Pension And Other Employee Benefits

12 Months Ended

Sep. 24, 2011

Pension And Other Employee Benefits [Abstract]

Pension And Other Employee Benefits

7. Pension and Other Employee Benefits

The Company has certain defined benefit pension plans covering the employees of its AEG German subsidiary (the "Pension Benefits"). As of September 24, 2011 and September 25, 2010, the Company's pension liability is $8.1 million and $9.1 million, respectively, which is primarily recorded as a component of long-term liabilities in the Consolidated Balance Sheets. Under German law, there are no rules governing investment or statutory supervision of the pension plan. As such, there is no minimum funding requirement imposed on employers. Pension benefits are safeguarded by the Pension Guaranty Fund, a form of compulsory reinsurance that guarantees an employee will receive vested pension benefits in the event of insolvency.

The tables below provide a reconciliation of benefit obligations, plan assets, funded status, and related actuarial assumptions of the Company's German Pension Benefits.

Change in Benefit Obligation	Years ended
	September 24, 2011			September 25, 2010			September 26, 2009
Benefit obligation at beginning of year	$	(9,093	)	$	(6,736	)	$	(7,323	)
Service cost		—			—			—
Interest cost		(389	)		(401	)		(469	)
Plan participants' contributions		—			—			—
Actuarial gain (loss)		1,092			(2,814	)		764
Foreign exchange		(5	)		541			(28	)
Benefits paid		331			317			320
Benefit obligation at end of year		(8,064	)		(9,093	)		(6,736	)
Plan assets		—			—			—
Funded status	$	(8,064	)	$	(9,093	)	$	(6,736	)

The tables below outline the components of the net periodic benefit cost and related actuarial assumptions of the Company's German Pension Benefits plan.

Components of Net Periodic Benefit Cost	Years ended
	September 24, 2011		September 25, 2010			September 26, 2009
Service cost	$	—	$	—		$	—
Interest cost		389		401			469
Expected return on plan assets		—		—			—
Amortization of prior service cost		—		—			—
Recognized net actuarial gain		—		(217	)		(169	)
Net periodic benefit cost	$	389	$	184		$	300

Weighted-Average Net Periodic Benefit Cost Assumptions	2011			2010			2009
Discount rate		5.20	%		4.35	%		6.6	%
Expected return on plan assets		0	%		0	%		0	%
Rate of compensation increase		0	%		0	%		0	%

The projected benefit obligation for the German Pension Benefits plans with projected benefit obligations in excess of plan assets was $8.1 million and $9.1 million at September 24, 2011 and September 25, 2010, respectively, and the accumulated benefit obligation for the German Pension Benefits plans was $8.1 million and $9.1 million at September 24, 2011 and September 25, 2010, respectively.

The Company is also obligated to pay long-term service award benefits. The projected benefit obligation for long-term service awards was $0.6 million and $0.7 million at September 24, 2011 and September 25, 2010, respectively.

The table below reflects the total Pension Benefits expected to be paid as of September 24, 2011 from the plans.

2012	$	349
2013		369
2014		391
2015		410
2016		425
2017 to 2021		2,315

The Company also maintains additional contractual pension benefits for its top German executive officers in the form of a defined contribution plan. These contributions were insignificant in fiscal 2011, 2010 and 2009.