11.	Pension and Employee Benefit Plans

We sponsor a non-contributory defined benefit pension plan for certain union employees. The plan is funded in accordance with the funding requirements of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974.

We also sponsor a postretirement health care plan for office employees retired before January 1, 1990. The plan allowed retirees who attained the age of 65 to elect the type of coverage desired.

Retirement and health care plan expense is based on valuations performed by plan actuaries as of the beginning of each fiscal year. The components of the expense consisted of the following:

(Table only in thousands)	Three Months Ended September 30,						Nine Months Ended September 30,
	2017			2016			2017			2016
Pension plan:
Service cost	$	101		$	112		$	315		$	335
Interest cost		329			356			986			1,069
Expected return on plan assets		(431	)		(457	)		(1,292	)		(1,371	)
Amortization of net actuarial loss		57			53			170			159
Net periodic benefit cost	$	56		$	64		$	179		$	192
Health care plan:
Interest cost	$	1		$	1		$	2		$	3
Amortization of loss		2			3			6			8
Net periodic benefit cost	$	3		$	4		$	8		$	11

We made contributions to our defined benefit plans during the nine months ended September 30, 2017 and 2016 totaling $1.6 million and $29,000, respectively. We anticipate $0.3 million and $25,000 of further contributions to fund the pension plans and the retiree health care plan, respectively, during the remainder of 2017. The unfunded liability of the plans of $9.6 million and $11.1 million as of September 30, 2017 and December 31, 2016, respectively, is included in Other liabilities on our unaudited Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets.