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Employees
3 Months Ended
Mar. 31, 2019
Retirement Benefits [Abstract]  
Employees Employees
Postretirement Benefits
The components of net periodic benefit cost related to our benefit plans consisted of the following:
 
Three Months Ended March 31,
Components of net periodic (benefit) cost:
2019
 
2018
Service cost
$

 
$
0.2

Interest cost
1.3

 
1.2

Expected return on plan assets
(1.9
)
 
(1.8
)
Recognition due to settlement

 
(0.2
)
Net periodic benefit
$
(0.6
)
 
$
(0.6
)


The service cost component of net periodic benefit is included as part of general and administrative expenses in the accompanying condensed consolidated statements of income. The other components of net periodic benefit are included as part of other non-operating expense (income), net in the accompanying condensed consolidated statements of income. During the year ended December 31, 2018, we completely settled the supplemental retirement income plan of the retail segment, and we had a partial settlement of Alon's executive non-qualified restoration plan. In addition, we entered into an agreement with the International Union of Operating Engineers (the "Union") to extend the Union agreement to March 31, 2022, and to freeze Alon's qualified pension plan for union employees effective July 31, 2018. As part of the extended Union agreement, the Company agreed to compensate each pension-eligible employee in the Union for the loss of the pension benefit over the remaining union contract period in four annual installments, where payments are contingent upon continued employment at each annual payment date. The payments, the first of which was made in July 2018, are expected to total approximately $6.9 million in the aggregate without considering forfeitures (which cannot yet be estimated). The related expense has been or will be recognized over the remaining union contract period as follows (estimated without considering forfeitures): approximately $0.5 million during the three months ended March 31, 2019 and approximately $1.5 million for the remainder of 2019; approximately $2.0 million during each of the years 2020 and 2021, and approximately $0.1 million in 2022. In addition during the fourth quarter of 2018, we spun off a portion of the Alon's qualified pension plan into a new plan for Union employees - The Alon USA Pension Plan for Collective Bargained Employees. The assets were allocated as required under IRC Section 414. The remaining accumulated other comprehensive income at that date was split between the two plans based on their respective portions of the projected benefit obligation (the "Projected Benefit Obligation") which is the present value of benefits earned to date by plan participants, including the effect of assumed future salary increases.
Our estimated contributions to our pension plans during 2019 have not changed significantly from amounts previously disclosed in the notes to the consolidated financial statements for the year ended December 31, 2018. For the three months ended March 31, 2019, we made no contributions to our funded qualified pension plan and made contributions of $0.1 million related to payments to participants in our unfunded pension plans.