Commitments and Contingencies

9 Months Ended

Oct. 01, 2011

Commitments and Contingencies [Abstract]

Commitments and Contingencies [Text Block]

7. Commitments and Contingencies

The Company is party to various legal actions that are ordinary and incidental to its business. While the outcome of pending legal actions cannot be predicted with certainty, management believes the outcome of these various proceedings will not have a material adverse effect on the Company’s financial statements. In September of 2011, the Company reached an agreement with all defendants to settle all controversies and disputes and agreed to dismiss all claims against the defendants with prejudice in connection with a civil litigation filed in Minneapolis, Minnesota. This settlement was recorded as a reduction to selling, general and administrative expenses in the condensed consolidated statement of operations.

The Company is involved in certain environmental matters and has been designated as a potentially responsible party for certain hazardous waste sites. There have been no material changes related to these environmental matters and, based on information currently available, the Company believes that remediation of these environmental matters will not have a material adverse effect on the Company’s financial statements.

The Company’s income, sales and use, and other tax returns are routinely subject to audit by various authorities. The Company believes that the resolution of any matters raised during such audits will not have a material adverse effect on the Company’s financial statements.

The Company participates in a number of multi-employer pension plans for union employees (“Multi-Employer Plans”) and is exposed to significant risks and uncertainties arising from its participation in these Multi-Employer Plans. These risks and uncertainties, including changes in future contributions due to partial or full withdrawal of the Company and other participating employers from these Multi-Employer Plans, could significantly increase the Company’s future contributions or the underfunded status of these Multi-Employer Plans. One of these Multi-Employer Plans is in mass withdrawal status. While it is not possible to quantify the potential impact of future actions of the Company or other participating employers from these Multi-Employer Plans, continued participation in or withdrawal from these multi-employer pension plans could have a material impact on the Company’s financial statements.