Employee Benefit Plans

12 Months Ended

Aug. 27, 2011

Employee Benefit Plans [Abstract]

Employee Benefit Plans

7. Employee Benefit Plans

Defined Contribution Retirement Savings Plan

The Company has a defined contribution retirement savings plan with a 401(k) feature for all eligible employees not under collective bargaining agreements. The Company matches a portion of the employee's contribution and can make an additional contribution at its discretion. Contributions charged to expense under the plan for the years ended August 27, 2011, August 28, 2010 and August 29, 2009 were $10.6 million, $11.0 million and $13.6 million, respectively.

Pension Plans and Supplemental Executive Retirement Plans

The Company accounts for its pension plans and Supplemental Executive Retirement Plan on an accrual basis over employees' estimated service periods.

The Company (1) recognizes in its statement of financial position the over-funded or under-funded status of its defined benefit postretirement plans measured as the difference between the fair value of plan assets and the benefit obligation, (2) recognizes as a component of other comprehensive income, net of tax, the actuarial gains and losses and the prior service costs and credits that arise during the period but are not recognized as components of net periodic benefit cost, (3) measures defined benefit plan assets and defined benefit plan obligations as of the date of its statement of financial position, and (4) discloses additional information in the notes to financial statements about certain effects on net periodic benefit cost in the upcoming fiscal year that arise from delayed recognition of the actuarial gains and losses and the prior service costs and credits.

The Company maintains an unfunded Supplemental Executive Retirement Plan (“SERP”) for certain eligible employees of the Company. The benefits are based on the employee's compensation upon retirement. The amount charged to expense related to this plan amounted to approximately $1.7 million, $1.5 million and $1.5 million for the fiscal years ended 2011, 2010 and 2009, respectively.

The Company maintains a non-contributory defined benefit pension plan (“UniFirst Plan”) covering union employees at one of its locations. The benefits are based on years of service and the employees' compensation. The plan assets primarily consist of fixed income and equity securities. The amount charged to expense related to this plan amounted to approximately $0.3 million, $0.3 million and $0.2 million for fiscal years ended 2011, 2010 and 2009, respectively.

In connection with one of the Company's acquisitions, the Company assumed liabilities related to a frozen pension plan covering many of the acquired Company's former employees (“Textilease Plan”).  The pension benefits are based on years of service and the employee's compensation. The plan assets primarily consist of fixed income and equity securities. The amounts charged to expense related to this plan amounted to approximately $0.1 million for each of the fiscal years ended 2011, 2010 and 2009.

The Company refers to its UniFirst Plan and Textilease Plan collectively as its “Pension Plans”.

The components of net periodic benefit cost related to the Company's Pension Plans and SERP for the years ended August 27, 2011, August 28, 2010 and August 29, 2009 were as follows (in thousands):

	Pension Plans									SERP
	2011			2010			2009			2011		2010		2009
Service cost	$	149		$	136		$	135		$	486	$	391	$	364
Interest cost		328			351			346			764		702		643
Expected return on assets		(202	)		(191	)		(243	)		-		-		-
Amortization of prior service cost		62			62			62			368		368		368
Amortization of unrecognized loss		78			20			13			131		54		77
Other events		65			-			-			-		-		-
Net periodic benefit cost	$	480		$	378		$	313		$	1,749	$	1,515	$	1,452

The calculation of pension expense and the corresponding liability requires the use of a number of critical assumptions, including the expected long-term rate of return on plan assets and the assumed discount rate. Changes in these assumptions can result in different expense and liability amounts, and future actual experience can differ from these assumptions. Pension expense increases as the expected rate of return on pension plan assets decreases. Future changes in plan asset returns, assumed discount rates and various other factors related to the participants in the Company's pension plans will impact its future pension expense and liabilities. The Company cannot predict with certainty what these factors will be in the future.

The Company's obligations and funded status related to its Pension Plans and SERP as of August 27, 2011 and August 28, 2010 were as follows (in thousands):

	Pension Plans						SERP
	2011			2010			2011			2010
Change in benefit obligation:
Projected benefit obligation, beginning of year	$	7,339		$	6,205		$	13,987		$	11,925
Service cost		149			136			486			391
Interest cost		328			351			764			702
Actuarial (gain) loss		114			921			98			1,355
Benefits paid		(319	)		(274	)		(391	)		(386	)
Settlements		(239	)		-			-			-
Projected benefit obligation, end of year	$	7,372		$	7,339		$	14,944		$	13,987
Change in plan assets:
Fair value of plan assets, beginning of year	$	5,263		$	5,050		$	-		$	-
Actual return on plan assets		205			331			-			-
Employer contributions		235			156			-			-
Benefits paid		(319	)		(274	)		-			-
Settlements		(239	)		-			-			-
Fair value of plan assets, end of year	$	5,145		$	5,263		$	-		$	-
Funded status (net amount recognized):	$	(2,227	)	$	(2,076	)	$	(14,944	)	$	(13,987	)

As of August 27, 2011 and August 28, 2010, the accumulated benefit obligations for the Company's Pension Plans were $7.4 million and $7.3 million, respectively.   As of August 27, 2011 and August 28, 2010, the accumulated benefit obligations for the Company's SERP were $11.6 million and $10.9 million, respectively.

The amounts recorded on the Consolidated Balance Sheet for the Company's Pension Plans and SERP as of August 27, 2011 and August 28, 2010 were as follows (in thousands):

	Pension Plans						SERP
	2011			2010			2011			2010
Deferred tax assets	$	795		$	842		$	1,716		$	1,991
Accrued liabilities	$	2,227		$	2,076		$	14,944		$	13,987
Accumulated other comprehensive loss	$	(1,269	)	$	(1,317	)	$	(2,742	)	$	(3,114	)

As of August 27, 2011 and August 28, 2010, the amounts recognized in accumulated other comprehensive income for the Company's Pension Plans and SERP (in thousands):

	Pension Plans							SERP
	2011				2010			2011			2010
Net actuarial loss		$	(936	)	$	(948	)	$	(1,577	)		$	(1,734	)
Unrecognized prior service cost			(333	)		(369	)		(1,165	)			(1,380	)
		$	(1,269	)	$	(1,317	)	$	(2,742	)		$	(3,114	)

The weighted average assumptions used in calculating the Company's projected benefit obligation as of August 27, 2011 and August 28, 2010, were as follows:

	Pension Plans					SERP
	2011			2010		2011		2010
Discount rate		4.6	%	4.7	%	4.9	%	4.8	%
Rate of compensation increase		N/A		N/A		5.0	%	5.0	%

The weighted average assumptions used in calculating the Company's net periodic service cost for the years ended August 27, 2011, August 28, 2010 and August 29, 2009, were as follows:

	Pension Plans							SERP
	2011			2010		2009		2011		2010		2009
Discount rate		4.7	%	5.8	%	6.0	%	4.8	%	5.7	%	6.0	%
Expected return on plan assets		4.0	%	4.0	%	5.0	%	N/A		N/A		N/A
Rate of compensation increase		N/A		N/A		N/A		5.0	%	5.0	%	5.0	%