Employee Benefits

9 Months Ended

Jul. 31, 2011

Employee Benefits

Employee Benefits

Note 12. Employee Benefits

Cooper's Retirement Income Plan (Plan), a defined benefit plan, covers substantially all full-time United States employees. Cooper's contributions are designed to fund normal cost on a current basis and to fund the estimated prior service cost of benefit improvements. The unit credit actuarial cost method is used to determine the annual cost. Cooper pays the entire cost of the Plan and funds such costs as they accrue. Virtually all of the assets of the Plan are comprised of equities and participation in equity and fixed income funds.

Cooper's results of operations for the three and nine months ended July 31, 2011 and 2010 reflect the following components of net periodic pension costs:

Periods Ended July 31, (In thousands)	Three Months						Nine Months
	2011			2010			2011			2010
Service cost	$	1,187		$	992		$	3,561		$	2,976
Interest cost		743			667			2,230			2,003
Expected returns on assets		(736	)		(611	)		(2,208	)		(1,833	)
Amortization of prior service cost		6			6			18			18
Amortization of transition obligation		6			5			16			15
Recognized net actuarial loss		188			199			564			597
Curtailment loss		0			0			0			44
Net periodic pension cost	$	1,394		$	1,258		$	4,181		$	3,820

The Company contributed to the pension plan $1.2 million and $3.2 million for the three and nine months ended July 31, 2011, respectively, and expects to contribute an additional $2.8 million in fiscal 2011. The Company contributed to the pension plan $0.8 million and $2.4 million for the three and nine months ended July 31, 2010. The expected rate of return on plan assets for determining net periodic pension cost is 9.0%.