Employee Benefit Plans

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2021

Employee Benefit Plans

Employee Benefit Plans

21. Employee Benefit Plans

Defined Benefit Pension and Other Postretirement Benefit Plans

The Company provides funded and unfunded non-contributory defined benefit pension plans covering certain of its salaried and hourly employees. Benefits are generally based on the employee’s age and compensation. The Company funds the plans in an amount not less than the minimum statutory funding requirements or more than the maximum amount that can be deducted for U.S. federal income tax purposes.

The Company also currently provides certain postretirement medical and life insurance coverage for eligible employees. Generally, covered employees who terminate employment after meeting eligibility requirements are eligible for postretirement coverage for themselves and their dependents. The Company offers a subsidy to eligible retirees based on age and years of service at retirement and contain other cost-sharing features such as deductibles and coinsurance. The Company’s current funding policy is to fund the cost of all postretirement benefits as they are paid.

On January 1, 2015, the Company’s cash balance and excess plans were amended to freeze new service credits for any new or active employees.

Obligations and Funded Status.

Summaries of the changes in the benefit obligations, plan assets and funded status of the plans are as follows:

	Pension Benefits				Other Postretirement Benefits
	Year Ended		Year Ended		Year Ended		Year Ended
	December 31,		December 31,		December 31,		December 31,
	2021		2020		2021		2020
(In thousands)
CHANGE IN BENEFIT OBLIGATIONS
Benefit obligations at beginning of period	$	202,267	$	217,548	$	100,898	$	87,867
Service cost		—		—		341		419
Interest cost		4,334		5,498		2,113		2,392
Settlement gain		(1,768)		(896)		—		—
Curtailments		—		—		—		284
Plan Amendments		(341)		—		—		—
Benefits paid		(27,014)		(38,221)		(5,676)		(6,507)
Other-primarily actuarial (gain) loss		(7,502)		18,338		(18,431)		16,443
Benefit obligations at end of period	$	169,976	$	202,267	$	79,245	$	100,898
CHANGE IN PLAN ASSETS
Value of plan assets at beginning of period	$	199,248	$	211,802	$	—	$	—
Actual return on plan assets		5,117		23,055		—		—
Employer contributions		148		2,612		5,676		6,507
Benefits paid		(27,014)		(38,221)		(5,676)		(6,507)
Value of plan assets at end of period	$	177,499	$	199,248	$	—	$	—
Accrued benefit net asset (obiligation)	$	7,523	$	(3,019)	$	(79,245)	$	(100,898)
ITEMS NOT YET RECOGNIZED AS A COMPONENT OF NET PERIODIC BENEFIT COST
Prior service credit	$	1,091	$	880	$	—	$	—
Accumulated gain		16,102		10,790		20,657		2,226
	$	17,193	$	11,670		20,657	$	2,226
BALANCE SHEET AMOUNTS
Noncurrent asset	$	8,973	$	—	$	—	$	—
Current liability		(150)		(140)		(5,680)		(6,510)
Noncurrent liability		(1,300)		(2,879)		(73,565)		(94,388)
	$	7,523	$	(3,019)	$	(79,245)	$	(100,898)

Pension Benefits

The accumulated benefit obligation for all pension plans was $170.0 million and $202.3 million at December 31, 2021 and 2020, respectively.

The weighted-average interest credit rate for the cash balance pension plan was 4.25% at December 31, 2021 and 2020.

Significant changes affecting the benefit obligations included the higher discount rate which decreased plan obligations by $8.9 million.

Other Postretirement Benefits

Significant gains and losses affecting the benefit obligations included:

● the higher discount rate decreased plan obligations by $4.0 million;

● the claims cost assumptions were updated decreasing plan obligations by $7.1 million; and

● updated census data resulted in a decrease of plan obligations in the amount of $6.3 million.

Components of Net Periodic Benefit Cost. The following table details the components of pension and postretirement benefit costs (credits):

	Pension Benefits						Other Postretirement Benefits
	Year Ended		Year Ended		Year Ended		Year Ended		Year Ended		Year Ended
	December 31,		December 31,		December 31,		December 31,		December 31,		December 31,
	2021		2020		2019		2021		2020		2019
(In thousands)
Service cost	$	—	$	—	$	—	$	341	$	419	$	480
Interest cost(1)		4,334		5,498		8,141		2,113		2,392		3,505
Curtailments		—		—		—		—		—		—
Settlements(1)		(1,768)		(896)		(1,326)		—		—		—
Expected return on plan assets(1)		(7,245)		(8,283)		(10,555)		—		—		—
Amortization of prior service credits(1)		(190)		(112)		(24)		—		—		—
Amortization of other actuarial losses (gains) (1)		—		—		(11)		—		(1,379)		(2,974)
Net benefit cost (credit)	$	(4,869)	$	(3,793)	$	(3,775)	$	2,454	$	1,432	$	1,011

(1) In accordance with the adoption of ASU 2017-07, “Compensation-Retirement Benefits (Topic 715): Improving the Presentation of Net Periodic Pension Cost and Net Periodic Postretirement Benefit Cost,” these costs are recorded within Nonoperating expenses in the Consolidated Statements of Operations on the line item “Non-service related pension and postretirement benefit costs.”

The differences generated from changes in assumed discount rates and returns on plan assets are amortized into earnings over the remaining service attribution periods of the employees using the corridor method.

Assumptions. The following table provides the assumptions used to determine the actuarial present value of projected benefit obligations for the respective periods.

	Year Ended	Year Ended
	December 31,	December 31,
	2021	2020
(Percentages)
Pension Benefits
Discount rate	2.67/2.49	2.19/1.96
Other Postretirement Benefits
Discount rate	2.63	2.17

The following table provides the weighted average assumptions used to determine net periodic benefit cost for the respective periods.

	Year Ended	Year Ended	Year Ended
	December 31,	December 31,	December 31,
	2021	2020	2019
(Percentages)
Pension Benefits
Discount rate	2.50	2.72	3.65
Expected return on plan assets	4.30	4.65	5.10
Other Postretirement Benefits
Discount rate	2.17	3.09	4.12

The discount rates used in 2021, 2020 and 2019 were reevaluated during the year for settlements and curtailments. The obligations are remeasured at an updated discount rate that impacts the benefit cost recognized subsequent to the remeasurement.

The Company establishes the expected long-term rate of return at the beginning of each fiscal year based upon historical returns and projected returns on the underlying mix of invested assets. The Company utilizes modern portfolio theory modeling techniques in the development of its return assumptions. This technique projects rates of return that can be generated through various asset allocations that lie within the risk tolerance set forth by members of the Company’s pension committee (the “Pension Committee”). The risk assessment provides a link between a pension plan’s risk capacity, management’s willingness to accept investment risk and the asset allocation process, which ultimately leads to the return generated by the invested assets.

The health care cost trend rate assumed for 2022 is 8.0% and is expected to reach an ultimate trend rate of 4.5% by 2038.

Plan Assets

The Pension Committee is responsible for overseeing the investment of pension plan assets. The Pension Committee is responsible for determining and monitoring appropriate asset allocations and for selecting or replacing investment managers, trustees and custodians. The pension plan’s current investment targets are 15% equity and 85% fixed income securities. The Pension Committee reviews the actual asset allocation in light of these targets on a periodic basis and rebalances among investments as necessary. The Pension Committee evaluates the performance of investment managers as compared to the performance of specified benchmarks and peers and monitors the investment managers to ensure adherence to their stated investment style and to the plan’s investment guidelines.

The Company’s pension plan assets at December 31, 2021 and 2020, respectively, are categorized below according to the fair value hierarchy as defined in Note 17, “Fair Value Measurements”:

	Total				Level 1				Level 2				Level 3
	2021		2020		2021		2020		2021		2020		2021		2020
	(In thousands)
Equity Securities:(A)
U.S. small-cap	$	—	$	2,287	$	—	$	2,287	$	—	$	—	$	—	$	—
U.S. mid-cap		—		2,890		—		2,890		—		—		—		—
Fixed income securities:
U.S. government securities(B)		42,273		31,850		41,129		18,705		1,144		13,145		—		—
Non-U.S. government securities(C)		333		1,612		—		—		333		1,612		—		—
Corporate fixed income(D)		81,906		98,357		—		—		81,906		98,357		—		—
State and local government securities(E)		2,514		2,962		—		—		2,514		2,962		—		—
Other investments(G)		23,828		3,519		—		—		23,828		3,519		—		—
Total	$	150,854	$	143,477	$	41,129	$	23,882	$	109,725	$	119,595	$	—	$	—
Assets at net asset value(F)		26,645		55,771
	$	177,499	$	199,248

(A) Equity securities includes investments in 1) common stock, 2) preferred stock and 3) mutual funds. Investments in common and preferred stocks are valued using quoted market prices multiplied by the number of shares owned. Investments in mutual funds are valued at the net asset value per share multiplied by the number of shares held as of the measurement date and are traded on listed exchanges.

(B) U.S. government securities includes agency and treasury debt. These investments are valued using dealer quotes in an active market.

(C) Non-U.S. government securities includes debt securities issued by foreign governments and are valued utilizing a price spread basis valuation technique with observable sources from investment dealers and research vendors.

(D) Corporate fixed income is primarily comprised of corporate bonds and certain corporate asset-backed securities that are denominated in the U.S. dollar and are investment-grade securities. These investments are valued using dealer quotes.

(E) State and local government securities include different U.S. state and local municipal bonds and asset backed securities, these investments are valued utilizing a market approach that includes various valuation techniques and sources such as value generation models, broker quotes, benchmark yields and securities, reported trades, issuer trades and/or other applicable data.

(F) Investments that are measured at fair value using the net asset value per share practical expedient have not been classified in the fair value hierarchy in accordance with Accounting Standards Update 2015-07. These investments are primarily mutual funds that are highly liquid with no restrictions on ability to redeem the funds into cash.

(G) Other investments include cash, forward contracts, derivative instruments, credit default swaps, interest rate swaps and mutual funds. Investments in interest rate swaps are valued utilizing a market approach that includes various valuation techniques and sources such as value generation models, broker quotes in active and non-active markets, benchmark yields and securities, reported trades, issuer trades and/or other applicable data. Forward contracts and derivative instruments are valued at their exchange listed price or broker quote in an active market. The mutual funds are valued at the net asset value per share multiplied by the number of shares held as of the measurement date and are traded on listed exchanges.

Cash Flows. The Company expects to make no contributions to the pension plans in 2022.

The following represents expected future benefit payments from the plan:

			Other
	Pension		Postretirement
	Benefits		Benefits
	(In thousands)
2022	$	11,245	$	5,968
2023		11,415		5,884
2024		11,476		5,617
2025		11,181		5,458
2026		10,892		5,275
Next 5 years		46,338		23,632
	$	102,547	$	51,834

Other Plans

The Company sponsors savings plans which were established to assist eligible employees in providing for their future retirement needs. The Company’s expense, representing its contributions to the plans, was $16.8 million, $17.1 million, and $17.5 million for the years ended December 31, 2021, 2020, and 2019, respectively.