the Affiliate’s plan is
based shall be considered Credited Service hereunder, but in no
event shall any period be counted more than once in computing a
Participant’s Credited Service and any retirement pension
related to such service shall be taken into account as set forth in
Section 3.02(b) of the Plan.
1.16
“DEFERRED RETIREMENT” means an Employee’s
continued employment after his sixty-fifth (65th)
birthday.
1.17
“DEFERRED RETIREMENT DATE” means the first day of
the calendar month coincident with or next following the date
of an Employee’s Retirement provided such Retirement
occurs after his Normal Retirement Date.
1.18
“DISABILITY” means the mental or physical
incapacity of an Employee which, in the opinion of a physician
approved by the Administrative Committee, renders him totally
and permanently incapable of performing his assigned duties
with an Employer or an Affiliate.
1.18.1
“DOMESTIC PARTNER” means, in the case of a
Participant who dies before his Retirement Pension Starting
Date, his Domestic Partner (as defined below) on the date of
his death if such Domestic Partner satisfied the requirements
for being a Domestic Partner as set forth
below. “Domestic Partner” is an
individual who, together with the Participant, satisfies the
following requirements: (i) both the Participant
and the domestic partner are at least 18 years of age; (ii)
both the Participant and the domestic partner are of the same
gender; (iii) both the Participant and the domestic partner
are mentally competent to enter into a contract according to
the laws of the state in which they reside; (iv) each of the
Participant and the domestic partner is the sole domestic
partner of the other; (v) neither of the Participant nor the
domestic partner is legally married to any other individual,
and, if previously married, a legal divorce or annulment has
been obtained or the former spouse is deceased; (vi) neither
of the Participant nor the domestic partner is related by
blood to a degree of closeness that would prohibit legal
marriage in the jurisdiction in which they legally reside, if
they were of the same sex; (vii) the Participant and the
domestic partner reside together in the same residence, have
done so for a period of no less than the most recent six-month
period, intend to do so indefinitely and share the common
necessities of life; (viii) the Participant and domestic
partner have mutually agreed to be responsible for each
other’s common welfare; and (ix) the Participant has
designated the domestic partner as his or her domestic partner
by completing and returning an ‘Affidavit of Same-Sex
Domestic Partnership’ to the appropriate Company person
indicated on such affidavit.
4
1.19 “EARLY
RETIREMENT” means Retirement on or after a
Participant’s Early Retirement Date and prior to his
Normal Retirement Date.
1.20 “EARLY
RETIREMENT DATE” means the first day of the month
coincident with or next following the date upon which the
Participant shall have attained the age of fifty-five (55) and
the sum of the Participant’s age and Years of Service
equals eighty (80).
1.21 “ELIGIBLE
EMPLOYEE” means any Employee of an Employer other
than:
(a)
any
Employee included in a unit of Employees covered by a collective
bargaining agreement between an Employer and Employee
representatives in the negotiation of which retirement benefits
were the subject of good faith bargaining, unless: (i)
such bargaining agreement provides for participation in the Plan,
(ii) the Employee representatives represented an organization more
than half of whose members are owners, officers or executives of
such Employer, or (iii) 2% or more of the Employees who are covered
pursuant to that agreement are professionals as defined in Treasury
Regulation Section 1.410(b) - 6(d);
(b)
Employees
whose principal place of Employment is outside the United States,
U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam and Puerto Rico;
(c)
an
individual classified by the Employer at the time services are
provided as either an independent contractor, or an individual who
is not classified as an Employee due to an Employer’s
treatment of any services provided by him as being provided by
another entity which is providing such individual’s services
to the Employer, even if such individual is later retroactively
reclassified as an Employee during all or part of such period
during which services were provided pursuant to applicable law or
otherwise.
(d)
any
individual listed in Section 2.09 of this Plan.
1.22 “EFFECTIVE
DATE” means January 1, 1980.
5
1.23 “EMPLOYEE”
means an individual described in Sections 3121(d) (1) or (2)
of the Code who is employed by an Employer or an
Affiliate.
1.24 “EMPLOYER”
means the Company and any Affiliate which, with the consent of
the Board of Directors, has adopted the Plan as a participant
herein and any successor to any such Employer.
1.25 “EMPLOYMENT
COMMENCEMENT DATE” means:
(a)
the
first day in respect of which an Employee receives Compensation
from an Employer or an Affiliate for the performance of services;
or
(b)
in
the case of a former Employee who returns to the employ of an
Employer or Affiliate after a Break in Service, the first day in
respect of which, after such Break in Service, he receives
Compensation from an Employer or Affiliate for the performance of
services.
1.26 “ENTRY
DATE” means the first day of each Plan
Year.
1.27 “ERISA”
means the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, as
amended from time to time.
1.28 (a) “EXCLUDED
EMPLOYEE” means an individual in the employ of an
Employer or an Affiliate who:
(1)
is
employed by an Affiliate that is not an Employer; or
(2)
is
included in a unit of employees covered by a collective bargaining
agreement between employee representatives and one or more
Employers or Affiliates, if retirement benefits were the subject of
good faith bargaining between such employee representatives and
such Employer; or
(3)
is
not an Excluded Employee under Paragraph (4) of this subsection (a)
and is neither a resident nor a citizen of the United States of
America, nor receives “earned income”, within the
meaning of Section 911(b) of the Code, from an Employer or
Affiliate that constitutes income from sources within the United
States, within the meaning of Section 861(a)(3) of the Code, unless
the individual became a Participant prior to becoming a
non-resident alien and the Company stipulates that he shall not be
an Excluded Employee; or
(4)
is
not a citizen of the United States, unless the individual (A) was
initially engaged as an Employee by an Employer or an Affiliate to
render services entirely or primarily in the United States or (B)
is an Employee of an Employer which is a United States entity, and
unless, in the case of an individual referred to in either
Subparagraph (A) or (B) of this Paragraph 4, the Company stipulates
that he shall not be an Excluded Employee; or
6
(5)
is
accruing benefits and/or receiving contributions under a retirement
plan of an Affiliate which operates entirely or primarily outside
the United States other than this Plan or the Profit Sharing Plan
for Employees of AllianceBernstein L.P. unless, in either case, the
Company stipulates that he shall not be an Excluded Employee;
or
(6)
is
compensated on a commission arrangement which does not provide for
payment of periodic draws against actual commissions earned;
or
(7)
is
a “leased employee”. For purposes of this
Plan, a “leased employee” means any person (other than
an Employee of the recipient) who pursuant to an agreement between
the recipient and any other person (“leasing
organization”) has performed services for the recipient (or
for the recipient and related persons determined in accordance with
Section 414(n)(6) of the Code on a substantially full time basis
for a period of at least one year), and such services are performed
under primary direction or control by the recipient
employer.
(b)
An
Excluded Employee shall be deemed an Employee for all purposes
under this Plan except that:
(1)
an
Excluded Employee may not become a Participant while he remains an
Excluded Employee; and
(2)
a
Participant shall not receive any Credited Service for any Year of
Service during any part of which he remains an Excluded Employee
unless the Company specifies otherwise.
1.29 “FINAL
AVERAGE COMPENSATION” means an amount obtained by
totaling the Compensation of a Participant for the three (3)
consecutive full calendar Years of Service (which for any such
year cannot exceed the taxable wage base in effect for that
year) ending on or on the last day of the calendar year
immediately preceding the date of his Retirement or other
Termination of Employment, whichever is applicable, (or his
Compensation for the number of his full calendar years and
fractions thereof then ending if less than three (3)), and
dividing the sum thus obtained by three (3) (or such number of
full calendar years and fractions thereof if less than three
(3)), but limited to Covered
Compensation. Notwithstanding the foregoing,
partial calendar Years of Service, other than the year of
termination of employment, shall be taken into account in
determining Final Average Compensation, if the Participant
completed at least 750 Hours of Service in each of such
partial years. If any partial Year of Service is to
be taken into account under the preceding sentence, the
Compensation for such year shall be included in the
calculation of Final Average Compensation as
follows: The Compensation for any such partial Year
of Service shall be added to the Compensation for the full
calendar years included in calculating Final Average
Compensation, and the total of such Compensation shall be
divided by the sum of (i) the number of full calendar years
included in calculating Final Average Compensation and (ii)
the fraction whose numerator is the number of days worked
during the partial Year of Service (including any weekends,
holiday or vacation that occur during a continuous period of
employment) and whose denominator is
365. “Covered Compensation” for this
Section 1.29 means the average of the taxable wage bases for
the thirty-five (35) calendar years ending with the year an
individual attains social security retirement
age.
7
1.30 “HIGHLY
COMPENSATED EMPLOYEE” means an Employee who, with
respect to the “determination year”:
(a)
owned
(or is considered as owning within the meaning of Section 318 of
the Code) at any time during the “determination year”
or “look-back year” more than five percent of the
outstanding stock of the Employer or stock possessing more than
five percent of the total combined voting power of all stock of the
Employer (the attribution of ownership interest to Family Members
shall be used pursuant to Section 318 of the Code); or
(b)
who
received “415 Compensation” during the “look-back
year” from the Employer in excess of $80,000 and was in the
Top Paid Group of Employees for the “look-back
year”.
The
“determination year” shall be the Plan Year for
which testing is being performed. The
“look-back year” shall be the Plan Year
immediately preceding the “determination
year.”
The
term “415 Compensation” shall mean
compensation reported as wages, tips and other compensation on
Form W-2 and shall include: (i) any elective
deferral (as defined in Section 402(g)(3) of the Code) and
(ii) any amount which is contributed or deferred by the
Employer at the election of the Employee and which is not
includible in the gross income of the Employee by reason of
Sections 125, 132(f)(4), 401(k) or 457 of the
Code. 415 Compensation shall include Deemed 125
Compensation, as defined in Section 1.14 of the
Plan.
The
dollar threshold amount specified in (b) above shall be
adjusted at such time and in such manner as is provided in
Regulations. In the case of such an adjustment, the
dollar limits which shall be applied are those for the
calendar year in which the “determination year” or
“look-back year” begins.
In
determining who is a Highly Compensated Employee, Employees
who are nonresident aliens and who received no earned income
(within the meaning of Section 911(d)(2) of the Code) from the
Employer constituting United States source income within the
meaning of Section 861(a)(3) of the Code shall not be treated
as Employees.
Additionally,
all Affiliated Employers shall be taken into account as a
single employer and Leased Employees within the meaning of
Sections 414(n)(2) and 414(o)(2) of the Code shall be
considered Employees unless such Leased Employees are covered
by a plan described in Section 414(n)(5) of the Code and are
not covered in any qualified plan maintained by the
Employer. The exclusion of Leased Employees for
this purpose shall be applied on a uniform and consistent
basis for all of the Employer’s retirement
plans. Highly Compensated Former Employees shall be
treated as Highly Compensated Employees without regard to
whether they performed services during the
“determination year”.
1.31 “HIGHLY
COMPENSATED FORMER EMPLOYEE” means a former Employee who
had a separation year prior to the “determination
year” and was a Highly Compensated Employee in the year
of separation from service or in any “determination
year” after attaining age 55. Highly
Compensated Former Employees shall be treated as Highly
Compensated Employees. The method set forth in this
Section for determining who is a “Highly Compensated
Former Employee” shall be applied on a uniform and
consistent basis for all purposes for which the Section 414(q)
of the Code definition is applicable.
8
1.32 (a) “HOUR
OF SERVICE” means each hour:
(1)
for
which an Employee is paid, or entitled to payment, by an Employer
or Affiliate for the performance of duties for an Employer or
Affiliate, credited for the Plan Year in which such duties were
performed; or
(2)
for
which an Employee is directly or indirectly paid, or entitled to
payment, by an Employer or Affiliate on account of a period of
Leave of Absence, credited for the Plan Year in which such Leave of
Absence occurs; or
(3)
for
which an Employee has been awarded, or is otherwise entitled to,
back pay from an Employer or Affiliate, irrespective of mitigation
of damages, if he is not entitled to credit for such hour under any
other Paragraph of this Subsection (a); or
(4)
during
which an Employee is on an unpaid Leave of Absence described in
Section 1.34(a) or (b), credited at the rate of which he would have
accrued Hours of Service if he had performed his normal duties
during such Leave of Absence.
(5)
(A) solely
for purposes of Section 1.11, each hour of an Employee’s
absence which commences on or after January, 1985 by reason of a
leave pursuant to the FMLA, the pregnancy of such Employee, the
birth of a child of such Employee, the placement of a child in
connection with the adoption of such child by the Employee or the
caring for such child for a period beginning immediately following
such birth or placement.
(B)
under
this Paragraph (5) an Employee shall be credited with the number of
hours which would normally have been credited to him but for such
absence, or in any case in which such number cannot be determined,
a total of eight (8) Hours of Service for each day of such absence,
except that no more than 501 Hours of Service shall be credited to
an Employee for any such period of absence and such Hours of
Service shall be credited to an Employee only in the Plan Year in
which such period of absence began if such Employee would be
prevented from incurring a Break in Service in such Plan Year
solely because of the crediting of such Hours of Service, or in any
other case, in the next succeeding Plan Year.
(C)
Notwithstanding
the foregoing, an Employee shall not be credited with Hours of
Service pursuant to this Paragraph (5) unless such Employee shall
furnish to the Committee on a timely basis such information as the
Committee shall reasonably require to establish
9
(i)
that
the absence from work is for reasons described in Subparagraph (A)
hereof; and
(ii)
the
number of days which such absence continued.
(b)
Except
as provided in Paragraph (a) (5), the number of a
Participant’s Hours of Service and the Plan Year or other
compensation period to which they are to be credited shall be
determined in accordance with Section 2530.200b-2 of the Rules and
Regulations for Minimum Standards for Employee Pension Benefit
Plans, which section is hereby incorporated by reference into this
Plan.
(c)
If
the Participant’s compensation while an Employee was not
determined on the basis of certain amounts for each hour worked,
his Hours of Service need not be determined from employment
records, and he may, in accordance with uniform and
nondiscriminatory rules adopted by the Committee, be credited with
forty-five (45) Hours of Service for each week in which he would be
credited with any Hours of Service under the provisions of
Subsection (a) or (b).
1.33 “INACTIVE
PARTICIPANT” means:
(a)
an
Employee who was a Participant during the preceding Plan Year but
who, during the current Plan Year, neither completed a Year of
Service nor incurred a Break in Service; and
(b)
an
Excluded Employee who was a Participant or an Inactive Participant
during the preceding Plan Year but who, during the current Plan
Year, did not incur a Break in Service.
An
Inactive Participant shall be deemed a Participant for all
purposes under this Plan, except that he shall not accrue any
benefit hereunder for any Plan Year during which he is an
Inactive Participant.
1.34 “LEAVE
OF ABSENCE” means:
(a)
absence
on leave approved by an Employee’s Employer, if the period of
such leave does not exceed two (2) years and the Employee returns
to the employ of an Employer or an Affiliate upon its termination;
or
(b)
absence
due to service in the Armed Forces of the United States, if such
absence is caused by war or other national emergency or an Employee
is required to serve under the laws of conscription in time of
peace, and if the Employee returns to the employ of an Employer or
an Affiliate within the period provided by law; or
(c)
absence
for a period not in excess of thirteen (13) consecutive weeks due
to leave granted by an Employer, military service, vacation,
holiday, illness, incapacity, layoff, or jury duty, if the Employee
does not return to the employ of an Employee or Affiliate at the
end of such period.
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In
granting or withholding Leaves of Absence, each Employer or
Affiliate shall apply uniform and non-discriminatory rules to
all Employees in similar circumstances.
1.35 “NORMAL
RETIREMENT DATE” means the first day of the month
coincident with or next following the sixty fifth (65th)
birthday of the Participant or Retired
Participant.
1.36 “OPTION”
means any of the optional methods of payment of a Retirement
Pension which a Participant or Retired Participant may elect
in accordance with Article VI.
1.37 “PARTICIPANT”
means any individual who has become a Participant in the Plan
in accordance with Sections 2.01, 2.02 or 2.06 and whose
participation has not terminated pursuant to Section
2.05.
1.38 “PAST
FINAL AVERAGE COMPENSATION” means the amount which would
have been obtained by totaling the Compensation of a
Participant for the five (5) consecutive full calendar Years
of Service during the last ten (10) calendar year period
ending on December 31, 1988 for which the Participant received
his highest aggregate Compensation (or his Compensation for
the number of his consecutive full calendar Years of Service
ending December 31, 1988 if less than five (5)), except that
for purposes of Section 3.02(a)(3), the calculation period
shall end on December 31, 1989 rather than December 31, 1988;
and dividing said aggregate Compensation by five (5) (or such
number of consecutive full calendar Years of Service if less
than five (5)).
1.39 “PLAN
YEAR” means the twelve (12) consecutive month period
beginning on January 1 and ending on December 31 in any year
commencing on or after January 1, 1980.
1.40 “PRIMARY
SOCIAL SECURITY BENEFIT”
(a)
means the estimated old age retirement benefit payable to a
Participant under the Federal Old-Age and Survivors Insurance
System upon his Retirement on his Normal Retirement Date or
Deferred Retirement Date whichever is applicable; provided,
however, that (i) in the event that either his Termination of
Employment or December 31, 1989 occurs before his Normal Retirement
Date, his Primary Social Security Benefit shall be estimated by
computing such benefit, determined without regard to any Social
Security benefit increases that become effective after his
Termination of Employment or December 31, 1988, whichever is later,
as if in each calendar year beginning in the calendar year in which
occurred the earlier of his Termination of Employment or 1989, he
continued to receive the same Compensation (defined as,
Compensation in the calendar year preceding the earlier of his
Termination of Employment or 1989, but including overtime, bonuses
and commissions otherwise excluded under Section 1.14 (b)), as he
received in the Plan Year last preceding the earlier of his
Termination of Employment or 1989; and (ii) the Participant’s
calendar year earnings in the year of his Employment Commencement
Date and for the prior calendar years shall be estimated by
applying a salary scale, projected backwards, to the
Participant’s Compensation for the calendar year immediately
following the calendar year of the Participant’s Employment
Commencement Date, such salary scale being the actual change in the
average wages from year to year as determined by the Social
Security Administration.
(b)
(1) Notwithstanding the provisions of Subsection (a),
each Participant may have his Primary Social Security Benefit
determined on the basis on his actual salary history for the period
ending on the earlier of his Termination of Employment or the
December 31 applicable to the Participant for purposes of
Subsection (a) within ninety (90) days after the later of (A) his
Termination of Employment or (B) the date on which he is notified
of the benefit to which he is entitled.
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(2)
As
soon as practicable after a Participant’s Termination of
employment, the Committee shall mail or personally deliver to the
Participant a notice informing him (A) of his right to supply the
actual salary history described in Paragraph (b) (1), (B) of the
financial consequences of failing to supply such history and (C)
that he can obtain such actual salary history from the Social
Security Administration.
1.41 “QUALIFIED
JOINT AND SURVIVOR ANNUITY” means an annuity for the
life of a Participant, with, if the Participant is married to
a Spouse on his Retirement Pension Starting Date, a survivor
annuity for the life of such Spouse which is one-half
(½) of the amount of the annuity payable during the
joint lives of the Participant and such Spouse. Any
benefit payable in the form of a Qualified Joint and Survivor
Annuity shall be the Actuarial Equivalent of the
Participant’s Retirement Pension.
1.42 “QUALIFIED
PRERETIREMENT SURVIVOR ANNUITY” means:
(a)
in
the case of a Participant who dies after his Early Retirement Date,
a monthly life annuity for a Participant’s Spouse or Domestic
Partner equal to fifty percent (50%) of the benefit such
Participant would have received had he retired on the day before
his death and commenced receiving his Retirement Pension on such
date, reduced in accordance with Section 5.01, except that no
reduction shall be made for the joint and survivor factor;
and
(b)
in
the case of a Participant who dies on or prior to his Early
Retirement Date, a monthly life annuity for a Participant’s
Spouse or Domestic Partner equal to fifty percent (50%)
of the benefit such Participant would have received if the
Participant’s Termination of Employment had occurred on the
date of his death, and such Participant had survived to his Early
Retirement Date, had retired immediately upon attainment of his
Early Retirement Date and immediately commenced receiving his
Retirement Pension, reduced as provided in Section 5.01, except
that a reduction shall be made for the joint and survivor
factor. The annuity described in this Subsection (b)
shall commence to be payable, at the election of such Spouse or
Domestic Partner , as of the first day of any month coincident with
or next following the date on which the Participant would have
attained his Early Retirement Date.
(c)
in
the case of any vested Participant referred to in Section 4.04(a)
of this Plan (a “Vested Terminated Participant”) who
dies on or prior to his Early Retirement or Normal Retirement, a
monthly life annuity for the Vested Terminated Participant’s
Spouse or Domestic Partner equal to fifty percent (50%) of the
benefit such Vested Terminated Participant would have received if
the Vested Terminated Participant’s Termination of Employment
had occurred on the date of his death, and such Vested Terminated
Participant had survived to his Early Retirement Date, had retired
immediately upon attainment of his Early Retirement Date and
immediately commenced receiving his Retirement Pension, reduced as
provided in Section 5.01, except that a reduction shall be made for
the joint and survivor factor. The annuity described in
this Subsection (c) shall commence to be payable, at the election
of such Spouse or Domestic Partner , as of the first day of any
month coincident with or next following the date on which the
Vested Terminated Participant would have attained his Early
Retirement Date.
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1.43 “REQUIRED
BEGINNING DATE”
(a)
for a Participant who is not a 5-percent owner (as defined in
Section 416 of the Code) in the Plan Year in which he attains age
70½ and who attains age 70½ after December 31, 1998,
April 1 of the calendar year following the calendar year in which
occurs the later of the Participant’s (i) attainment of age
70½ or (ii) Retirement.
(b)
for a Participant who (i) is a 5-percent owner (as defined in
Section 416 of the Code) in the Plan Year in which he attains age
70 1 /
2 , or (ii)
attains age 70 1 / 2 before January 1,
1999, April 1 of the calendar year following the calendar year in
which the Participant attains age 70 1 / 2 .
1.44 “RETIRED
PARTICIPANT” means any Participant or former Participant
who is entitled to benefits pursuant to Article III, IV or
V.
1.45 “RETIREMENT”
means any Termination of Employment, other than by reason of
death, on or after an Employee’s Early or Normal
Retire






