Note 9 - Pension and Other Postretirement Benefit Plans

9 Months Ended

Sep. 30, 2014

Compensation and Retirement Disclosure [Abstract]

Pension and Other Postretirement Benefits Disclosure [Text Block]

9. 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 September 30,						Nine months ended September 30,
(In thousands)	2014			2013			2014			2013
Employee Pension Plan:
Interest cost	$	223		$	207		$	669		$	621
Amortization of unrecognized loss		190			306			570			918
Expected return on plan assets		(336	)		(315	)		(1,008	)		(945	)
Net employee pension expense	$	77		$	198		$	231		$	594
Outside Director Pension Plan:
Service cost	$	13		$	21		$	39		$	63
Interest cost		29			24			87			72
Amortization of unrecognized gain		(15	)		(9	)		(45	)		(27	)
Amortization of past service liability		10			9			30			27
Net outside director pension expense	$	37		$	45		$	111		$	135
Other Postretirement Benefit Plans:
Service cost	$	90		$	112		$	270		$	336
Interest cost		63			55			189			165
Amortization of unrecognized loss		-			12			-			36
Amortization of past service credit		(22	)		(20	)		(67	)		(60	)
Net other postretirement expense	$	131		$	159		$	392		$	477

The Company previously disclosed in its Consolidated Financial Statements for the year ended December 31, 2013 that it expects to contribute $0.2 million and $0.3 million to the Outside Director Pension Plan (the “Outside Director Pension Plan”) and the other postretirement benefit plans (the “Other Postretirement Benefit Plans”), respectively, during the year ending December 31, 2014. The Company does not expect to make a contribution to the Employee Pension Plan (the “Employee Pension Plan”). As of September 30, 2014, the Company has contributed $84,000 to the Outside Director Pension Plan and $42,000 to the Other Postretirement Benefit Plans. As of September 30, 2014, the Company has not revised its expected contributions for the year ending December 31, 2014.