Note 7 - Employee Benefit Plans

9 Months Ended

Sep. 30, 2017

Notes to Financial Statements

Pension and Other Postretirement Benefits Disclosure [Text Block]

Note

7.

   

Employee Benefit Plans

We sponsor defined benefit pension plans covering substantially all U.S. employees.  Net periodic pension cost for the plans consisted of the following for the

three

and

nine

months ended

September 

30,

2017

and

2016

(in thousands):

	Three Months Ended September 30,
	2017			2016
Service cost	$	1,196		$	1,077
Interest cost		1,339			1,307
Expected return on plan assets		(1,462	)		(1,325	)
Amortization of prior service cost		(84	)		(84	)
Amortization of net loss		1,033			1,093
Net periodic pension cost	$	2,022		$	2,068

	Nine Months Ended September 30,
	2017			2016
Service cost	$	3,588		$	3,231
Interest cost		4,017			3,921
Expected return on plan assets		(4,386	)		(3,975	)
Amortization of prior service cost		(252	)		(252	)
Amortization of net loss		3,099			3,279
Net periodic pension cost	$	6,066		$	6,204

We made cash contributions to our defined benefit plans of

$1.2

million in

April 2017

and

$5.7

million in

July 2017.

We expect to contribute approximately

$0.4

million to our unfunded supplemental executive retirement plan during

2017.