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EMPLOYEE BENEFIT PLANS | 9 Months Ended
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Sep. 30, 2018
Retirement Benefits [Abstract] |
EMPLOYEE BENEFIT PLANS | EMPLOYEE BENEFIT PLANS Company-Sponsored Benefit Plans Information about net periodic benefit cost for our company-sponsored pension and postretirement benefit plans is as follows for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2018 and 2017 (in millions):
| U.S. Pension Benefits |  | U.S. Postretirement Medical Benefits |  | International Pension Benefits
2018 |  | 2017 |  | 2018 |  | 2017 |  | 2018 |  | 2017
Three Months Ended September 30: |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
Service cost | $ | 415 |  |  | $ | 382 |  |  | $ | 7 |  |  | $ | 7 |  |  | $ | 15 |  |  | $ | 15 |
Interest cost | 450 |  |  | 445 |  |  | 26 |  |  | 28 |  |  | 11 |  |  | 10 |
Expected return on assets | (800 | ) |  | (730 | ) |  | (2 | ) |  | (2 | ) |  | (19 | ) |  | (17 | )
Amortization of prior service cost | 48 |  |  | 48 |  |  | 2 |  |  | 1 |  |  | — |  |  | 1 |
Net periodic benefit cost | $ | 113 |  |  | $ | 145 |  |  | $ | 33 |  |  | $ | 34 |  |  | $ | 7 |  |  | $ | 9 |
| U.S. Pension Benefits |  | U.S. Postretirement Medical Benefits |  | International Pension Benefits
2018 |  | 2017 |  | 2018 |  | 2017 |  | 2018 |  | 2017
Nine Months Ended September 30: |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
Service cost | $ | 1,246 |  |  | $ | 1,161 |  |  | $ | 21 |  |  | $ | 21 |  |  | $ | 47 |  |  | $ | 44 |
Interest cost | 1,349 |  |  | 1,369 |  |  | 78 |  |  | 84 |  |  | 34 |  |  | 30 |
Expected return on assets | (2,401 | ) |  | (2,154 | ) |  | (6 | ) |  | (5 | ) |  | (58 | ) |  | (49 | )
Amortization of prior service cost | 145 |  |  | 144 |  |  | 6 |  |  | 5 |  |  | — |  |  | 1 |
Net periodic benefit cost | $ | 339 |  |  | $ | 520 |  |  | $ | 99 |  |  | $ | 105 |  |  | $ | 23 |  |  | $ | 26 |
During the first nine months of 2018, we contributed $74 and $63 million to our company-sponsored pension and U.S. postretirement medical benefit plans, respectively. We currently expect to contribute $24 and $16 million over the remainder of the year to the pension and U.S. postretirement medical benefit plans, respectively. Subject to market conditions, we continually evaluate opportunities for additional discretionary pension contributions. The components of net periodic benefit cost other than current service cost are presented within “Investment income and other” in the statements of consolidated income. Plan Amendments and Curtailments In the quarter ended June 30, 2017, we amended the UPS Retirement Plan and the UPS Excess Coordinating Benefit Plan to cease accruals of additional benefits for future service and compensation for non-union participants effective January 1, 2023. We remeasured plan assets and pension benefit obligations for the affected pension plans as of June 30, 2017, resulting in a net actuarial gain of $569 million. This reflected a curtailment gain of $1.525 billion resulting from the benefit plan changes that was partially offset by net actuarial losses of $956 million, driven by a reduction of approximately 32 basis points in the discount rate compared to December 31, 2016, offset by actual assets returns approximately 275 basis points above our expected return as of the remeasurement date. The net curtailment gain reduced the actuarial loss recorded in "Accumulated other comprehensive loss" in the equity section of the consolidated balance sheets. As actuarial losses were within the corridor (defined as 10% of the greater of the fair value of plan assets and the plan's projected benefit obligation), there was no impact to the statements of consolidated income as a result of this remeasurement. Effective June 23, 2017, the Company amended the UPS 401(k) Savings Plan so that non-union employees who currently participate in the UPS Retirement Plan will, in addition to current benefits under the UPS 401(k) Savings Plan, earn a UPS Retirement Contribution beginning January 1, 2023. UPS will contribute 5% to 8% of eligible compensation to the UPS 401(k) Savings Plan based on years of vesting service. The amendment also provides for transition contributions for certain participants. There was no impact to the statements of consolidated income for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2018 and for the three months ended September 30, 2017 as a result of the above changes. Multiemployer Benefit Plans We contribute to a number of multiemployer defined benefit and health and welfare plans under the terms of collective bargaining agreements that cover our union-represented employees. Our current collective bargaining agreements set forth the annual contribution increases allotted to the plans that we participate in, and we are in compliance with these contribution rates. These limitations on annual contribution rates will remain in effect throughout the terms of the existing collective bargaining agreements. As of September 30, 2018 and December 31, 2017 we had $854 and $859 million, respectively, recorded in "Other non-current liabilities" as well as $7 and $8 million as of September 30, 2018 and December 31, 2017, respectively, recorded in "Other current liabilities" on our consolidated balance sheets associated with our previous withdrawal from a multiemployer pension plan. This liability is payable in equal monthly installments over a remaining term of approximately 44 years. Based on the borrowing rates currently available to us for long-term financing of a similar maturity, the fair value of this withdrawal liability as of September 30, 2018 and December 31, 2017 was $836 and $921 million, respectively. We utilized Level 2 inputs in the fair value hierarchy of valuation techniques to determine the fair value of this liability. UPS was a contributing employer to the Central States Pension Fund (“CSPF”) until 2007 when we withdrew from the plan and fully funded our allocable share of unfunded vested benefits by paying a $6.1 billion withdrawal liability. Under a collective bargaining agreement with the International Brotherhood of Teamsters (“IBT”), UPS agreed to provide coordinating benefits in the UPS/IBT Full Time Employee Pension Plan (“UPS/IBT Plan”) for UPS participants whose last employer was UPS and who had not retired as of January 1, 2008 (“the UPS Transfer Group”) in the event that benefits are lawfully reduced by the CSPF in the future consistent with the terms of our withdrawal agreement with the CSPF. In December 2014, Congress passed the Multiemployer Pension Reform Act (“MPRA”). This change in law for the first time permitted multiemployer pension plans to reduce benefit payments to retirees, subject to specific guidelines in the statute and government approval. In September 2015, the CSPF submitted a proposed pension benefit reduction plan to the U.S. Department of the Treasury (“Treasury”) under the MPRA. The CSPF plan proposed to reduce retirement benefits to the CSPF participants, including the UPS Transfer Group. We challenged the proposed benefit reduction plan because the CSPF failed to comply with its contractual obligation to obtain our consent to reduce benefits to the UPS Transfer Group under the terms of our withdrawal agreement with the CSPF and because we believed that it did not comply with the law. On May 6, 2016, Treasury rejected the proposed plan submitted by the CSPF, stating that it failed to satisfy a number of requirements set forth in the MPRA. The CSPF has asserted that it will become insolvent in 2025, which could lead to the reduction of retirement benefits. Although there are numerous factors that could affect the CSPF’s funded status, if the CSPF were to become insolvent as it has asserted, UPS may be required to provide coordinating benefits, thereby increasing the current projected benefit obligation of the UPS/IBT Plan by approximately $4 billion. The CSPF has said that it believes a legislative solution to its funding status is necessary, and we expect that the CSPF will continue to explore options to avoid insolvency. The potential obligation to pay coordinating benefits from the UPS/IBT Plan is subject to a number of significant uncertainties, including actions that may be taken by the CSPF, the federal government or others. These actions include whether the CSPF will submit a revised pension benefit reduction plan or otherwise seek federal government assistance, the extent to which benefits are paid by the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation and our ability to successfully defend our legal positions, as well as the effect of discount rates and various other actuarial assumptions. We account for this potential obligation under Accounting Standards Codification Topic 715- Compensation- Retirement Benefits (“ASC 715”). Under ASC 715 we are required to provide a best estimate of various actuarial assumptions, including the eventual outcome of this matter, in measuring our pension benefit obligation at the December 31st measurement date. While we currently believe the most likely outcome to this matter and the broader systemic problems facing multiemployer pension plans is intervention by the federal government, ASC 715 does not permit anticipation of changes in law in making a best estimate of pension liabilities. As a result, our best estimate as of December 31, 2017, the most recent measurement date, did not consider this possibility. However, if a future change in law occurs, it may be a significant event requiring an interim remeasurement of the UPS/IBT Plan at the date the law is enacted. Absent an ability to anticipate changes in law in estimating pension liabilities, our best estimate of the next most likely outcome to address the CSPF’s potential insolvency is that the CSPF will submit another benefit reduction plan under the MPRA to forestall insolvency. We believe that it is reasonably possible that such a MPRA filing would include a proposal to reduce benefits to the UPS Transfer Group. If the CSPF seeks to impermissibly reduce benefits to the UPS Transfer Group under a MPRA filing, we would have a strong legal position to prevent that from occurring given that, under our existing agreement with the CSPF, these benefits cannot be reduced without our consent and such a reduction, without first exhausting reductions to other groups in the CSPF, would be contrary to law. Our best estimate as of December 31, 2017, the most recent measurement date, was that there was no additional liability to be recognized for coordinating benefits of the UPS/IBT Plan. However, based on the passage of time and possible changes in other actuarial assumptions, it is reasonably possible that, at the next measurement date, our projected benefit obligation could materially increase as uncertainties are resolved. The amount, if any, of an increase in our projected benefit obligation at our next measurement date will be dependent on the economic and plan conditions that exist as of that date. We will continue to assess the impact of these uncertainties on the projected benefit obligation of the UPS/IBT Plan in accordance with ASC 715. Collective Bargaining Agreements As of December 31, 2017, we had approximately 280,000 employees employed under a national master agreement and various supplemental agreements with local unions affiliated with the Teamsters. Although these agreements were set to expire July 31, 2018, we reached tentative agreements with the Teamsters on two new five-year contracts in the U.S. Domestic Package and UPS Freight business units on June 21, 2018 and on July 12, 2018, respectively. See Teamsters updated within note 17. We have approximately 2,700 pilots who are employed under a collective bargaining agreement with the Independent Pilots Association ("IPA"), which becomes amendable on September 1, 2021. Our airline mechanics are covered by a collective bargaining agreement with Teamsters Local 2727, which became amendable November 1, 2013. We remain in negotiations with respect to this agreement. In addition, approximately 3,100 of our auto and maintenance mechanics who are not employed under agreements with the Teamsters are employed under collective bargaining agreements with the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (“IAM”) that will become amendable on July 31, 2019.

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