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Employee Benefit Plans And Other Postretirement Benefits
 3 Months Ended
Mar. 31, 2012
Employee Benefit Plans And Other Postretirement Benefits [Abstract]  
Employee Benefit Plans And Other Postretirement Benefits

7. Employee Benefit Plans and Other Postretirement Benefits

For the three months ended March 31, 2012 and 2011, net pension costs were comprised of the following:

 

     Three Months Ended
March 31,		  
     2012     2011  
(In thousands)             

Components of Net Pension Costs

     

Service cost for benefits earned during the year

    $ 5,606      $ 4,952   

Interest cost on accumulated benefit obligation

      3,700        3,368   

Expected return on assets

      (3,027 )      (3,385 ) 

Net amortization of unrecognized amounts

     

Prior service cost

      1,498        1,445   

Actuarial loss

      1,229        103   
  

 

 

    

 

 

  

Net pension costs

    $ 9,006      $ 6,483   
  

 

 

    

 

 

  

The Company makes pension plan contributions that are sufficient to fund its actuarially determined costs, generally equal to the minimum amounts required by the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA). However, from time to time the Company may make discretionary contributions in excess of the required minimum amounts. The Company expects to contribute $37.2 million to the pension plans in 2012, of which $3.9 million has been contributed through March 31, 2012.

For the three months ended March 31, 2012 and 2011, net postretirement costs were comprised of the following:

 

     Three Months Ended
March 31,		  
       2012         2011    
(In thousands)             

Components of Net Postretirement Costs

     

Service cost for benefits earned during the year

    $ 464      $ 400   

Interest cost on accumulated benefit obligation

      310        297   

Net amortization of unrecognized amounts

     

Prior service cost

      (104 )      (104 ) 

Actuarial loss

      113        112   
  

 

 

    

 

 

  

Net postretirement costs

    $ 783      $ 705