Post-retirement Plans

We have a post-retirement healthcare and other benefits plan that is available to certain of our employees who satisfy certain age and service requirements. The net periodic benefit expense of this plan consisted of the following components:



	Three Months Ended March 31,
	2014			2013
	(In thousands)
Service cost – benefit earned during the period	$	224		$	278
Interest cost on projected benefit obligations	159			159
Amortization of prior service credit	(1,074		)	(1,474		)
Amortization of net loss	—			31
Loss on settlement	—			1,726
Net periodic post-retirement expense (credit)	$	(691	)	$	720

In the first quarter of 2013, we settled a portion of our post-retirement medical obligation, at which time we reclassified a $1.7 million pretax loss out of accumulated other comprehensive income that was recognized as a charge to net income.

Additionally, we have a program that provides certain transition benefit payments to certain employees that participated in a defined benefit plan that was terminated. The program extends through 2014 and provides payments after year-end provided the employee is employed by us on the last day of each year. The payments are based on each employee's years of service and eligible salary. Transition benefit costs under this program were $2.6 million and $2.9 million for the three months ended March 31, 2014 and 2013, respectively.