Employee Benefits

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2019

15. Employee Benefits

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,
2019	$	9,080
2018		8,928
2017		9,153

We maintain a defined contribution 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 2018, contributions of $0.6 million were made related to calendar year 2017. In March 2019, contributions of $0.3 million were made related to calendar year 2018. We have recorded an obligation of $0.3 million for 2019.

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 2019, we contributed to the trust an additional 49,100 shares from our treasury and released 49,100 shares from the trust leaving 200 shares remaining in the trust as of December 31, 2019. The provision for expense in connection with the ESOP was approximately $2.5 million in 2019, $2.6 million in 2018 and $2.2 million in 2017.

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. There was no benefit obligation outstanding related to the SERP as of December 31, 2019 and 2018. We recorded no expense related to the plan during the years ended December 31, 2019, 2018 and 2017.

Postretirement Medical Benefits

We provided, and continue to provide, certain medical and dental care benefits to eligible retired U.S. and Canadian employees. The postretirement medical plans to eligible U.S. employees, other than to former union employees, and eligible Canadian employees terminated on December 31, 2016. As related to the U.S. non-union employees, annually and through the year ended December 31, 2016, a fixed amount was credited into a Health Reimbursement account (“HRA”) to cover both medical and dental costs for all current and future eligible retirees. Balances in the HRA accounts upon termination of the plan at December 31, 2016 remained available for use until December 31, 2018. Any remaining balance at December 31, 2018 was forfeited. Postretirement medical and dental benefits to the remaining eligible 16 former union employees in the U.S. will continue to be provided. The postretirement medical and dental benefit obligation for the former union employees in the U.S. as of December 31, 2019, and the net periodic benefit cost for our postretirement benefit plans for the years ended December 31, 2019, 2018 and 2017 were not material.