11.  EMPLOYEE BENEFIT 401(k) PLANS AND DEFERRED RETIREMENT COMPENSATION AGREEMENTS

Employees of the Company, who meet certain minimum age and service requirements, are eligible to participate in the Mack-Cali Realty Corporation 401(k) Savings/Retirement Plan (the “401(k) Plan”).  Eligible employees may elect to defer from one percent up to 60 percent of their annual compensation on a pre-tax basis to the 401(k) Plan, subject to certain limitations imposed by federal law.  The amounts contributed by employees are immediately vested and non-forfeitable.  The Company may make discretionary matching or profit sharing contributions to the 401(k) Plan on behalf of eligible participants in any plan year.  Participants are always 100 percent vested in their pre-tax contributions and will begin vesting in any matching or profit sharing contributions made on their behalf after two years of service with the Company at a rate of 20 percent per year, becoming 100 percent vested after a total of six years of service with the Company.    All contributions are allocated as a percentage of compensation of the eligible participants for the Plan year.  The assets of the 401(k) Plan are held in trust and a separate account is established for each participant.  A participant may receive a distribution of his or her vested account balance in the 401(k) Plan in a single sum or in installment payments upon his or her termination of service with the Company.  The 401(k) Plan was recently amended to provide for employees of the Roseland Business to receive matching contributions.  Total expense recognized by the Company for the 401(k) Plan for the three years ended December 31, 2013,  2012 and 2011 was $117,000, $7,000 and zero, respectively. 

On September 12, 2012, the Board of Directors of the Company approved multi-year deferred retirement compensation agreements for those executive officers in place on such date (the “Deferred Retirement Compensation Agreements”).  Pursuant to the Deferred Retirement Compensation Agreements, the Company will make annual contributions of stock units (“Stock Units”) representing shares of the Company’s common stock on January 1 of each year from 2013 through 2017 into a deferred compensation account maintained on behalf of each Messrs. Hersh, Lefkowitz and Thomas.  The annual contribution for Messrs. Hersh, Lefkowitz and Thomas shall be in an amount of Stock Units equal to $500,000,  $160,000 and $100,000, respectively.  The Company granted 25,333 Stock Units in the year ended December 31, 2013.  Vesting of each annual contribution of Stock Units will occur on December 31 of each year, subject to continued employment. Upon the payment of dividends on the Company’s common stock, Messrs. Hersh, Lefkowitz and Thomas shall be entitled to dividend equivalent payments in respect of both vested and unvested Stock Units payable in the form of additional Stock Units.  A total of 26,814 Stock Units, including 1,481 additional Stock Units on accrued dividends, vested on December 31, 2013.  The Stock Units shall become payable within 30 days after the earliest of any of the following triggering events: (a) the executive’s death or disability; (b) the date of the executive’s separation from service to the Company; and (c) the effective date of a change in control, in each case as such terms are defined in the employment agreements of Messrs. Hersh, Lefkowitz and Thomas.  Upon the occurrence of a triggering event, the Stock Units shall be paid in cash based on the closing price of the Company’s common stock on the date of such triggering event.  Total expense recognized by the Company under the Deferred Retirement Compensation Agreements for the year ended December 31, 2013 was $595,000.