Note 7 - Employee Benefit Plans

9 Months Ended

Sep. 30, 2014

Compensation and Retirement Disclosure [Abstract]

Pension and Other Postretirement Benefits Disclosure [Text Block]

Note 7.   Employee Benefit Plans

We sponsor defined benefit pension plans covering substantially all U.S. employees.  Net periodic pension cost for the plans consisted of the following for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2014 and 2013 (in thousands):

	Three Months Ended September 30,
	2014			2013
Service cost	$	1,020		$	569
Interest cost		1,186			422
Expected return on plan assets		(1,249	)		(375	)
Amortization of prior service cost		(84	)		(171	)
Amortization of net (gain) loss		756			660
Net periodic pension cost	$	1,629		$	1,105

	Nine Months Ended September 30,
	2014			2013
Service cost	$	3,060		$	2,684
Interest cost		3,558			2,361
Expected return on plan assets		(3,747	)		(2,784	)
Amortization of prior service cost		(252	)		24
Amortization of net (gain) loss		2,268			2,212
Net periodic pension cost	$	4,887		$	4,497

In the first nine months of 2014, we contributed our Senior Notes in the aggregate principal amount of $6.5 million to our defined benefit pension plan, with no additional contributions anticipated in 2014 (see Note 9 for more information). We expect to contribute approximately $0.3 million to our unfunded supplemental executive retirement plan in 2014.