Pension and Other Postretirement Employee Benefit Plans

The following table details the components of net periodic cost of our company-sponsored pension and OPEB plans for the periods presented:



	Three Months Ended September 30,
(In thousands)	2016			2015			2016			2015
	Pension Benefit Plans						Other Postretirement Employee Benefit Plans
Service cost	$	391		$	311		$	62		$	91
Interest cost	3,518			3,483			730			970
Expected return on plan assets	(4,847		)	(5,029		)	—			—
Amortization of prior service cost (credit)	6			18			(428		)	(545		)
Amortization of actuarial loss (gain)	2,865			3,155			(2,233		)	—
Settlement	3,482			—			—			—
Net periodic cost	$	5,415		$	1,938		$	(1,869	)	$	516



	Nine Months Ended September 30,
(In thousands)	2016			2015			2016			2015
	Pension Benefit Plans						Other Postretirement Employee Benefit Plans
Service cost	$	1,171		$	934		$	187		$	272
Interest cost	10,779			10,448			2,306			2,910
Expected return on plan assets	(14,608		)	(15,087		)	(1		)	—
Amortization of prior service cost (credit)	17			54			(1,284		)	(1,633		)
Amortization of actuarial loss (gain)	8,510			9,464			(5,674		)	—
Settlement	3,482			—			—			—
Net periodic cost	$	9,351		$	5,813		$	(4,466	)	$	1,549

During the nine months ended September 30, 2016, we made no contributions to our qualified pension plans. During the nine months ended September 30, 2015, we made contributions of $3.2 million to our qualified pension plans. We do not expect, nor are we required, to make contributions in 2016.

During the nine months ended September 30, 2016, we made contributions of $0.3 million to our company-sponsored non-qualified pension plan. We estimate contributions will total $0.4 million in 2016. We do not anticipate funding our OPEB plans in 2016 except to pay benefit costs as incurred during the year by plan participants.

During the three and nine months ended September 30, 2016, less than $0.1 million and $0.8 million, respectively, of net periodic pension and OPEB costs were charged to "Cost of sales," and $0.1 million and $0.6 million, respectively, were charged to "Selling, general and administrative expenses" in the accompanying Consolidated Statements of Operations, excluding the settlement charge discussed below. During the three and nine months ended September 30, 2015, $1.7 million and $5.1 million, respectively, of net periodic pension and OPEB costs were charged to "Cost of sales" and $0.8 million and $2.3 million, respectively, were charged to "Selling, general and administrative expenses" in the accompanying Consolidated Statements of Operations.

We announced a voluntary, limited-time opportunity for former employees who are vested participants in certain of our qualified pension plans to request early payment of their entire pension plan benefit in the form of a single lump sum payment. The amount of total payments under this program totaled approximately $10.6 million for salaried employees and $4.8 million for hourly employees and were made from the applicable plan's trust assets during the third quarter of 2016. Based on the level of payments made, settlement accounting rules applied to our salaried plan and resulted in a remeasurement of that plan as of August 31, 2016.

As a result of the plan remeasurement, the net salaried plan liability, included in the "Liabilities for pensions and other postretirement employee benefits" balance in our accompanying Consolidated Balance Sheet, increased $0.8 million primarily due to a decrease in the discount rate. The discount rate used in the salaried plan remeasurement was 3.80%, compared to 4.70% at December 31, 2015. The increase in the net salaried plan liability was offset by asset returns and other year to date activity for the salaried pension plan.

Additionally, as a result of settlement accounting, we recognized a pro-rata portion of the unamortized net actuarial loss, after remeasurement, resulting in a $3.5 million non-cash charge to our earnings in the third quarter of 2016. This settlement charge was recorded to "Cost of sales" and "Selling, general and administrative expenses" for $1.9 million and $1.6 million, respectively, in our Consolidated Statement of Operations for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2016.