To all pre-merger SBC employees who have a period of unrecognized service with
pre-merger AT&T and all pre-merger AT&T employees who have a period of unrecognized service time with pre-merger SBC.
Recognition of service can be important in the application of many employer-provided benefits and policies, such as vacation, severance, seniority and pension. Leading up to the merger, one of the frequently asked questions was whether certain periods of service would be recognized for benefit purposes at the new AT&T.
All service recognized by pre-merger SBC or by pre-merger AT&T will be recognized by the new AT&T for employee benefit purposes. If any of your service was not recognized by your employer and is not eligible for bridging under your pension-plan rules, that service will not be recognized by the new AT&T unless it is service recognized under the Mandatory Portability Agreement (MPA), which requires you to have been employed by a Bell System Company on December 31, 1983, and other conditions, or an interchange agreement.
This means that, for example, if you were an employee of SBC on the date the merger closed and you had worked for AT&T in the past but SBC did not recognize your prior service with AT&T, your prior service with AT&T will not be recognized by the new AT&T unless your pension plan’s bridging rules apply or your service is recognized under the MPA or an interchange agreement. The Q&A section of the HR Merger intranet Web site at https://ebiz.sbc.com/hrmerger/ will be updated to reflect this information. If you have any additional questions, please contact your HR Lead.
Service Recognition FAQs for All Employees (will appear on HR Merger Web site on February 17, 2006)
Q. NewWill service be bridged for those employees who, over time, have worked for both AT&T and SBC?
All service recognized by pre-merger SBC or by pre-merger AT&T will be recognized by the new AT&T for employee benefit purposes. If any of your service was not recognized by your employer immediately prior to the merger, that service will not be recognized by the new AT&T unless:
· it is service that is bridged under pension plan rules; or
· it is service recognized under the Mandatory Portability Agreement (which requires you to have been employed by a Bell System Company on December 31, 1983 and other conditions) or an interchange agreement.
Q. New What is a specific example for recognizing service?
If you were an employee of SBC on the date the merger closed, November 18, 2005 and you had worked for AT&T in the past, but SBC did not recognize your prior service with AT&T, your prior service with AT&T will not be recognized by the new AT&T. Likewise, If you were an employee of AT&T on the date the merger closed and you had worked for SBC in the past, but AT&T did not recognize your prior service with SBC, your prior service with SBC will not be recognized by the new AT&T. Exceptions might apply if you were an employee of a Bell System Company on December 31, 1983 and are eligible under the Mandatory Portability Agreement or an interchange agreement, or if your service is eligible for bridging under pension plan rules.
