Employee Benefits

Pension and Similar Benefit Plans. The Company has provided contributions to (i) multi-employer pension plans sponsored by the United Steel, Paper and Forestry, Rubber, Manufacturing, Energy, Allied Industrial and Service Workers International Union AFL-CIO, CLC (“USW”) and International Association of Machinists and certain other unions at certain of the Company’s production facilities, (ii) defined contribution 401(k) savings plans for hourly bargaining unit employees and salaried and certain hourly non-bargaining unit employees, (iii) a defined benefit plan for salaried employees at the Company’s London, Ontario facility, and (iv) a non-qualified, unfunded, unsecured plan of deferred compensation for key employees who would otherwise suffer a loss of benefits under the Company’s defined contribution plan. See Note 7 and Note 8 of Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements included in Part II, Item 8. “Financial Statements and Supplementary Data” in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2013 for additional information with respect to the Company’s benefit plans.

VEBA Postretirement Medical Obligations. Certain retirees receive medical coverage through participation in a voluntary employees beneficiary association (“VEBA”) for the benefit of certain union retirees, their surviving spouses and eligible dependents (the “Union VEBA”) or a VEBA that provides benefits for certain other eligible retirees, their surviving spouses and eligible dependents (the “Salaried VEBA” and, together with the Union VEBA, the “VEBAs”). The Union VEBA is managed by four trustees, two of which are appointed by the Company and two of which are appointed by the USW. Its assets are managed by an independent fiduciary. The Salaried VEBA is managed by trustees who are independent of the Company.

The Company has no ownership interest in the assets of the VEBAs nor any obligation to fund their liabilities. The benefits paid by the VEBAs to the plan participants are made at the sole discretion of the respective VEBA trustees and are outside the Company's control. The Company’s only financial obligations to the VEBAs are (i) an annual variable cash contribution (described below) and (ii) reimbursement of annual administrative expenses of the VEBAs up to $0.3 in the aggregate. Nevertheless, the Company accounts for the VEBAs as defined benefit postretirement plans with the maximum benefits payable equal to the total of the current VEBA assets and any future variable contributions from the Company and earnings thereon.

Under this accounting treatment, the funding status of the VEBAs is reflected as a net asset or liability on the Company's Consolidated Balance Sheets, but such net asset or liability has no impact on the Company's cash flow or liquidity. The only impact that the VEBAs have on the Company’s cash flow or liquidity is with respect to the Company's obligations to make an annual variable cash contribution and to reimburse the VEBAs’ administrative expenses. The amount of annual variable contribution to be made by the Company is determined as follows: 10% of the first $20.0 of annual cash flow (as defined; in general terms, the principal elements of cash flow are earnings before interest expense, provision for income taxes, and depreciation and amortization less cash payments for, among other things, interest, income taxes, and capital expenditures), plus 20% of annual cash flow (as defined) in excess of $20.0. Such payments may not exceed $20.0 annually, and payments are allocated between the Union VEBA and the Salaried VEBA at 85.5% and 14.5%, respectively. Amounts owing by the Company to the VEBAs are recorded on the Company’s Consolidated Balance Sheets at the end of each year, in Other accrued liabilities (until paid in cash), with a corresponding increase in Net assets in respect of VEBA, a decrease in Net liability in respect of VEBA, or a combination thereof. The annual variable contributions with respect to 2013 and 2012 totaled $16.0 and $20.0 at December 31, 2013 and December 31, 2012, respectively, and were paid during the subsequent first quarters.

Components of Net Periodic Pension Benefit (Income) Cost. The Company’s results of operations included the following impacts associated with the VEBAs and the Canadian defined benefit plan: (i) charges for service rendered by employees; (ii) a charge for accretion of interest; (iii) a benefit for the return on plan assets; and (iv) amortization of net gains or losses on assets, prior service costs associated with plan amendments and actuarial differences. Net periodic pension benefit cost related to the Canadian defined benefit plan was not material for the quarters ended March 31, 2014 and March 31, 2013. The following table presents the components of net periodic pension benefit income for the VEBAs and charges relating to all other employee benefit plans for the quarters ended March 31, 2014 and March 31, 2013:



	Quarter Ended
	March 31,
	2014			2013
VEBAs:
Service cost	$	0.6		$	0.6
Interest cost	4.1			3.6
Expected return on plan assets	(12.8		)	(11.2		)
Amortization of prior service cost	2.8			1.1
Amortization of net actuarial (gain) loss	(0.3		)	0.3
Total net periodic pension benefit income relating to VEBAs	(5.6		)	(5.6		)
Deferred compensation plan	0.2			0.4
Defined contribution plans	4.0			4.0
Multiemployer pension plans	0.9			0.8
Total	$	(0.5	)	$	(0.4	)

The following table presents the allocation of the (income) charges detailed above, by reportable segment and business unit(see Note 11):



	Quarter Ended
	March 31,
	2014			2013
Fabricated Products	$	4.6		$	4.6
All Other	(5.1		)	(5.0		)
Total	$	(0.5	)	$	(0.4	)

For all periods presented, the net periodic pension benefit income relating to the VEBAs are included as Net periodic pension benefit income relating to VEBAs within All Other. Further, substantially all of the Fabricated Products segment’s employee benefits related charges are in Cost of products sold, excluding depreciation and amortization and other items with the remaining balance in Selling, administrative, research and development, and general.

See Note 7 of Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements included in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2013 for additional information with respect to the VEBAs and key assumptions used with respect to the Company’s pension plans and key assumptions made in computing the net obligation of each VEBA.