Note 9 - Pension Plans

12 Months Ended

Apr. 30, 2016

Pension and Other Postretirement Benefits Disclosure [Text Block]

PENSION PLANS

The Company contributes to certain pension plans under collective bargaining agreements and to a discretionary profit sharing plan. Total contributions (including contributions to multi-employer plans reflected below) were $2.9 million for Fiscal 2016, $2.7 million for Fiscal 2015 and $2.7 million for Fiscal 2014.

The Company participates in various multi-employer defined benefit pension plans covering certain employees whose employment is covered under collective bargaining agreements. If the Company chooses to stop participating in the multi-employer plan or if other employers choose to withdraw to the extent that a mass withdrawal occurs, the Company could be required to pay the plan a withdrawal liability based on the underfunded status of the plan.

Summarized below is certain information regarding the Company’s participation in significant multi-employer pension plans including the financial improvement plan or rehabilitation plan status (“FIP/RP Status”) and the zone status under the Pension Protection Act (“PPA”). The most recent PPA zone status available in Fiscal 2016 and Fiscal 2015 is for the plans’ years ending December 31, 2014 and 2013, respectively.

	PPA Zone Status
Pension Fund	Fiscal 2016	Fiscal 2015	FIP/RP Status	Surcharge Imposed
Central States, Southeast and Southwest Areas Pension Plan (EIN no. 36-6044243) (the “CSSS Fund”)	Red	Red	Implemented	No
Western Conference of Teamsters Pension Trust Fund (EIN no. 91-6145047) (the “WCT Fund”)	Green	Green	Not applicable	No

For the plan years ended December 31, 2014 and December 31, 2013, the Company was not listed in the Form 5500 Annual Returns as providing more than 5% of the total contributions for the above plans. The collective bargaining agreements for employees in the CSSS Fund and the WCT Fund expire on October 18, 2016 and May 14, 2016, respectively. The Company is presently negotiating the renewal of the WCT Fund collective bargaining agreement.

The Company’s contributions for all multi-employer pension plans for the last three fiscal years are as follow:

	(In thousands)
	Fiscal		Fiscal		Fiscal
Pension Fund	2016		2015		2014
CSSS Fund	$	1,172	$	1,103	$	1,079
WCT Fund		485		637		476
Other multi-employer pension funds		448		306		295
Total	$	2,105	$	2,046	$	1,850

The trustees of one of the multi-employer pension plans that is not considered individually significant have notified a subsidiary of the Company that a mass withdrawal has occurred and have provided the subsidiary with a notice of withdrawal liability. The Company disputes various aspects of the withdrawal liability calculations and is challenging them under applicable Federal laws. The Company anticipates that the amount of its liability will not have a material effect on its financial position or results of operations.