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Litigation, Claims, Contingencies and Other | 12 Months Ended
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Dec. 31, 2012
Litigation, Claims, Contingencies and Other [Abstract] |
Litigation, Claims, Contingencies and Other | Note 18. Litigation, Claims, Contingencies and Other Viad and certain of its subsidiaries are plaintiffs or defendants to various actions, proceedings and pending claims, some of which involve, or may involve, compensatory, punitive or other damages. Litigation is subject to many uncertainties and it is possible that some of the legal actions, proceedings or claims could be decided against Viad. Although the amount of liability as of December 31, 2012 with respect to these matters is not ascertainable, Viad believes that any resulting liability, after taking into consideration amounts already provided for and insurance coverage, will not have a material effect on Viad’s business, financial position or results of operations. Viad is subject to various U.S. federal, state and foreign laws and regulations governing the prevention of pollution and the protection of the environment in the jurisdictions in which Viad has or had operations. If the Company has failed to comply with these environmental laws and regulations, civil and criminal penalties could be imposed and Viad could become subject to regulatory enforcement actions in the form of injunctions and cease and desist orders. As is the case with many companies, Viad also faces exposure to actual or potential claims and lawsuits involving environmental matters relating to its past operations. Although it is a party to certain environmental disputes, Viad believes that any resulting liabilities, after taking into consideration amounts already provided for and insurance coverage, will not have a material effect on the Company’s financial position or results of operations. As of December 31, 2012 and 2011, Viad had recorded environmental remediation liabilities of $5.3 million and $5.8 million, respectively, related to previously sold operations. As of December 31, 2012, Viad had certain obligations under guarantees to third parties on behalf of its subsidiaries. These guarantees are not subject to liability recognition in the consolidated financial statements and relate to leased facilities entered into by Viad’s subsidiary operations. The Company would generally be required to make payments to the respective third parties under these guarantees in the event that the related subsidiary could not meet its own payment obligations. The maximum potential amount of future payments that Viad would be required to make under all guarantees existing as of December 31, 2012 would be $21.2 million. These guarantees relate to leased facilities expiring through October 2017. There are no recourse provisions that would enable Viad to recover from third parties any payments made under the guarantees. Furthermore, there are no collateral or similar arrangements whereby Viad could recover payments. A significant portion of Viad’s employees are unionized and the Company is a party to approximately 100 collective-bargaining agreements, with approximately one-third requiring renegotiation each year. As of December 31, 2012, approximately 34 percent of Viad’s regular full-time employees are covered by collective-bargaining agreements. If the Company were unable to reach an agreement with a union during the collective-bargaining process, the union may call for a strike or work stoppage, which may, under certain circumstances, adversely impact the Company’s businesses and results of operations. Viad believes that relations with its employees are satisfactory and that collective-bargaining agreements expiring in 2013 will be renegotiated in the ordinary course of business without having a material adverse effect on Viad’s operations. Viad’s businesses contribute to various multi-employer pension plans based on obligations arising under collective bargaining agreements covering its union-represented employees. Viad’s contributions to these plans in 2012, 2011 and 2010 totaled $20.7 million, $19.6 million and $15.3 million, respectively. Based upon the information available to Viad from plan administrators, management believes that several of these multi-employer plans are underfunded. The Pension Protection Act of 2006 requires pension plans underfunded at certain levels to reduce, over defined time periods, the underfunded status. In addition, under current laws, the termination of a plan, or a voluntary withdrawal from a plan by Viad, or a shrinking contribution base to a plan as a result of the insolvency or withdrawal of other contributing employers to such plan, would require Viad to make payments to such plan for its proportionate share of the plan’s unfunded vested liabilities. As of December 31, 2012, the amount of additional funding, if any, that Viad would be required to make related to multi-employer pension plans is not ascertainable. Glacier Park operates the concession portion of its business under a concession contract with the U.S. National Park Service (the “Park Service”) for Glacier National Park. Glacier Park’s original 25-year concession contract with the Park Service that was to expire on December 31, 2005 has been extended for eight one-year periods and now expires on December 31, 2013. Glacier Park generated approximately 49 percent of its 2012 revenues through its concession contract for services provided within Glacier National Park. On December 14, 2012, the Park Service issued a prospectus soliciting proposals from prospective bidders, including Glacier Park, for the award of a 16-year concession contract beginning on January 1, 2014. Glacier Park is currently preparing its bid for the contract, which is due on or before April 16, 2013. Although Viad believes that Glacier Park is well-positioned to win the new contract, if the Park Service selects a new concessionaire, Glacier Park would be entitled to $25 million for its “possessory interest,” which generally means the value of the structures acquired or constructed, fixtures installed and improvements made to the concession property at Glacier National Park during the term of the concession contract, plus an estimated $5 million for the personal property Glacier Park uses at the facilities covered by the concession contract. If a new concessionaire is selected by the Park Service, Glacier Park would continue to generate revenue from the four properties it owns outside of Glacier National Park: Glacier Park Lodge in East Glacier, Montana; Grouse Mountain Lodge in Whitefish, Montana; St. Mary Lodge & Resort in St. Mary, Montana and the Prince of Wales Hotel in Waterton Lakes National Park, Alberta, which Glacier Park owns and operates under a 42-year ground lease with the Canadian government running through January 31, 2052.

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