Note 6. Employee Benefit Plans

6 Months Ended

Jun. 30, 2015

Defined Benefit Pension Plans [Abstract]

Pension and Other Postretirement Benefits Disclosure [Text Block]

Employee Benefit Plans

In the periods presented, certain employees of Con-way and its subsidiaries in the U.S. were covered under several retirement benefit plans, including defined benefit pension plans, defined contribution retirement plans and a postretirement medical plan. See Note 9, "Employee Benefit Plans," of Item 8, "Financial Statements and Supplementary Data," in Con-way’s 2014 Annual Report on Form 10-K for additional information concerning its employee benefit plans.

Defined Benefit Pension Plans

As a result of plan amendments in previous years, no additional benefits accrue under these plans and already-accrued benefits will not be adjusted for future increases in compensation. The following table summarizes the components of net periodic benefit expense (income) for Con-way’s domestic defined benefit pension plans:

	Qualified Pension Plans
	Three Months Ended June 30,						Six Months Ended June 30,
(Dollars in thousands)	2015			2014			2015			2014
Interest cost on benefit obligation	$	18,211		$	18,767		$	36,392		$	37,638
Expected return on plan assets	(21,727		)	(23,309		)	(43,467		)	(46,636		)
Amortization of actuarial loss	3,241			2,375			6,364			4,850
Amortization of prior-service costs	404			405			809			809
Settlement loss (gain)	(22		)	—			38			—
Net periodic benefit expense (income)	$	107		$	(1,762	)	$	136		$	(3,339	)

	Non-Qualified Pension Plan
	Three Months Ended June 30,				Six Months Ended June 30,
(Dollars in thousands)	2015		2014		2015		2014
Interest cost on benefit obligation	$	797	$	864	$	1,593	$	1,726
Amortization of actuarial loss	305		219		601		438
Amortization of prior-service costs	1		1		2		2
Net periodic benefit expense	$	1,103	$	1,084	$	2,196	$	2,166

Con-way expects to make contributions of approximately $30 million to its qualified pension plans in 2015, including $15.7 million contributed through June 2015.

Defined Contribution Retirement Plans

Con-way’s cost for defined contribution retirement plans was $14.6 million and $29.0 million in the second quarter and first half of 2015 compared to $14.1 million and $27.7 million in the same periods of 2014.

Postretirement Medical Plan

The following table summarizes the components of net periodic benefit expense (income) for the postretirement medical plan:

	Three Months Ended June 30,						Six Months Ended June 30,
(Dollars in thousands)	2015			2014			2015			2014
Service cost	$	171		$	271		$	464		$	542
Interest cost on benefit obligation	625			671			1,270			1,343
Amortization of actuarial gain	(176		)	(656		)	(241		)	(1,313		)
Amortization of prior-service credit	(613		)	(716		)	(1,227		)	(1,432		)
Net periodic benefit expense (income)	$	7		$	(430	)	$	266		$	(860	)