Note 7 - Employee Benefit Plans

6 Months Ended

Jun. 30, 2017

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

and

six

months ended

June 

30,

2017

and

2016

(in thousands):

	Three Months Ended June 30,
	2017			2016
Service cost	$	1,196		$	1,077
Interest cost		1,339			1,307
Expected return on plan assets		(1,462	)		(1,325	)
Amortization of prior service cost		(84	)		(84	)
Amortization of net loss		1,033			1,093
Net periodic pension cost	$	2,022		$	2,068

	Six Months Ended June 30,
	2017			2016
Service cost	$	2,392		$	2,154
Interest cost		2,678			2,614
Expected return on plan assets		(2,924	)		(2,650	)
Amortization of prior service cost		(168	)		(168	)
Amortization of net (gain) loss		2,066			2,186
Net periodic pension cost	$	4,044		$	4,136

We made cash contributions to our defined benefit plans of

$1.2

million in

April 2017

and

$5.7

million in

July 2017.

We expect to contribute approximately

$0.4

million to our unfunded supplemental executive retirement plan during

2017.