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 U.S. and Canadian employees not under collective bargaining agreements. The Company matches a portion of the employee’s contribution and may make an additional contribution at its discretion. Contributions charged to expense under the plan for fiscal 2017, 2016 and 2015 were $15.0 million, $13.8 million and $15.8 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 (loss) 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 $2.5 million, $2.4 million and $2.8 million for fiscal 2017, 2016 and 2015, 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. The UniFirst Plan assets are invested in a Guaranteed Deposit Account (“GDA”) that is maintained and operated by Prudential Retirement Insurance and Annuity Company (“PRIAC”). All assets are merged with the general assets of PRIAC and are invested predominantly in privately placed securities and mortgages. At the beginning of each calendar year, PRIAC notifies the Company of the annual rates of interest which will be applied to the amounts held in the Guaranteed Deposit Account during the next calendar year. In determining the interest rate to be applied, PRIAC considers the investment performance of the underlying assets of the prior year; however, regardless of the investment performance the annual interest rate applied per the contract must be a minimum of 3.25%. The amount charged to expense related to this plan amounted to approximately $0.5 million for fiscal 2017 and $0.4 million for both fiscal 2016 and 2015.

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 Textilease Plan assets are held in a separate GDA with PRIAC; however the minimum interest rate per the Textilease Plan contract is 1.5%. The amount charged to expense related to this plan amounted to approximately $0.2 million for both fiscal 2017 and 2016 and $0.3 million for fiscal 2015.

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 fiscal 2017, 2016 and 2015 were as follows (in thousands):



	Pension Plans									SERP
	2017			2016			2015			2017		2016		2015
Service cost	$	271		$	204		$	192		$	785	$	819	$	821
Interest cost	244			307			294			1,003		984		1,133
Expected return on assets	(189		)	(177		)	(182		)	—		—		—
Amortization of prior service cost	83			84			62			56		368		368
Amortization of unrecognized loss	149			105			152			653		274		461
Other events	125			43			174			—		—		—
Net periodic benefit cost	$	683		$	566		$	692		$	2,497	$	2,445	$	2,783

The calculation of pension expense and the corresponding liability requires the use of a number of critical assumptions, including the expected long-term rates of return on plan assets, the assumed discount rate, the assumed rate of compensation increases and life expectancy of participants. 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 26, 2017 and August 27, 2016 were as follows (in thousands):



	Pension Plans						SERP
	2017			2016			2017			2016
Change in benefit obligation:
Projected benefit obligation, beginning of year	$	9,000		$	8,479		$	30,696		$	23,755
Service cost	271			204			785			819
Interest cost	244			307			1,003			984
Actuarial (gain) loss	(441		)	506			(3,130		)	5,568
Benefits paid	(326		)	(370		)	(553		)	(430		)
Settlements	(366		)	(126		)	—			—
Projected benefit obligation, end of year	$	8,382		$	9,000		$	28,801		$	30,696

Change in plan assets:
Fair value of plan assets, beginning of year	$	4,753		$	4,757		$	—		$	—
Actual return on plan assets	63			71			—			—
Employer contributions	973			420			—			—
Benefits paid	(326		)	(370		)	—			—
Settlements	(366		)	(125		)	—			—
Fair value of plan assets, end of year	$	5,097		$	4,753		$	—		$	—

Funded status (net amount recognized):	$	(3,285	)	$	(4,247	)	$	(28,801	)	$	(30,696	)

As of August 26, 2017 and August 27, 2016, the accumulated benefit obligations for the Company’s Pension Plans were $8.3 million and $8.9 million, respectively. As of August 26, 2017 and August 27, 2016, the accumulated benefit obligations for the Company’s SERP were $22.3 million and $30.7 million, respectively.

The amounts recorded on the Consolidated Balance Sheet for the Company’s Pension Plans and SERP as of August 26, 2017 and August 27, 2016 were as follows (in thousands):



	Pension Plans						SERP
	2017			2016			2017			2016
Deferred tax assets	$	860		$	1,119		$	2,568		$	4,046
Accrued liabilities	$	3,285		$	4,247		$	28,801		$	30,696
Accumulated other comprehensive loss	$	(1,374	)	$	(1,788	)	$	(4,102	)	$	(6,463	)

As of August 26, 2017 and August 27, 2016, the amounts recognized in accumulated other comprehensive loss for the Company’s Pension Plans and SERP (in thousands):



	Pension Plans						SERP
	2017			2016			2017			2016
Net actuarial loss	$	(1,134	)	$	(1,497	)	$	(4,102	)	$	(6,429	)
Unrecognized prior service cost	(240		)	(291		)	—			(34		)
Accumulated other comprehensive loss	$	(1,374	)	$	(1,788	)	$	(4,102	)	$	(6,463	)

The weighted average assumptions used in calculating the Company’s projected benefit obligation as of August 26, 2017 and August 27, 2016, were as follows:



	Pension Plans				SERP
	2017		2016		2017		2016
Discount rate	3.2	%	2.9	%	3.6	%	3.3	%
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 26, 2017, August 27, 2016 and August 29, 2015, were as follows:



	Pension Plans						SERP
	2017		2016		2015		2017		2016		2015
Discount rate	2.9	%	3.8	%	3.6	%	3.3	%	4.2	%	3.8	%
Expected return on plan assets	3.9	%	3.9	%	3.9	%	N/A		N/A		N/A
Rate of compensation increase	N/A		N/A		N/A		5.0	%	5.0	%	5.0	%

The following benefit payments, which reflect expected future service, that are expected to be paid for the five fiscal years subsequent to August 26, 2017 and thereafter are as follows (in thousands):



	Pension Plans		SERP
2018	$	896	$	1,049
2019	732		1,051
2020	566		1,113
2021	396		1,325
2022	572		1,326
Thereafter	5,220		22,937
Total benefit payments	$	8,382	$	28,801