Note 8 - Pension and Other Postretirement Benefit Plans

3 Months Ended

Mar. 31, 2012

Pension and Other Postretirement Benefits Disclosure [Text Block]

8.           Pension and Other Postretirement Benefit Plans

The following table sets forth information regarding the components of net expense for the pension and other postretirement benefit plans.

	Three months ended March 31,
(In thousands)	2012			2011
Employee Pension Plan:
Interest cost	$	220		$	246
Amortization of unrecognized loss		263			153
Expected return on plan assets		(310	)		(308	)
Net employee pension expense	$	173		$	91
Outside Director Pension Plan:
Service cost	$	20		$	17
Interest cost		28			31
Amortization of unrecognized gain		(7	)		(13	)
Amortization of past service liability		9			10
Net outside director pension expense	$	50		$	45
Other Postretirement Benefit Plans:
Service cost	$	100		$	78
Interest cost		54			52
Amortization of unrecognized loss		10			-
Amortization of past service credit		(21	)		(21	)
Net other postretirement expense	$	143		$	109

The Company previously disclosed in its Consolidated Financial Statements for the year ended December 31, 2011 that it expects to contribute $0.5 million to the Company’s Employee Pension Plan (the “Employee Pension Plan”) and $0.2 million to each of the Outside Director Pension Plan (the “Outside Director Pension Plan”) and the other post retirement benefit plans (the “Other Postretirement Benefit Plans”) during the year ending December 31, 2012.  As of March 31, 2012, the Company has contributed $120,000 to the Employee Pension Plan, $22,000 to the Outside Director Pension Plan and $14,000 to the Other Postretirement Benefit Plans. As of March 31, 2012, the Company has not revised its expected contributions for the year ending December 31, 2012.