Employee Benefits

6 Months Ended

Jun. 30, 2017

Note 11.

Employee Benefits

We provided, and continue to provide, certain medical and dental care benefits to eligible retired U.S. and Canadian employees. Under the U.S. plan, for non-union employees, a Health Reimbursement Account (“HRA”) was established beginning January 1, 2009 for each qualified U.S. retiree. Annually, and through the year ended December 31, 2016, a fixed amount was credited into the HRA to cover both medical and dental costs for all current and future eligible retirees. Under the Canadian plan, retiree medical and dental benefits were funded using insurance contracts. Premiums under the insurance contracts were funded on a pay-as-you-go basis. The postretirement medical plans to substantially all eligible U.S. and Canadian employees terminated on December 31, 2016. For U.S. plan participants, balances in the HRA accounts at December 31, 2016 will remain available for use until December 31, 2018. Any remaining balance at December 31, 2018 will be forfeited. Postretirement medical and dental benefits to eligible employees will continue to be provided to the 24 former union employees in the U.S.

The components of net periodic benefit cost for our postretirement benefit plans for the three months and six months ended June 30, 2017 and 2016 were as follows (in thousands):

	Three Months Ended June 30,						Six Months Ended June 30,
Postretirement benefits	2017			2016			2017			2016
Service cost	$	—		$	—		$	—		$	—
Interest cost		2			3			4			6
Amortization of prior service cost		—			(14	)		—			(27	)
Actuarial net loss		(271	)		115			(330	)		390
Net periodic benefit cost (credit)	$	(269	)	$	104		$	(326	)	$	369

We maintain a defined contribution Supplemental Executive Retirement Plan for key employees. Under the plan, these employees may elect to defer a portion of their compensation and, in addition, we may at our discretion make contributions to the plan on behalf of the employees. In March 2017, we made company contributions to the plan of $0.3 million related to calendar year 2016.

We also have an Employee Stock Ownership Plan and Trust for employees who are not covered by a collective bargaining agreement. In connection therewith, we maintain an employee benefits trust to which we contribute shares of treasury stock. We are authorized to instruct the trustees to distribute such shares toward the satisfaction of our future obligations under the plan. The shares held in trust are not considered outstanding for purposes of calculating earnings per share until they are committed to be released. The trustees will vote the shares in accordance with their fiduciary duties. During the six months ended June 30, 2017, we contributed to the trust an additional 43,300 shares from our treasury and released 43,300 shares from the trust leaving 200 shares remaining in the trust as of June 30, 2017.