Profit Sharing, Employee Stock Ownership, Employee Stock Purchase and Pension Plans

Company sponsored plans. The majority of our non-bargaining unit employees are eligible to participate in a company-sponsored profit sharing plan. Contributions are made at our discretion subject to a maximum amount allowed under the Internal Revenue Code. The profit sharing plan contribution level for each employee depends upon date of hire, with those employees hired after April 1, 2012 eligible to receive a contribution that is 50% of the contribution made for employees hired on or before April 1, 2012. Our contribution to the profit sharing plan for fiscal 2016, fiscal 2015 and fiscal 2014 was 5% of each employee’s eligible compensation for employees hired on or before April 1, 2012. In addition to the discretionary employer contribution described above, the profit sharing plan includes a 401(k) plan that allows employees to contribute pre-tax earnings up to the maximum amount allowed under the Internal Revenue Code, with an employer match of up to 5% of the employee’s eligible compensation.

We have an employee stock ownership plan (“ESOP”) covering the majority of our non-bargaining unit employees. Contributions are made at our discretion subject to a maximum amount allowed under the Internal Revenue Code. The ESOP contribution level for each employee depends upon date of hire, with those employees hired after April 1, 2012 eligible to receive a contribution that is 50% of the contribution made for employees hired on or before April 1, 2012. Our contribution to the ESOP for fiscal 2016, fiscal 2015 and fiscal 2014 was 5% of each employee’s eligible compensation for employees hired on or before April 1, 2012.

As described in Note 2, we acquired Stauber on December 23, 2015. Concurrent with the acquisition, Stauber’s existing company sponsored plans were terminated. Effective January 1, 2016, Stauber employees became eligible for the 401(k) component of the profit sharing plan described above, including the employer match component

We have an employee stock purchase plan (“ESPP”) covering substantially all of our employees. The ESPP allows employees to purchase newly-issued shares of the Company’s common stock at a discount from market. The number of new shares issued under the ESPP was 33,550 in fiscal 2016, 31,383 in fiscal 2015 and 28,214 in fiscal 2014.

In March 2013, concurrent with our withdrawal from a multiemployer pension plan described below, we established a retirement plan and ESOP for our collective bargaining unit employees. Each of these plans is subject to a maximum amount allowed under the Internal Revenue Code. The retirement plan provides for a contribution of 5% of each employee’s eligible wages annually for employees who were eligible to enter the plan on March 1, 2013 and a contribution of 2.5% of each employee’s eligible wages annually for employees who entered the plan subsequent to March 1, 2013. Additionally, the retirement plan includes a 401(k) plan that will allow employees to contribute pre-tax earnings up to the maximum amount allowed under the Internal Revenue Code, with an employer match of up to 5% of the employee’s eligible compensation. The ESOP provides for contributions of 5% of each employee’s eligible wages annually for employees who were eligible to enter the plan on March 1, 2013, and a contribution of 2.5% of each employee’s eligible wages annually for employees who enter the plan subsequent to March 1, 2013.

The following represents the contribution expense for the company sponsored profit sharing, ESOP, ESPP and 401(k) plans for fiscal 2016, 2015 and 2014:



Benefit Plan	2016		2015		2014
(In thousands)
Non-bargaining unit employee plans:
Profit sharing	$	1,393	$	1,266	$	1,231
401(K) matching contributions	1,586		1,216		980
ESOP	1,393		1,266		1,231
Bargaining unit employee plans	444		450		500
ESPP - all employees	274		253		257
Total contribution expense	$	5,090	$	4,451	$	4,199

Multiemployer pension plan. In fiscal 2013, we concluded negotiations with two collective bargaining units to discontinue our participation in the Central States, Southeast and Southwest Areas Pension Fund (“CSS” or “the plan”), a collectively bargained multiemployer pension plan. Payment of our share of the unfunded vested benefit liability will be made over 20 years and is subject to a cap. At the end of the 20-year period we will have no further liability, even if our share of the unfunded vested benefit liability has not yet been paid in full. The cash payments to be made total approximately $9.3 million, or $467,000 per year. Our payments began in fiscal 2014.