Pension and Postretirement Benefits

We have a qualified, noncontributory defined benefit pension plan (“Qualified Pension Plan”) covering substantially all U.S. associates. Benefits are based on years of service and final average compensation. Our policy is to fund at least the minimum actuarially computed annual contribution required under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA). Plan assets consist primarily of listed equity and fixed income securities. Effective December 31, 2009, an amendment to the Qualified Pension Plan discontinued the benefit accruals for salary increases and credited service rendered after that date. On April 2, 2014, our Board of Directors approved a resolution to terminate the Qualified Pension Plan. The termination of the Qualified Pension Plan is subject to the Internal Revenue Service’s (“IRS”) determination that the Qualified Pension Plan is qualified on termination. We believe it will take 18 to 24 months to finalize the complete termination of the Qualified Pension Plan after obtaining IRS approval. Additionally, we have amended the Qualified Pension Plan to provide that participants are 100 percent vested in their accrued benefits as of the effective date of the plan termination, to adopt a new standard for disability benefits that will apply when the plan’s assets are distributed due to the termination, to add a lump sum distribution for employees and terminated vested participants who are not in payment status when Qualified Pension Plan assets are distributed due to the termination and to make certain other conforming amendments to the Qualified Pension Plan to comply with applicable laws that may be required by the IRS or may be deemed necessary or advisable to improve the administration of the Qualified Pension Plan or facilitate its termination and liquidation. The foregoing Qualified Pension Plan amendments are also subject to our requirement to bargain with the union. We also intend to make contributions to the Trust Fund for the Qualified Pension Plan to ensure that there are sufficient assets to provide all Qualified Pension Plan benefits as of the anticipated distribution date. The financial impact of the plan termination will be recognized as a settlement of the Qualified Pension Plan liabilities. The settlement date and related financial impact have not yet been determined.

We have historically had in place a noncontributory supplemental executive retirement plan (“SERP”), which was a nonqualified defined benefit plan that essentially mirrored the Qualified Pension Plan, but provided benefits in excess of certain limits placed on our Qualified Pension Plan by the Internal Revenue Code. We froze our Qualified Pension Plan effective as of December 31, 2009 and the SERP provided benefits to participants as if the Qualified Pension Plan had not been frozen. Because the Qualified Pension Plan was frozen and because new employees were not eligible to participate in the Qualified Pension Plan, our Board of Directors adopted amendments to the SERP on October 8, 2013 that were effective as of December 31, 2013 to simplify the SERP calculation. The SERP is funded through a Rabbi Trust with BMO Harris Bank N.A. Under the amended SERP, participants received an accrued lump-sum benefit as of December 31, 2013 which was credited to each participant’s account. Going forward, each eligible participant will receive a supplemental retirement benefit equal to the foregoing lump-sum benefit, plus an annual benefit accrual equal to 8 percent of the participant’s base salary and cash bonus, plus annual credited interest on the participant’s account balance. All current participants are fully vested in their account balances with any new individuals participating in the SERP effective on or after January 1, 2014 being subject to a five year vesting schedule. The SERP, which is considered a defined benefit plan under applicable rules and regulations, will continue to be funded through the use of a Rabbi Trust to hold investment assets to be used in part to fund any future required lump sum benefit payments to participants. The foregoing amendments to the SERP did not have a material effect on our financial statements. The Rabbi Trust assets had a value of $2.2 million at both September 28, 2014 and June 29, 2014, respectively, and are included in Other Long-Term Assets in the accompanying Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets.

We also sponsor a postretirement health care plan for all of our U.S. associates hired prior to June 2, 2001. The expected cost of retiree health care benefits is recognized during the years that the associates who are covered under the plan render service. Effective January 1, 2010, an amendment to the postretirement health care plan limited the benefit for future eligible retirees to $4,000 per plan year and is subject to a maximum five year coverage period based on the associate’s retirement date and age. The postretirement health care plan is unfunded.

Net periodic benefit costs are allocated between Cost of Goods Sold and Engineering, Selling and Administrative Expenses in the accompanying Condensed Consolidated Statements of Income and Comprehensive Income.

The following tables summarize the net periodic benefit cost recognized for each of the periods indicated under these plans (in thousands):

	Pension Benefits						Postretirement Benefits
	Three Months Ended						Three Months Ended
	September 28, 2014			September 29, 2013			September 28, 2014			September 29, 2013
Service cost	$	16		$	54		$	4		$	4
Interest cost		1,043			1,102			28			39
Expected return on plan assets		(1,543	)		(1,610	)		-			-
Amortization of prior service cost (credit)		3			3			(191	)		(191	)
Amortization of unrecognized net loss		693			666			173			212
Net periodic benefit cost	$	212		$	215		$	14		$	64

No contributions were made to the Qualified Pension Plan during the three month period ended September 28, 2014. Contributions of $750,000 were made to the Qualified Pension Plan during the three month period ended September 29, 2013. Voluntary contributions of $3.0 million are anticipated to be made during the remainder of fiscal 2015.