13.	Retirement Benefit Plans

Defined Contribution Plans

We maintain various defined contribution plans, which include profit sharing and provide retirement benefits for substantially all of our employees. Matching obligations, in connection with the plans which are funded in cash and typically contributed to the plans in March of the following year, are as follows (in thousands):

	U.S. Defined Contribution
Year ended December 31,
2014	$	8,267
2013		8,115
2012		8,100

We maintain an unfunded Supplemental Executive Retirement Plan for key employees. Under the plan, these employees may elect to defer a portion of their compensation and, in addition, we may at our discretion make contributions to the plan on behalf of the employees. In March 2013, contributions of $0.5 million were made related to calendar year 2012. In March 2014, contributions of $0.4 million were made related to calendar year 2013. We have recorded an obligation of $0.5 million for 2014.

We also have an Employee Stock Ownership Plan and Trust (“ESOP”) for employees who are not covered by a collective bargaining agreement. In connection therewith, we maintain an employee benefits trust to which we contribute shares of treasury stock. We are authorized to instruct the trustees to distribute such shares toward the satisfaction of our future obligations under the plan. The shares held in trust are not considered outstanding for purposes of calculating earnings per share until they are committed to be released. The trustees will vote the shares in accordance with its fiduciary duties. During 2014, we contributed to the trust an additional 58,570 shares from our treasury and released 58,600 shares from the trust leaving 400 shares remaining in the trust as of December 31, 2014. The provision for expense in connection with the ESOP was approximately $1.8 million in 2014, $4.4 million in 2013 and $3.9 million in 2012.

Multi-Employer Benefit Plans

We participate in multi-employer plans which provide defined benefits to unionized workers at certain of our manufacturing facilities. Contributions to the plans are determined in accordance with the provisions of a negotiated labor contract.

Defined Benefit Pension Plan

We maintain a defined benefit unfunded Supplemental Executive Retirement Plan (“SERP”). The SERP, as amended, is a defined benefit plan pursuant to which we will pay supplemental pension benefits to certain key employees upon the attainment of a contractual participant’s payment date based upon the employees’ years of service and compensation. We use a January 1 measurement date for this plan. Benefit obligations as of the end of each year reflect assumptions in effect as of this date.

The benefit obligation, funded status, and amounts recognized in the consolidated financial statements for the SERP, as of and for the years ended December 31, 2014 and 2013, were (in thousands):

	Defined Benefit Retirement Plan
	2014			2013
Change in benefit obligation:
Benefit obligation at beginning of year	$	5,661		$	4,725
Service cost		164			180
Interest cost		277			235
Actuarial loss		436			521
Benefit obligation at end of year	$	6,538		$	5,661

Unfunded status of the plan	$	(6,538	)	$	(5,661	)


Amounts recognized in the balance sheet:
Accrued postretirement benefit liabilities	$	6,538	$	5,661
Accumulated other comprehensive loss (pre-tax) related to:
Unrecognized net actuarial losses		1,389		1,342
Unrecognized

The unrecognized amounts recorded in accumulated other comprehensive income will be subsequently recognized as expense consistent with our historical accounting policy for amortizing those amounts. Actuarial gains and losses incurred in future periods and not recognized as expense in those periods will be recognized as increases or decreases in other comprehensive income (loss), net of tax. As they are subsequently recognized as a component of expense, the amounts recorded in other comprehensive income (loss) in prior periods are adjusted.

The following defined benefit plan amounts were included in other comprehensive income (loss), net of tax, during the year ended December 31, 2014 (in thousands):

	Incurred but Not Recognized		Reclassification Adjustment for Prior Period Amounts Recognized
Actuarial gains (losses)
SERP defined benefit plan	$	261	$	233

Prior service (cost) credit
SERP defined benefit plan		—		—
	$	261	$	233

Unrecognized net actuarial losses included in accumulated other comprehensive income at the end of 2014 and expected to be recognized in net periodic benefit cost during 2015 is $0.7 million ($0.4 million, net of tax).

The components of net periodic benefit cost for our defined benefit plan include the following (in thousands):

	December 31,
Defined benefit retirement plan:	2014		2013		2012
Service cost	$	164	$	180	$	130
Interest cost		277		235		186
Amortization of prior service cost		—		28		110
Amortization of unrecognized loss		388		690		261
Net periodic benefit cost	$	829	$	1,133	$	687

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

	December 31,
	2014			2013			2012
Discount rates		4.00	%		4.90	%		4.00	%
Salary increase		N/A			4.00	%		4.00	%

The Company’s discount rate is determined by considering current yield curves representing high quality, long-term fixed income instruments. We set our discount rate for the plan based on a review of the Mercer Pension Discount Yield Curve and Index Rates. We believe that the timing and amount of cash flows related to these instruments is expected to match the estimated defined benefit payment streams of our plan.

For the defined benefit pension plan, the projected benefit obligation (“PBO”), accumulated benefit obligation (“ABO”) and fair value of the plan’s assets are as follows (in thousands):

	December 31,
	2014		2013
Projected benefit obligation	$	6,538	$	5,661
Accumulated benefit obligation		6,538		5,123
Fair value of plan assets		—		—

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

	Plan Benefits

2015	$	7,143
2016		—
2017		—
2018		—
2019		—
Years 2020 – 2024		—