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Unit-Based Compensation Arrangements
3 Months Ended
Dec. 30, 2017
Disclosure Of Compensation Related Costs Sharebased Payments [Abstract]  
Unit-Based Compensation Arrangements

10.

Unit-Based Compensation Arrangements

The Partnership recognizes compensation cost over the respective service period for employee services received in exchange for an award of equity, or equity-based compensation, based on the grant date fair value of the award.  The Partnership measures liability awards under an equity-based payment arrangement based on remeasurement of the award’s fair value at the conclusion of each interim and annual reporting period until the date of settlement, taking into consideration the probability that the performance conditions will be satisfied.

Restricted Unit Plan.  On July 22, 2009, the Partnership adopted the Suburban Propane Partners, L.P. 2009 Restricted Unit Plan, as amended (the “Restricted Unit Plan”), which authorizes the issuance of Common Units to executives, managers and other employees and members of the Board of Supervisors of the Partnership.  The total number of Common Units authorized for issuance under the Restricted Unit Plan was 2,400,000 as of December 30, 2017.  In accordance with an August 6, 2013 amendment to the Restricted Unit Plan, unless otherwise stipulated by the Compensation Committee of the Partnership’s Board of Supervisors on or before the grant date, all restricted unit awards granted after the date of the amendment will vest 33.33% on each of the first three anniversaries of the award grant date.  Prior to the August 6, 2013 amendment, unless otherwise stipulated by the Compensation Committee of the Partnership’s Board of Supervisors on or before the grant date, restricted units issued under the Restricted Unit Plan vest over time with 25% of the Common Units vesting at the end of each of the third and fourth anniversaries of the grant date and the remaining 50% of the Common Units vesting at the end of the fifth anniversary of the grant date.  The Restricted Unit Plan participants are not eligible to receive quarterly distributions on, or vote, their respective restricted units until vested.  Restricted units cannot be sold or transferred prior to vesting.  The value of the restricted unit is established by the market price of the Common Unit on the date of grant, net of estimated future distributions during the vesting period.  Restricted units are subject to forfeiture in certain circumstances as defined in the Restricted Unit Plan. Compensation expense for the unvested awards is recognized ratably over the vesting periods and is net of estimated forfeitures.

During the three months ended December 30, 2017, the Partnership awarded 424,431 restricted units under the Restricted Unit Plan at an aggregate grant date fair value of $8,285.  The following is a summary of activity for the Restricted Unit Plan for the three months ended December 30, 2017:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Weighted Average

 

 

 

Restricted

 

 

Grant Date Fair

 

 

 

Units

 

 

Value Per Unit

 

Outstanding September 30, 2017

 

 

621,045

 

 

$

22.10

 

Awarded

 

 

424,431

 

 

 

19.52

 

Forfeited

 

 

(9,226

)

 

 

(19.78

)

Vested (with Common Units issued)

 

 

(319,109

)

 

 

(24.48

)

Outstanding December 30, 2017

 

 

717,141

 

 

$

19.54

 

 

As of December 30, 2017, unrecognized compensation cost related to unvested restricted units awarded under the Restricted Unit Plan amounted to $8,627.  Compensation cost associated with unvested awards is expected to be recognized over a weighted-average period of 1.1 years.  Compensation expense for the Restricted Unit Plan, net of forfeitures, for the three months ended December 30, 2017 and December 24, 2016 was $2,649 and $2,875, respectively.

Distribution Equivalent Rights Plan.  On January 17, 2017, the Partnership adopted the Distribution Equivalent Rights Plan (the “DER Plan”), which gives the Compensation Committee of the Partnership’s Board of Supervisors discretion to award distribution equivalent rights (“DERs”) to executive officers of the Partnership.  Once awarded, DERs entitle the grantee to a cash payment each time the Board of Supervisors declares a cash distribution on the Partnership’s Common Units, which cash payment will be equal to an amount calculated by multiplying the number of unvested restricted units which are held by the grantee on the record date of the distribution, by the amount of the declared distribution per Common Unit.  Compensation expense recognized under the DER Plan for the three months ended December 30, 2017 and December 24, 2016 was $207 and $-0-, respectively.

Long-Term Incentive Plan.  On August 6, 2013, the Partnership adopted the 2014 Long-Term Incentive Plan (“LTIP”).  The LTIP is a non-qualified, unfunded, long-term incentive plan for officers and key employees that provides for payment, in the form of cash, of an award of equity-based compensation at the end of a three-year performance period.  The level of compensation earned under the LTIP is based on the Partnership’s average distribution coverage ratio over the three-year measurement period.  The Partnership’s average distribution coverage ratio is calculated as the Partnership’s average distributable cash flow, as defined by the LTIP, for each of the three years in the measurement period, subject to certain adjustments as set forth in the LTIP, divided by the amount of annualized cash distributions to be paid by the Partnership.

As a result of the quarterly remeasurement of the liability for awards under the LTIP, compensation expense for the three months ended December 30, 2017 and December 24, 2016 reflected expense of $1,632, and income of $986, respectively. As of December 30, 2017 and September 30, 2017, the Partnership had a liability included within accrued employment and benefit costs (or other liabilities, as applicable) of $3,268 and $1,637, respectively, related to estimated future payments under the LTIP.