EMPLOYEE BENEFIT PLANS

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2020

EMPLOYEE BENEFIT PLANS

EMPLOYEE BENEFIT PLANS

NOTE 7—EMPLOYEE BENEFIT PLANS:

Pension plans:

The Company sponsors a defined contribution pension plan covering certain non-union employees with over one year of credited service. The Company’s policy is to fund pension costs accrued based on compensation levels. Total expense for this plan for 2020, 2019 and 2018 approximated $2,722, $3,114 and $2,988, respectively, for this defined contribution plan. The Company also maintains certain profit sharing and retirement savings-investment plans. Company contributions in 2020, 2019 and 2018 to these plans were $2,766, $2,858 and $2,734 respectively.

The Company also contributes to a multi-employer defined benefit pension plan for certain of its union employees under a collective bargaining agreement which is as follows:

Plan name: Bakery and Confectionery Union and Industry International Pension Fund

Employer Identification Number and plan number: 52-6118572, plan number 001

Funded Status as of the most recent year available: 50.40% funded as of January 1, 2019

The Company’s contributions to such plan: $2,850, $2,943 and $2,836 in 2020, 2019 and 2018, respectively

Plan status: Critical and declining as of December 31, 2019 (most recent date information is available)

Beginning in 2012, the Company received periodic notices from the Bakery, Confectionery, Tobacco Workers and Grain Millers International Union  Pension Plan (Plan), a multi-employer defined benefit pension plan for certain Company union employees, that the Plan’s actuary certified the Plan to be in “critical status”, as defined by the Pension Protection Act (PPA) and the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (PBGC); and that a plan of rehabilitation was adopted by the trustees of the Plan in 2012. Beginning in 2015, the Company received new annual notices that the Plan was reclassified to “critical and declining status”, as defined by the PPA and PBGC, for the plan year beginning January 1, 2015. A designation of “critical and declining status” implies that the Plan is expected to become insolvent in the next 20 years. In 2016, the Company received new notices that the Plan’s trustees adopted an updated Rehabilitation Plan effective January 1, 2016, and all annual notices through 2020 have continued to classify the Plan in the “critical and declining status” category.

The Company has been advised that its withdrawal liability would have been $99,300, $99,800 and $81,600 if it had withdrawn from the Plan during 2020, 2019 and 2018, respectively. Should the Company actually withdraw from the Plan at a future date, a withdrawal liability, which could be higher than the above discussed amounts, could be payable to the Plan.

The amended rehabilitation plan, which continues, requires that employer contributions include 5% compounded annual surcharge increases each year for an unspecified period of time beginning January 2013 (in addition to the 5% interim surcharge initiated in 2012) as well as certain plan benefit reductions. In fourth quarter 2020, the Plan Trustees advised the Company that the surcharges would no longer increase and therefore be “frozen” at the rates and amounts in effect as of December 31, 2020 provided that the local bargaining union and the Company executed a formal consenting agreement by March 31, 2021. Subsequent to December 31, 2020, the local bargaining union and the Company executed this agreement which resulted in the “freezing” of such surcharges as of December 31, 2020. The Company’s pension expense for this Plan for 2020, 2019 and 2018 was $2,866, $2,961 and $2,836, respectively. The aforementioned expense includes surcharges of $1,010, $948 and $811 in 2020, 2019 and 2018, respectively, as required under the plan of rehabilitation as amended.

The Company is currently unable to determine the ultimate outcome of the above discussed matter and therefore is unable to determine the effects on its consolidated financial statements, but the ultimate outcome or the effects of any modifications to the current rehabilitation plan could be material to its consolidated results of operations or cash flows in one or more future periods.

Deferred compensation:

The Company sponsors three deferred compensation plans for selected executives and other employees: (i) the Excess Benefit Plan, which restores retirement benefits lost due to IRS limitations on contributions to tax-qualified plans, (ii) the Supplemental Plan, which allows eligible employees to defer the receipt of eligible compensation until designated future dates and (iii) the Career Achievement Plan, which provides a deferred annual incentive award to selected executives. Participants in these plans earn a return on amounts due them based on several investment options, which mirror returns on underlying investments (primarily mutual funds). The Company economically hedges its obligations under the plans by investing in the actual underlying investments. These investments are classified as trading securities and are carried at fair value. At December 31, 2020 and 2019, these investments totaled $73,828 and $76,183, respectively. All gains and losses and related investment income from these investments, which are recorded in other income, net, are equally offset by corresponding increases and decreases in the Company’s deferred compensation liabilities.

Postretirement health care benefit plans:

The Company maintains a post-retirement health benefits plan for a group of “grandfathered” corporate employees. The plan as amended in 2013, generally limited future annual cost increases in health benefits to 3%, restricted this benefit to current employees and retirees with long-term service with the Company, and eliminated all post-retirement benefits for future employees effective April 1, 2014. Post-retirement benefits liabilities (as amended) were $13,487and $13,743 at December 31, 2020 and 2019, respectively.

Amounts recognized in accumulated other comprehensive loss (pre-tax) at December 31, 2020 are as follows:

Prior service credit	$	(1,840)
Net actuarial gain		(1,196)
Net amount recognized in accumulated other comprehensive loss	$	(3,036)

The changes in the accumulated postretirement benefit obligation at December 31, 2020 and 2019 consist of the following:

	December 31,
	2020		2019
Benefit obligation, beginning of year	$	13,743	$	12,451
Service cost		288		270
Interest cost		403		499
Actuarial (gain)/loss		(510)		922
Benefits paid		(437)		(399)
Benefit obligation, end of year	$	13,487	$	13,743

The actuarial (gain) in 2020 is attributable to updated participation rates and participant spending as well as mortality table projections partially offset by an actuarial loss due to the decrease in discount rate for the year ended December 31, 2020. The actuarial loss in 2019 is attributable to a decrease in the discount rate partially offset by a change in the mortality table for year ended December 31, 2019.

Net periodic postretirement benefit cost (income) included the following components:

	2020		2019		2018
Service cost—benefits attributed to service during the period	$	288	$	270	$	337
Interest cost on the accumulated postretirement benefit obligation		403		499		455
Net amortization		(1,349)		(1,522)		(1,324)
Net periodic postretirement benefit cost (income)	$	(658)	$	(753)	$	(532)

The Company estimates future benefit payments will be $544, $564, $590, $614 and $634 in 2021 through 2025, respectively, and a total of $3,417 in 2026 through 2030.