Note 10 - Pension and Other Postretirement Benefit Plans

3 Months Ended

Mar. 31, 2016

Pension and Other Postretirement Benefits Disclosure [Text Block]

10. Pension and Other Postretirement Benefit Plans

The following table sets forth information regarding the components of net expense for the pension and other postretirement benefit plans.

	Three months ended March 31,
(In thousands)	2016			2015

Employee Pension Plan:
Interest cost	$	226		$	221
Amortization of unrecognized loss		201			291
Expected return on plan assets		(348	)		(350	)
Net employee pension expense	$	79		$	162

Outside Director Pension Plan:
Service cost	$	11		$	11
Interest cost		24			24
Amortization of unrecognized gain		(21	)		(14	)
Amortization of past service liability		10			10
Net outside director pension expense	$	24		$	31

Other Postretirement Benefit Plans:
Service cost	$	90		$	95
Interest cost		80			75
Amortization of unrecognized loss		12			30
Amortization of past service liability		(21	)		(21	)
Net other postretirement expense	$	161		$	179

The Company previously disclosed in its Consolidated Financial Statements for the year ended December 31, 2015 that it expects to contribute $0.3 million and $0.2 million to the Outside Director Pension Plan (the “Outside Director Pension Plan”) and the other postretirement benefit plans (the “Other Postretirement Benefit Plans”), respectively, during the year ending December 31, 2016. The Company does not expect to make a contribution to the Employee Pension Plan (the “Employee Pension Plan”). As of March 31, 2016, the Company has contributed $36,000 to the Outside Director Pension Plan and $18,000 to the Other Postretirement Benefit Plans. As of March 31, 2016, the Company has not revised its expected contributions for the year ending December 31, 2016.