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 two joint Company and Guild-sponsored defined benefit pension plans covering employees who are members of The NewsGuild of New York, including The Newspaper Guild of New York - The New York Times Pension Fund, which was frozen in 2012 and replaced by a successor plan, The Guild-Times Adjustable Pension Plan.

The components of net periodic pension cost were as follows:



	For the Quarters Ended
	September 24, 2017								September 25, 2016
(In thousands)	Qualified Plans			Non- Qualified Plans		All Plans			Qualified Plans			Non- Qualified Plans		All Plans
Service cost	$	2,423		$	—	$	2,423		$	2,248		$	—	$	2,248
Interest cost	15,596			1,956		17,552			16,573			2,034		18,607
Expected return on plan assets	(26,136		)	—		(26,136		)	(27,790		)	—		(27,790		)
Amortization of actuarial loss	7,351			1,088		8,439			7,069			1,054		8,123
Amortization of prior service credit	(486		)	—		(486		)	(487		)	—		(487		)
Net periodic pension (income)/cost	$	(1,252	)	$	3,044	$	1,792		$	(2,387	)	$	3,088	$	701



	For the Nine Months Ended
	September 24, 2017								September 25, 2016
(In thousands)	Qualified Plans			Non- Qualified Plans		All Plans			Qualified Plans			Non- Qualified Plans		All Plans
Service cost	$	7,269		$	—	$	7,269		$	6,743		$	—	$	6,743
Interest cost	46,784			5,868		52,652			49,720			6,102		55,822
Expected return on plan assets	(78,408		)	—		(78,408		)	(83,369		)	—		(83,369		)
Amortization of actuarial loss	22,057			3,264		25,321			21,206			3,160		24,366
Amortization of prior service credit	(1,458		)	—		(1,458		)	(1,459		)	—		(1,459		)
Net periodic pension (income)/cost	$	(3,756	)	$	9,132	$	5,376		$	(7,159	)	$	9,262	$	2,103

During the first nine months of 2017 and 2016, we made pension contributions of $5.9 million and $6.0 million, respectively, to certain qualified pension plans.

As part of our continued effort to reduce the size and volatility of our pension obligations, in October 2017, the Company entered into agreements with an insurance company to transfer future benefit obligations and annuity administration for certain retirees (or their beneficiaries) in two of the Company’s qualified pension plans. Additionally, as part of our management of the funded status of our qualified pension plans, in October 2017, the Company made a $100 million aggregate contribution to these pension plans, which was funded by cash on hand. See Note 15 for additional information.

Multiemployer Plans

During the third quarter of 2016, we received $5.0 million in connection with an arbitration matter related to a multiemployer pension plan. In the second quarter of 2016, we recorded a charge of $11.7 million related to partial withdrawal obligation under a multiemployer pension plan in connection with the same arbitration matter. See Note 14 for additional information with respect to the arbitration.