Pension and Other Postretirement Benefits

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2020

Retirement Benefits [Abstract]

Pension and Other Postretirement Benefits

Pension and Other Postretirement BenefitsWe sponsor defined benefit pension plans and defined contribution plans that cover substantially all employees in Canada, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, the U.S., and certain employees in Germany. Certain defined benefit plans in the United Kingdom are frozen and additional benefits are not being earned by the participants. The U.S. defined benefit pension plan is closed to new entrants. Annual contributions to retirement plans equal or exceed the minimum funding requirements of applicable local regulations. The assets of the funded pension plans we sponsor are maintained in various trusts and are invested primarily in equity and fixed income securities.

Benefits provided to employees under defined contribution plans include cash contributions by the Company based on either hours worked by the employee or a percentage of the employee’s compensation. Defined contribution expense for 2020, 2019, and 2018 was $10.0 million, $12.1 million, and $11.8 million, respectively.

We sponsor unfunded postretirement medical and life insurance benefit plans for certain of our employees in Canada and the U.S. The medical benefit portion of the U.S. plan is only for employees who retired prior to 1989 as well as certain other employees who were near retirement and elected to receive certain benefits.

The following tables provide a reconciliation of the changes in the plans’ benefit obligations and fair value of assets as well as a statement of the funded status and balance sheet reporting for these plans.

	Pension Benefits				Other Benefits
Years Ended December 31,	2020		2019		2020		2019
			(In thousands)
Change in benefit obligation:
Benefit obligation, beginning of year	$	(461,352)	$	(412,880)	$	(29,470)	$	(26,143)
Service cost	(3,930)		(3,668)		(33)		(35)
Interest cost	(9,729)		(12,261)		(809)		(960)
Participant contributions	(73)		(86)		(5)		(4)
Actuarial loss	(42,284)		(39,329)		(110)		(2,374)
Divestitures and acquisitions	(910)		—		—		—
Settlements	26,970		49		—		—
Curtailments	236				—
Plan amendments	(226)		—		—		—
Foreign currency exchange rate changes	(15,345)		(9,890)		(427)		(1,260)
Benefits paid	13,718		16,713		1,356		1,306
Benefit obligation, end of year	$	(492,925)	$	(461,352)	$	(29,498)	$	(29,470)

	Pension Benefits				Other Benefits
Years Ended December 31,	2020		2019		2020		2019
			(In thousands)
Change in plan assets:
Fair value of plan assets, beginning of year	$	355,726	$	311,509	$	—	$	—
Actual return on plan assets	32,470		45,896		—		—
Employer contributions	6,393		5,673		1,351		1,302
Plan participant contributions	73		86		5		4
Settlements	(26,945)		—		—		—
Foreign currency exchange rate changes	7,803		9,275		—		—
Benefits paid	(13,718)		(16,713)		(1,356)		(1,306)
Fair value of plan assets, end of year	$	361,802	$	355,726	$	—	$	—

Funded status, end of year	$	(131,123)	$	(105,626)	$	(29,498)	$	(29,470)
Amounts recognized in the balance sheets:
Prepaid benefit cost	$	4,780	$	5,542	$	—	$	—
Accrued benefit liability, current	(3,558)		(3,000)		(1,443)		(1,411)
Accrued benefit liability, noncurrent	(132,345)		(108,168)		(28,055)		(28,059)
Net funded status	$	(131,123)	$	(105,626)	$	(29,498)	$	(29,470)

The accumulated benefit obligation for all defined benefit pension plans was $518.4 million and $456.9 million at December 31, 2020 and 2019, respectively.

The projected benefit obligation, accumulated benefit obligation, and fair value of plan assets for the pension plans with a projected benefit obligation in excess of plan assets were $463.2 million, $459.2 million, and $297.8 million, respectively, as of December 31, 2020 and were $404.9 million, $400.4 million, and $293.7 million, respectively, as of December 31, 2019.

The accumulated benefit obligation and fair value of plan assets for other postretirement benefit plans with an accumulated benefit obligation in excess of plan assets were $59.2 million and $64.0 million, respectively, as of December 31, 2020 and were $29.5 million and $0 million, respectively, as of December 31, 2019.

The following table provides the components of net periodic benefit costs for the plans.

	Pension Benefits						Other Benefits
Years Ended December 31,	2020		2019		2018		2020		2019		2018
					(In thousands)
Components of net periodic benefit cost:
Service cost	$	3,930	$	3,668	$	4,579	$	33	$	35	$	47
Interest cost	9,729		12,261		11,480		809		960		945
Expected return on plan assets	(16,357)		(15,699)		(16,389)		—		—		—
Amortization of prior service cost (credit)	190		169		(42)		—		—		—
Settlement loss (gain)	3,153		(7)		1,342		—		—		—
Net loss (gain) recognition	2,930		1,432		2,775		(59)		(133)		(12)
Net periodic benefit cost	$	3,575	$	1,824	$	3,745	$	783	$	862	$	980

We recorded settlement losses totaling $3.2 million during 2020 and $1.3 million during 2018. The settlement losses were the result of lump-sum payments to participants that exceeded the sum of the pension plan's respective annual service cost and interest cost amounts.

The following table presents the assumptions used in determining the benefit obligations and the net periodic benefit cost amounts.

	Pension Benefits				Other Benefits
	Years Ended December 31,				Years Ended December 31,
	2020		2019		2020		2019
Weighted average assumptions for benefit obligations at year end:
Discount rate	1.5	%	2.2	%	2.5	%	2.9	%
Salary increase	3.3	%	3.5	%	N/A		N/A
Cash balance interest credit rate	4.6	%	4.0	%	N/A		N/A
Weighted average assumptions for net periodic cost for the year:
Discount rate	2.2	%	3.1	%	2.9	%	3.7	%
Salary increase	3.5	%	3.6	%	N/A		N/A
Cash balance interest credit rate	4.0	%	4.7	%	N/A		N/A
Expected return on assets	4.9	%	5.0	%	N/A		N/A
Assumed health care cost trend rates:
Health care cost trend rate assumed for next year	N/A		N/A		5.5	%	5.6	%
Rate that the cost trend rate gradually declines to	N/A		N/A		5.0	%	5.0	%
Year that the rate reaches the rate it is assumed to remain at	N/A		N/A		2026		2023

Plan assets are invested using a total return investment approach whereby a mix of equity securities and fixed income securities are used to preserve asset values, diversify risk, and achieve our target investment return benchmark. Investment strategies and asset allocations are based on consideration of the plan liabilities, the plan’s funded status, and our financial condition. Investment performance and asset allocation are measured and monitored on an ongoing basis.

Plan assets are managed in a balanced portfolio comprised of two major components: an asset growth portion and an asset protection portion. The expected role of asset growth investments is to maximize the long-term real growth of assets, while the role of asset protection investments is to generate current income, provide for more stable periodic returns, and provide some protection against a permanent loss of capital.

Absent regulatory or statutory limitations, the target asset allocation for the investment of the assets for our ongoing pension plans is 30-50% in asset protection investments and 50-70% in asset growth investments and for our pension plans where the majority of the participants are in payment or terminated vested status is 50-90% in asset protection investments and 10-50% in asset growth investments. Asset growth investments include a diversified mix of U.S. and international equity, primarily invested through investment funds. Asset protection investments include government securities and investment grade corporate bonds, primarily invested through investment funds and group insurance contracts. We develop our expected long-term rate of return assumptions based on the historical rates of returns for securities and instruments of the type in which our plans invest.

The expected long-term rate of return on plan assets reflects the average rate of earnings expected on the invested assets and future assets to be invested to provide for the benefits included in the projected benefit obligation. We use historic plan asset returns combined with current market conditions to estimate the rate of return. The expected rate of return on plan assets is a long-term assumption based on an analysis of historical and forward looking returns considering the plan’s actual and target asset mix.

The following table presents the fair values of the pension plan assets by asset category. 

	December 31, 2020								December 31, 2019
	Fair Market Value at December 31, 2020		Quoted  Prices in Active Markets for Identical Assets (Level 1)		Significant Observable Inputs (Level 2)		Investments Measured at NAV		Fair Market Value at December 31, 2019		Quoted  Prices in Active Markets for Identical Assets (Level 1)		Significant Observable Inputs (Level 2)		Investments Measured at NAV
	(In thousands)								(In thousands)
Asset Category:
Equity securities(a)
U.S. equities fund	$	86,059	$	3,012	$	—	$	83,047	$	131,563	$	2,793	$	—	$	128,770
Non-U.S. equities fund	61,630		5,602		—		56,028		54,496		5,949		—		48,547
Debt securities(b)
Government bond fund	98,418		—		772		97,646		74,219		—		745		73,474
Corporate bond fund	82,434		—		12,150		70,284		40,940		—		9,854		31,086
Fixed income fund(c)	7,320		—		—		7,320		35,895		—		33,701		2,194
Other investments(d)	17,367		—		—		17,367		9,462		—		—		9,462
Cash & equivalents	8,574		3,230		—		5,344		9,151		167		—		8,984
Total	$	361,802	$	11,844	$	12,922	$	337,036	$	355,726	$	8,909	$	44,300	$	302,517

(a)This category includes investments in actively managed and indexed investment funds that invest in a diversified pool of equity securities of companies located in the U.S., Canada, Western Europe and other developed countries throughout the world. The funds are valued using the net asset value method in which an average of the market prices for the underlying investments is used to value the fund. Equity securities held in separate accounts are valued based on observable quoted prices on active exchanges. Funds which are valued using the net asset value method are not included in the fair value hierarchy.

(b)This category includes investments in investment funds that invest in U.S. treasuries; other national, state and local government bonds; and corporate bonds of highly rated companies from diversified industries. The funds are valued using the net asset value method in which an average of the market prices for the underlying investments is used to value the fund. Funds valued using the net asset value method are not included in the fair value hierarchy.

(c)This category includes guaranteed insurance contracts and annuity policies.

(d)This category includes investments in hedge funds that pursue multiple strategies in order to provide diversification and balance risk/return objectives, real estate funds, and private equity funds. Funds valued using the net asset method are not included in the fair value hierarchy.

The plans do not invest in individual securities. All investments are through well diversified investment funds. As a result, there are no significant concentrations of risk within the plan assets.

The following table reflects the benefits as of December 31, 2020 expected to be paid in each of the next five years and in the aggregate for the five years thereafter from our pension and other postretirement plans. Because our other postretirement plans are unfunded, the anticipated benefits with respect to these plans will come from our own assets. Because our pension plans are primarily funded plans, the anticipated benefits with respect to these plans will come primarily from the trusts established for these plans. 

	Pension Plans		Other Plans
	(In thousands)
2021	$	19,497	$	1,460
2022	19,044		1,457
2023	20,320		1,458
2024	21,247		1,463
2025	19,417		1,466
2026-2030	99,881		7,413
Total	$	199,406	$	14,717

We anticipate contributing $11.4 million and $1.5 million to our pension and other postretirement plans, respectively, during 2021.

The pre-tax amounts in accumulated other comprehensive loss that have not yet been recognized as components of net periodic benefit cost at December 31, 2020 and the changes in these amounts during the year ended December 31, 2020 are as follows. 

	Pension Benefits		Other Benefits
	(In thousands)
Components of accumulated other comprehensive loss:
Net actuarial loss (gain)	$	80,671	$	(436)
Net prior service cost	2,798		—
	$	83,469	$	(436)

	Pension Benefits		Other Benefits
	(In thousands)
Changes in accumulated other comprehensive loss:
Net actuarial loss (gain), beginning of year	$	56,746	$	(600)
Amortization of actuarial gain (loss)	(2,930)		59
Actuarial loss	42,048		110
Asset gain	(16,113)		—
Settlement loss recognized	(3,153)		—
Divestitures and acquisitions	335		—
Currency impact	3,738		(5)
Net actuarial loss (gain), end of year	$	80,671	$	(436)
Prior service cost, beginning of year	$	2,661	$	—
Amortization of prior service cost	(190)		—
Prior service cost occurring during the year	226		—
Currency impact	101		—
Prior service cost, end of year	$	2,798	$	—