14.	Postretirement Medical Benefits

We provide certain medical and dental care benefits to eligible retired U.S. and Canadian employees. Eligibility for U.S. employees is limited to employees hired before 1995. In May 2008, in lieu of the then current retiree medical and dental plans funded on a pay-as-you-go basis, a Health Reimbursement Account (“HRA”) was established beginning January 1, 2009 for each qualified U.S. retiree. The plan amendment effectively reduced benefits attributed to employees for services already rendered and instead will credit a fixed amount into an HRA to cover both medical and dental costs for all current and future eligible retirees. The remeasurement of the postretirement welfare benefit plan as a result of these benefit modifications generated a $24.5 million reduction in the accumulated postretirement benefit obligation on June 1, 2008 which is being amortized, commencing on that date, on a straight-line basis and recognized as a reduction in benefit costs over the then remaining service to full eligibility (3.8 years).

In the second quarter 2011, we announced that our postretirement medical benefit plans to substantially all eligible U.S. and Canadian employees will terminate on December 31, 2016. There will be no change to the eligibility or plan provided to the 64 former union employees. The remeasurement of the postretirement medical benefit plans resulting from these benefit modifications generated a $14.4 million reduction in the accumulated postretirement benefit obligation and a $3.6 million curtailment gain. The remaining unrecognized prior service cost is being amortized on a straight-line basis over the remaining term of the plan. The discount rate assumptions used to determine the remeasurement of the costs and benefit obligation related to our U.S. and Canadian postretirement plans were 1.87% and 3.75%, respectively. These rates reflect the shorter duration of our obligation as a result of the negative plan amendments. The $3.6 million curtailment gain is included in selling, general and administrative expenses in the consolidated statements of operations.

The benefit obligation, funded status, and amounts recognized in the consolidated financial statements for our postretirement medical benefit plans as of and for the years ended December 31, 2011 and 2010, were as follows (in thousands):

	Postretirement Benefit Plans
	U.S. Plan						Canadian Plan
	2011			2010			2011			2010
Change in benefit obligation:
Benefit obligation at beginning of year	$	22,169		$	19,355		$	774		$	911
Service cost		69			179			7			13
Interest cost		527			1,156			23			50
Benefits paid		(833	)		(795	)		(28	)		(26	)
Actuarial loss (gain)		(1,267	)		2,274			131			(219	)
Plan amendment		(13,710	)		-			(705	)		-
Translation adjustment		-			-			(10	)		45
Benefit obligation at end of year	$	6,955		$	22,169		$	192		$	774

Funded (unfunded) status of the plans	$	(6,955	)	$	(22,169	)	$	(192	)	$	(774	)

	Postretirement Benefit PlansW
	U.S. Plan						Canadian Plan
	2011			2010			2011			2010
Amounts recognized in the balance sheet
Accrued postretirement benefit liabilities	$	6,955		$	22,169		$	192		$	774
Accumulated other comprehensive (income) loss (pre-tax) related to:
Unrecognized net actuarial losses (gains)		11,035			14,548			(280	)		(461	)
Unrecognized prior service cost (credit)		(11,846	)		(8,064	)		(633	)		(177	)
Unrecognized net transition obligation (asset)		-			-			-			17

The estimated net loss and prior service cost (credit) that is expected to be amortized from accumulated other comprehensive income into postretirement medical benefits cost during 2012 are $2.6 million and $(4.9) million, respectively.

Net periodic benefit cost related to our plans includes the following components (in thousands):

	December 31,
U.S. postretirement plan:	2011			2010			2009
Service cost	$	69		$	179		$	196
Interest cost		527			1,156			1,068
Amortization of prior service cost		(6,433	)		(9,012	)		(9,253	)
Amortization of unrecognized loss		2,246			1,348			1,312
Curtailment gain		(3,495	)		-			-
Net periodic benefit cost	$	(7,086	)	$	(6,329	)	$	(6,677	)

Canadian postretirement plan:
Service cost	$	7		$	13		$	8
Interest cost		23			50			50
Amortization of transition obligation		2			4			4
Amortization of prior service cost		(80	)		(18	)		(17	)
Amortization of net actuarial loss		(43	)		(13	)		(29	)
Curtailment gain		(152	)		-			-
Net periodic benefit cost	$	(243	)	$	36		$	16
Total net periodic benefit costs	$	(7,329	)	$	(6,293	)	$	(6,661	)

Actuarial assumptions used to determine costs and benefit obligations related to our U.S. postretirement plan are as follows:

	December 31,
	2011			2010			2009
Discount rate		1.30	%		5.35	%		5.75	%

Actuarial assumptions used to determine costs and benefit obligations related to our Canadian postretirement plan are as follows:

	December 31,
	2011			2010			2009
Discount rates		3.00	%		5.00	%		5.25	%
Current medical cost trend rate		9.29	%		10	%		8	%
Ultimate medical cost trend rate		5	%		5	%		5	%
Year trend rate declines to ultimate		2017			2017			2012

The Company's discount rates are determined by considering current yield curves representing high quality, long-term fixed income instruments. We set our discount rate for the U.S. plan based on a review of the Citigroup Pension Discount Curve and the duration of expected payments in the plan. We set our discount rate for the Canadian plan based upon similar benchmarks in Canada. The lower discount rates used in 2011 reflect the shorter duration of our obligation as a result of the plan amendments announced in the second quarter of 2011.

The following benefit payments which reflect expected future service, as appropriate, are expected to be paid (in thousands):



2012	$	1,158
2013		1,190
2014		1,220
2015		1,242
2016		1,303
Years 2017 – 2021		348

Assumed health care cost trend rates have a significant effect on the amounts reported for the health care plans. A one-percentage-point change in assumed health care cost trend rates would have the following effects for 2012 (in thousands):

	1-Percentage- Point Increase		1-Percentage- Point Decrease
Effect on total of service and interest cost components	$	6	$	(5	)
Effect on postretirement benefit obligation		50		(48	)