Note 7 - Employee Benefit Plans

3 Months Ended

Mar. 31, 2016

Notes to Financial Statements

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 months ended March 31, 2016 and 2015 (in thousands):

	Three Months Ended March 31,
	2016			2015
Service cost	$	1,077		$	1,054
Interest cost		1,307			1,206
Expected return on plan assets		(1,325	)		(1,345	)
Amortization of prior service benefit		(84	)		(84	)
Amortization of net loss		1,093			1,065
Net periodic benefit cost	$	2,068		$	1,896

In February 2016, we contributed approximately $2.6 million in shares of our common stock and cash to our defined benefit plans, with approximately $2.7 million in additional contributions anticipated in 2016. We expect to contribute approximately $0.4 million to our unfunded supplemental executive retirement plan during 2016.