PENSION AND OTHER POSTRETIREMENT BENEFITS

9 Months Ended

Sep. 23, 2012

General Discussion Of Pension and Other Postretirement Benefits [Abstract]

Pension and Other Postretirement Benefits Disclosure [Text Block]

11. 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. The Company recognized income of $0.3 million in the thirteen weeks ended September 23, 2012, expenses of $1.6 million in the thirteen weeks ended September 25, 2011, expenses of $4.3 million in the thirty-nine weeks ended September 23, 2012 and expenses of $6.9 million in the thirty-nine weeks ended September 25, 2011.

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

	Thirteen Weeks Ended											Thirty-Nine Weeks Ended
	September 23, 2012						September 25, 2011					September 23, 2012						September 25, 2011
	Pension			Other			Pension			Other		Pension			Other			Pension			Other
	Benefits			Benefits			Benefits			Benefits		Benefits			Benefits			Benefits			Benefits
	(In thousands)
Service cost	$	13		$	—		$	40		$	—	$	38		$	—		$	139		$	—
Interest cost		2,147			25			2,075			26		6,204			72			6,751			90
Estimated return on plan assets		(2,126	)		—			(1,427	)		—		(4,997	)		—			(4,948	)		—
Amortization of prior service cost		—			—			22			—		—			—			77			—
Amortization of net loss (gain)		(483	)		(1	)		1			—		348			(2	)		2			—
Net periodic benefit cost
(gain)	$	(449	)	$	24		$	711		$	26	$	1,593		$	70		$	2,021		$	90

     During the thirteen and thirty-nine weeks ended September 23, 2012, the Company contributed $5.0 million and $9.4 million to its defined benefit plans, respectively.

     The Company and certain retirement plans that it sponsors invest in a variety of financial instruments. Certain postretirement funds in which the Company participates hold significant amounts of mortgage-backed securities. However, none of the mortgages collateralizing these securities are considered subprime.

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