PENSION AND OTHER POSTRETIREMENT BENEFITS

Pension

Single-Employer Plans

We sponsor several single-employer defined benefit pension plans, the majority of which have been frozen. We also participate in joint Company and Guild-sponsored plans covering employees of The New York Times Newspaper Guild, including The Newspaper Guild of New York-The New York Times Pension Fund, which was frozen and replaced with a new defined benefit pension plan, The Guild-Times Adjustable Pension Plan.

The components of net periodic pension cost were as follows:



	For the Quarters Ended
	June 28, 2015								June 29, 2014
(In thousands)	Qualified Plans			Non- Qualified Plans		All Plans			Qualified Plans			Non- Qualified Plans		All Plans
Service cost	$	2,987		$	—	$	2,987		$	2,385		$	—	$	2,385
Interest cost	18,514			2,502		21,016			21,112			2,711		23,823
Expected return on plan assets	(28,832		)	—		(28,832		)	(28,460		)	—		(28,460		)
Amortization of actuarial loss	9,479			1,270		10,749			6,711			1,033		7,744
Amortization of prior service (credit)	(486		)	—		(486		)	(484		)	—		(484		)
Effect of settlement	—			—		—			—			9,525		9,525
Net periodic pension cost	$	1,662		$	3,772	$	5,434		$	1,264		$	13,269	$	14,533



	For the Six Months Ended
	June 28, 2015								June 29, 2014
(In thousands)	Qualified Plans			Non- Qualified Plans		All Plans			Qualified Plans			Non- Qualified Plans		All Plans
Service cost	$	5,975		$	—	$	5,975		$	4,772		$	—	$	4,772
Interest cost	37,452			5,004		42,456			42,224			5,586		47,810
Expected return on plan assets	(57,607		)	—		(57,607		)	(56,920		)	—		(56,920		)
Amortization of actuarial loss	18,876			2,540		21,416			13,309			2,087		15,396
Amortization of prior service (credit)	(972		)	—		(972		)	(970		)	—		(970		)
Effect of settlement	40,329			—		40,329			—			9,525		9,525
Net periodic pension cost	$	44,053		$	7,544	$	51,597		$	2,415		$	17,198	$	19,613

During the first six months of 2015 and 2014, we made pension contributions of $3.2 million and $9.1 million, respectively, to certain qualified pension plans. We expect to make a total contribution of $8.0 million in 2015 to satisfy funding requirements.

As part of our strategy to reduce the pension obligations and the resulting volatility of our overall financial condition, we have offered lump-sum payments to certain former employees participating in both our qualified and non-qualified pension plans.

In the first quarter of 2015, we recorded a pension settlement charge of $40.3 million in connection with a lump-sum payment offer made to certain former employees who participated in certain qualified pension plans. These lump-sum payments totaled $98.3 million and were made with cash from the qualified pension plans, not with Company cash. The effect of this lump-sum payment offer was to reduce our pension obligations by $142.8 million.

In the second quarter of 2014, we recorded a pension settlement charge of $9.5 million in connection with a lump-sum payment offer made to certain former employees who participated in certain non-qualified pension plans. These lump-sum payments totaled $24.0 million and were paid out of Company cash. The effect of this lump-sum payment offer was to reduce our pension obligations by $32.0 million.

Multiemployer Plans

During the first quarter of 2015, we recorded a $4.7 million charge related to a partial withdrawal obligation under a multiemployer pension plan.