PENSION AND OTHER POSTRETIREMENT BENEFITS

6 Months Ended

Jun. 24, 2012

General Discussion of Pension and Other Postretirement Benefits [Abstract]

Pension and Other Postretirement Benefits Disclosure [Text Block]

12. PENSION AND OTHER POSTRETIREMENT BENEFITS

The Company sponsors programs that provide retirement benefits to most of its employees. These programs include qualified defined benefit pension plans, nonqualified defined benefit retirement plans, a defined benefit postretirement life insurance plan, defined contribution retirement savings plans and deferred compensation plans. Under all of our retirement plans, the Company’s expenses were $2.4 million and $3.0 million in the thirteen weeks ended June 24, 2012 and June 26, 2011, respectively, and $4.6 million and $5.3 million in the twenty-six weeks ended June 24, 2012 and June 26, 2011, respectively.

     The following table provides the components of net periodic benefit cost for the defined benefit plans mentioned above:

	Thirteen Weeks Ended											Twenty-Six Weeks Ended
	June 24, 2012						June 26, 2011					June 24, 2012						June 26, 2011
	Pension			Other			Pension			Other		Pension			Other			Pension			Other
	Benefits			Benefits			Benefits			Benefits		Benefits			Benefits			Benefits			Benefits
	(In thousands)
Service cost	$	13		$	—		$	47		$	—	$	25		$	—		$	99		$	—
Interest cost		2,028			23			2,211			30		4,057			47			4,676			64
Estimated return on plan assets		(1,436	)		—			(1,665	)		—		(2,871	)		—			(3,521	)		—
Amortization of prior service cost		—			—			1			—		—			—			2			—
Amortization of net loss (gain)		416			(1	)		26			—		831			(1	)		54			—
Net periodic benefit cost	$	1,021		$	22		$	620		$	30	$	2,042		$	46		$	1,310		$	64

During the thirteen and twenty-six weeks ended June 24, 2012, the Company contributed $2.8 million and $4.4 million to its defined benefit plans, respectively.

Beginning in the current year, the Company began remeasuring both plan assets and obligations on a quarterly basis.