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Litigation, Claims, Contingencies and Other | 9 Months Ended
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Sep. 30, 2018
Commitments And Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract] |
Litigation, Claims, Contingencies and Other | Note 19. Litigation, Claims, Contingencies, and Other We 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 us. Although the amount of liability as of September 30, 2018 with respect to these matters is not ascertainable, we believe that any resulting liability, after taking into consideration amounts already provided for and insurance coverage, will not have a material effect on our business, financial position, or results of operations. We are 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 we have or had operations. If we fail to comply with these environmental laws and regulations, civil and criminal penalties could be imposed and we could become subject to regulatory enforcement actions in the form of injunctions and cease and desist orders. As is the case with many companies, we also face exposure to actual or potential claims and lawsuits involving environmental matters relating to our past operations. As of September 30, 2018, we had recorded environmental remediation liabilities of $2.3 million related to previously sold operations. Although we are a party to certain environmental disputes, we believe that any resulting liabilities, after taking into consideration amounts already provided for and insurance coverage, will not have a material effect on our financial position or results of operations. As of September 30, 2018, on behalf of our subsidiaries, we had certain obligations under guarantees to third parties. These guarantees are not subject to liability recognition in the condensed consolidated financial statements and relate to leased facilities entered into by our subsidiary operations. We 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 we would be required to make under all guarantees existing as of September 30, 2018 would be $17.3 million. These guarantees relate to our leased facilities through October 2027. There are no recourse provisions that would enable us to recover from third parties any payments made under the guarantees. Furthermore, there are no collateral or similar arrangements whereby we could recover payments. A significant number of our employees are unionized and we are a party to approximately 100 collective-bargaining agreements, with approximately one-third requiring renegotiation each year. If we are 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 our business and results of operations. We believe that relations with our employees are satisfactory and that collective-bargaining agreements expiring in 2018 will be renegotiated in the ordinary course of business without having a material adverse effect on our operations. We entered into showsite and warehouse agreements with the Chicago Teamsters Local 727, effective January 1, 2014, and those agreements are scheduled to expire on December 31, 2018. We are in informal discussions with all relevant parties to renew those agreements in a manner that will be reasonable and equitable to employees, customers, and shareholders. Although our labor relations are currently stable, disruptions pending the outcome of the Chicago Teamsters Local 727 negotiations could occur, as they could with any collective-bargaining agreement negotiation, with the possibility of an adverse impact on the operating results of GES. Our business contributes to various multi-employer pension plans based on obligations arising under collective-bargaining agreements covering our union-represented employees. Based upon the information available from plan administrators, we believe 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 us, 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 us to make payments to such plan for our proportionate share of the plan’s unfunded vested liabilities. As of September 30, 2018, the amount of additional funding, if any, that we would be required to make related to multi-employer pension plans is not ascertainable. We are self-insured up to certain limits for workers’ compensation, employee health benefits, automobile, product and general liability, and property loss claims. The aggregate amount of insurance liabilities (up to our retention limit) related to our continuing operations was $18.9 million as of September 30, 2018 which includes $13.7 million related to workers’ compensation liabilities, and $5.2 million related to general/auto liability claims. We have also retained and provided for certain workers’ compensation insurance liabilities in conjunction with previously sold businesses of $2.7 million as of September 30, 2018. The estimated employee health benefit claims incurred but not yet reported was $1.7 million as of September 30, 2018. Provisions for losses for claims incurred, including estimated claims incurred but not yet reported, are made based on our historical experience, claims frequency, and other factors. A change in the assumptions used could result in an adjustment to recorded liabilities. We have purchased insurance for amounts in excess of the self-insured levels, which generally range from $0.2 million to $0.5 million on a per claim basis. We do not maintain a self-insured retention pool fund as claims are paid from current cash resources at the time of settlement. Our net cash payments in connection with these insurance liabilities were $1.4 million for the three months ended September 30, 2018 and $1.3 million for the three months ended September 30, 2017 and $4.1 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2018 and $3.8 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2017. In addition, as of September 30, 2018, we have recorded insurance liabilities of $10.4 million related to continuing operations, which represents the amount for which we remain the primary obligor after self-insured insurance limits, without taking into consideration the above-referenced insurance coverage. Of this total, $6.9 million related to workers’ compensation liabilities and $3.5 million related to general/auto liability claims which are recorded in other deferred items and liabilities in the Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets with a corresponding receivable in other investments.

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- Definition The entire disclosure for legal proceedings, legal contingencies, litigation, regulatory and environmental matters and other contingencies. + References Reference 1: http://fasb.org/us-gaap/role/ref/legacyRef -Publisher FASB -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Topic 450 -URI http://asc.fasb.org/topic&trid=2127136 + Details
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