Paid Time-Off Bank for Full-Time Employees
Think of all the things you do with your time off. Hike the Appalachian Trail? Take Spot to the vet? Lie on a beach in Jamaica? Nurse your daughter through chicken pox? Snowboard in Utah? Now, think about having one block of days you can use to take care of all those time off needs. Sounds simple doesn’t it? It is. Cingular’s flexible new Paid Time-Off (PTO) Bank helps simplify your time-off benefits because it gives you the freedom to use your time when you need it.

Instead of having separate vacation, optional, and sick day allotments, you get one, simple, easy-to-use PTO Bank. You can use your PTO days any way you want, as long as you notify your supervisor in advance.

Even if you do get sick now and then, you’re unlikely to use all your PTO days being sick. After you’ve been sick for five consecutive business days, Short-Term Disability benefits may be available.

The number of PTO days you have depends on how long you’ve worked for Cingular. Remember, you get credit for all your recognized service with companies associated with the joint venture.

Now let’s look at the new PTO schedule effective for 2002!

If you have recognized service of:

• 6 months to 1 year, you'll get 18 days
• 1 year to 5 years, you'll get 23 days
• 5 to 10 years, you'll get 28 days
• 10 to 15 years, you'll get 33 days
• 15 or more years, you'll get 38 days

Compare this to your current benefits. Depending on your current company and years of service you may have just earned an extra week off starting in 2002. The new Cingular PTO benefits require less service for more time off!

You’ll be credited with all your PTO days for the coming year on December 31. For example, if you have four years and three months of recognized service as of December 31, 2001, you’ll receive 28 PTO days for 2002—recognizing your five years of service in the coming year. This does not include any carryover days.

If you leave Cingular, you’ll get paid for any unused PTO days you have remaining according to the PTO policy and applicable state laws.

Six Cingular Holidays
In addition to your PTO days, you get six official holidays a year—New Year’s Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving, and Christmas. Remember, if you want another holiday off, you can always use a PTO day.

Carryover Days
Although Cingular encourages you to use all your PTO days in the calendar year, we also understand that sometimes you just can’t get away. To give you even more flexibility, you can carry over up to five PTO days each year. The five days you carry over must be used during the first quarter of the year, or you will lose them. (Exceptions to this rule will apply in those states where Cingular must follow state law.)

Purchased Vacation Days
If you need some extra R and R, you’re eligible to buy up to five days of vacation during the annual open enrollment as long as you have six months of Cingular service.

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Time-Off Benefits for Part-Time Employees
PTO Bank
If you work less than a full-time schedule each week, you’re considered a part-time employee, and your PTO days will be prorated based on the number of hours you work. For example, if you have four years of recognized service and you work 20 hours a week, you get 11.5 PTO days—half the normal full-time PTO allotment based on a 40-hour work week.

Cingular Holidays
If you work on a holiday, you’ll get paid for the day. If you don’t work or are not scheduled to work on the holiday, you won’t get paid for the day.

Purchased Vacation Days
Part-time employees are not eligible to purchase vacation days.

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Transitioning to the Edge
The new Cingular time-off benefits are effective January 1, 2002 for all Cingular employees—even if your effective date for Cingular benefits is November 2001. Until January 1, 2002, you’ll continue with your current parent company time-off benefits.

If you are an SBC employee who has the option to be paid for unused carryover vacation days, then during the first quarter of 2002, you will be paid for all unused vacation days in excess of five. Those remaining five carryover days must be taken prior to April 1, 2002, or you will lose them. More information on this will be provided in future communications.

Some state laws may require Cingular to recognize longer carryover periods for our employees working in those states. In those cases, Cinglar will follow state law.

Transition benefits may apply if your parent company has a more generous paid time off program, or no limit on the number of carryover vacation days.

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