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Exhibit
10.6
EMPLOYMENT AGREEMENT
This
Agreement (“Agreement”) is made effective as of the
_______ day of _______________, 2007, by and among KAISER FEDERAL
BANK (the “Bank”), a federally chartered stock savings
bank, with its principal administrative office at 1359 N. Grand
Ave., Covina, California 91724 and DUSTIN LUTON
(“Executive”). Any reference to the
“Company” herein shall mean KAISER FEDERAL FINANCIAL
GROUP, INC., the holding company of the Bank. The Company is
a party to this Agreement for the sole purpose of guaranteeing the
payments required hereunder, except as otherwise provided
herein.
WHEREAS , Executive is currently employed as the Chief
Financial Officer of the Bank; and
WHEREAS , the Bank desires to assure itself of the continued
services of Executive pursuant to the terms of this
Agreement.
NOW, THEREFORE , in consideration of the mutual covenants
herein contained, and upon the other terms and conditions
hereinafter provided, the parties hereby agree as
follows:
1. POSITION
AND RESPONSIBILITIES
During
the period of his/her employment hereunder, Executive agrees to
serve as Chief Financial Officer of the Bank. During said
period, Executive also agrees to serve, if elected, as an officer
and director of any subsidiary or affiliate of the Bank or the
Company.
2. TERMS
AND DUTIES
(a)
The term of this Agreement and the period of Executive’s
employment hereunder shall begin as of the date first above written
and shall continue for twenty-four (24) full calendar months
thereafter. Commencing July 1, 2008 and continuing on the
first day of July of each year thereafter (the “Anniversary
Date”), this Agreement shall renew for an additional year
such that the remaining term shall be twenty-four (24) months,
unless written notice of non-renewal (“Non-Renewal
Notice”) is provided to Executive at least thirty (30) days
and not more than sixty (60) days prior to any such Anniversary
Date that this Agreement shall terminate at the end of twenty-four
(24) months following such Anniversary Date. Prior to each
notice period for non-renewal, the disinterested members of the
Board of Directors of the Bank (the “Board”) will
conduct a comprehensive performance evaluation and review of
Executive for purposes of determining whether to extend the
Agreement, and the results thereof shall be included in the minutes
of the Board’s meeting.
(b)
During the period of his/her employment hereunder, except for
periods of absence occasioned by illness, reasonable vacation
periods, and reasonable leaves of absence, Executive shall
faithfully perform his/her duties hereunder including activities
and services related to the organization, operation and management
of the Bank.
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3. COMPENSATION
AND REIMBURSEMENT
(a)
The compensation specified under this Agreement shall constitute
the salary and benefits paid for the duties described in
Section 2(b). The Bank shall pay Executive as
compensation a salary of not less than $226,600 per year
(“Base Salary”). Such Base Salary shall be
payable in accordance with the customary payroll practices of
the Bank. During the period of this Agreement,
Executive’s Base Salary shall be reviewed at least annually;
the first such review will be made no later than July 1 of each
year during the term of this Agreement and shall be effective from
that date through the end of the next succeeding June. Such
review shall be conducted by the President and Chief Executive
Officer, and he/she may increase, but not decrease,
Executive’s Base Salary (any increase in Base Salary shall
become the “Base Salary” for purposes of this
Agreement). In addition to the Base Salary provided in this
Section 3(a), the Bank shall provide Executive at no cost to
Executive with all such other benefits as are provided uniformly to
permanent full-time employees of the Bank.
(b)
The Bank will provide Executive with employee benefit plans,
arrangements and perquisites substantially equivalent to those in
which Executive was participating or otherwise deriving benefit
from immediately prior to the beginning of the term of this
Agreement, and the Bank will not, without Executive’s prior
written consent, make any changes in such plans, arrangements or
perquisites which would adversely affect Executive’s rights
or benefits thereunder, except for amendments that are generally
applicable to all employees. Without limiting the generality
of the foregoing provisions of this Section 3(b), Executive
will be entitled to participate in or receive benefits under any
employee benefit plans including but not limited to, retirement
plans, supplemental retirement plans, pension plans, profit-sharing
plans, health-and-accident plans, medical coverage or any other
employee benefit plan or arrangement made available by the Bank in
the future to its senior executives and key management employees,
subject to and on a basis consistent with the terms, conditions and
overall administration of such plans and arrangements.
Executive will be entitled to incentive compensation and bonuses as
provided in any plan of the Bank in which Executive is eligible to
participate (and he/she shall be entitled to a pro rata
distribution under any incentive compensation or bonus plan as to
any year in which a termination of employment occurs, other than
Termination for Cause). Nothing paid to Executive under any
such plan or arrangement will be deemed to be in lieu of other
compensation to which Executive is entitled under this
Agreement.
(c)
In addition to the Base Salary provided for by Section 3(a),
the Bank shall pay or reimburse Executive for all reasonable travel
and other reasonable expenses incurred by Executive in performing
his/her obligations under this Agreement and may provide such
additional compensation in such form and such amounts as may from
time to time be determine.
4. OUTSIDE
ACTIVITIES
Executive
may serve as a member of the board of directors of business,
community and charitable organizations subject to the approval of
the President and Chief Executive Officer, provided that in each
case such service shall not materially interfere with the
performance of his/her duties under this Agreement or present any
conflict of interest. Such service to and participation in
outside organizations shall be presumed for these purposes to be
for the benefit
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of the
Bank, and the Bank shall reimburse Executive his/her reasonable
expenses associated therewith.
5. WORKING
FACILITIES AND EXPENSES
Executive’s
principal place of employment shall be at the Bank’s
principal executive offices. The Bank shall provide
Executive, at his/her principal place of employment, with a private
office, stenographic services and other support services and
facilities suitable to his/her position with the Bank and necessary
or appropriate in connection with the performance of his/her duties
under this Agreement. The Bank shall reimburse Executive for
his/her ordinary and necessary business expenses incurred in
connection with the performance of his/her duties under this
Agreement, including, without limitation, fees for memberships in
such clubs and organizations that Executive and the President and
Chief Executive Officer mutually agree are necessary and
appropriate to further the business of the Bank, and travel and
reasonable entertainment expenses. Reimbursement of such
expenses shall be made upon presentation to the Bank of an itemized
account of the expenses in such form as the Bank may reasonably
require.
6. PAYMENTS
TO EXECUTIVE UPON AN EVENT OF TERMINATION
(a)
The provisions of this Section 6 shall apply upon the
occurrence of an Event of Termination (as herein defined) during
Executive’s term of employment under this Agreement. As
used in this Agreement, an “Event of Termination” shall
mean and include any one or more of the following:
(i) the
involuntary termination by the Bank of Executive’s full-time
employment hereunder for any reason other than (A) Retirement,
Death or Disability, as defined in Section 7 below, or (B)
Termination for Cause as defined in Section 8 hereof;
or
(ii) Executive’s
voluntary resignation from the Bank’s employ, upon
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(A) a
material diminution in Executive’s base
compensation;
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(B) a
material diminution in Executive’s authority duties or
responsibilities;
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(C) a
requirement that Executive must report to a corporate officer or
employee instead of reporting directly to the President and Chief
Executive Officer;
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(D) a
material diminution in the budget over which Executive retains
authority;
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(E) a
change in the geographic location at which Executive must perform
his/her duties that is more than twenty-five (25) miles from the
location of Executive’s principal workplace on the date of
this Agreement; or
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(F) any
other action or inaction that constitutes a material breach by the
Bank of this Agreement.
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Upon the
occurrence of any event described in clauses (ii) (A), (B),
(C), (D), (E) or (F), above, Executive shall have the right to
elect to terminate his/her employment under this Agreement by
resignation upon sixty (60) days prior written notice given within
a reasonable period of time not to exceed ninety (90) days after
the initial event giving rise to said right to elect; provided,
however that the Bank shall have at least thirty (30) days to cure
such condition and provided that Executive actually terminates
employment within two years after the initial occurrence of such
event. Notwithstanding the preceding sentence, in the event
of a continuing breach of this Agreement by the Bank, Executive,
after giving due notice within the prescribed time frame of an
initial event specified above, shall not waive any of his/her
rights solely under this Agreement and this Section 6 by
virtue of the fact that Executive has submitted his/her resignation
but has remained in the employment of the Bank and is engaged in
good faith discussions to resolve any occurrence of an event
described in clauses (A), (B), (C), (D), (E) or (F)
above.
(iii) (A)
Executive’s involuntary termination by the Bank (other than
Termination for Cause) on the effective date of, or at any time
following, a Change in Control, or (B) Executive’s
resignation from employment with the Bank or the Company (or any
successor thereto) following a Change in Control as a result of any
event described in Section 6(a)(ii)(A), (B), (C), (D), (E) or (F)
above. For these purposes, a Change in Control of the Bank or
the Company shall mean a change in control of a nature that: (i)
would be required to be reported in response to Item 5.01 of the
current report on Form 8-K, as in effect on the date hereof,
pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act
of 1934 (the “Exchange Act”); or (ii) results in a
Change in Control of the Bank or the Company within the meaning of
the Home Owners’ Loan Act, as amended, and applicable rules
and regulations promulgated thereunder (collectively, the
“HOLA”) as in effect at the time of the Change in
Control; or (iii) without limitation such a Change in Control shall
be deemed to have occurred at such time as (a) any
“person” (as the term is used in Sections 13(d) and
14(d) of the Exchange Act) is or becomes the “beneficial
owner” (as defined in Rule 13d-3 under the Exchange Act),
directly or indirectly, of securities of the Company representing
25% or more of the combined voting power of Company’s
outstanding securities, except for any securities purchased by the
Bank’s employee stock ownership plan or trust; or (b)
individuals who constitute the Board on the date hereof (the
“Incumbent Board”) cease for any reason to constitute
at least a majority thereof, provided that any person
becoming a director subsequent to the date hereof whose election
was approved by a vote of at least three-quarters of the directors
comprising the Incumbent Board, or whose nomination for election by
the Company’s stockholders was approved by the same
Nominating Committee serving under an Incumbent Board, shall be,
for purposes of this clause (b), considered as though he or
she were a member of the Incumbent Board; or (c) a plan of
reorganization, merger, consolidation, sale of all or substantially
all the assets of the Bank or the Company or similar transaction in
which the Bank or Company is not the surviving institution occurs
or is effected; or (d) a proxy statement soliciting proxies
from stockholders of the Company, by someone other than the current
management of the Company is distributed, seeking stockholder
approval of a plan of reorganization, merger or consolidation of
the Company or similar transaction with one or more corporations as
a result of which the outstanding shares of the class of securities
then subject to the plan are exchanged for or converted into cash
or property or securities not issued by the Company; or (e) a
tender offer is made for 25% or more of the voting securities of
the Company and the shareholders owning beneficially or of record
25% or more of the outstanding securities of the Company
have
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tendered
or offered to sell their shares pursuant to such tender offer and
such tendered shares have been accepted by the tender
offeror.
(b)
Upon the occurrence of an Event of Termination within thirty (30)
days after the Date of Termination, as defined in Section 9(b), the
Bank shall pay Executive, or, in the event of his/her subsequent
death, his/her beneficiary or beneficiaries, or his/her estate, as
the case may be, as severance pay or liquidated damages, or both, a
sum equal to (i) the Executive’s earned but unpaid Base
Salary and benefits, plus (ii) two (2) times the sum of
(A) Base Salary and (B) the highest rate of bonus awarded to
Executive during the prior two (2) years; provided, however, that
such Event of Termination must qualify as a “Separation from
Service” as defined in Internal Revenue Code
(“Code”) Section 409A and the regulations thereunder.
Notwithstanding the foregoing, to the extent Executive is a
“Specified Employee” as defined in Code Section 409A,
and such earlier payment would trigger penalties under Code Section
409A, then such payment shall be made on the first day of the
seventh month following Executive’s Separation from
Service. Such payment shall not be reduced in the event
Executive obtains other employment following Separation from
Service.
(c)
Upon the occurrence of an Event of Termination, the Bank will cause
to be continued, at the Bank’s expense, l
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