COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES

12 Months Ended

Apr. 02, 2016

Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract]

We lease facilities and certain equipment under operating leases expiring at various dates through fiscal 2026. Facility leases require us to pay certain insurance expenses, maintenance costs and real estate taxes.

Approximate future basic rental commitments under operating leases as of April 2, 2016 are as follows:



Fiscal Year Ending
(In thousands)
2017	$	4,845
2018	3,830
2019	2,476
2020	1,820
2021	1,708
Thereafter	6,143
	$	20,822

Rent expense in fiscal 2016, 2015, and 2014 was $6.8 million, $6.3 million and $7.7 million, respectively. Some of the Company's operating leases include renewal provisions, escalation clauses and options to purchase the facilities that we lease.

We are presently engaged in various legal actions, and although our ultimate liability cannot be determined at the present time, we believe, based on consultation with counsel, that any such liability will not materially affect our consolidated financial position or our results of operations.

Italian Employment Litigation

Our Italian manufacturing subsidiary is party to several actions initiated by employees of the facility in Ascoli-Piceno, Italy where we have ceased manufacturing operations. These include actions claiming (i) working conditions and minimum salaries should have been established by either a different classification under their national collective bargaining agreement or a different agreement altogether, (ii) certain solidarity agreements, which are arrangements between the Company, employees and the government to continue full pay and benefits for employees who would otherwise be terminated in times of low demand, are void, and (iii) payment of the extra time used for changing into and out of the working clothes at the beginning and end of each shift.

In addition, a union represented in the Ascoli plant has filed an action claiming that the Company discriminated against it in favor of three other represented unions by (i) interfering with an employee referendum, (ii) interfering with an employee petition to recall union representatives from office, and (iii) excluding the union from certain meetings.

Finally, we have been added as defendants on claims filed against Pall Corporation prior to our acquisition of the plant in August 2012. These claims relate to agreements to "freeze" benefit allowances for a certain period in exchange for Pall's commitments on hiring and plant investment.

As of April 2, 2016, the total amount of damages claimed by the plaintiffs in these matters is approximately $4.6 million. It is not possible at this point in the proceedings to accurately evaluate the likelihood or amount of any potential losses and therefore no amounts have been accrued. We may receive other, similar claims in the future.