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Employee Retirement Plans
 12 Months Ended
Dec. 30, 2023
Retirement Benefits [Abstract]  
Employee Retirement Plans Employee Retirement Plans
Multiemployer Pension Plans
The Company is involved in various multiemployer pension plans (“MEPPs”) that provide retirement and certain disability benefits to certain union employees in accordance with certain collective bargaining agreements (“CBAs”). As one of many participating employers in these MEPPs, the Company is generally responsible with the other participating employers for any plan underfunding. The Company’s contributions to a particular MEPP are established by the applicable CBAs; however, required contributions may increase based on the funded status of an MEPP and legal requirements such as those of the Pension Act, which requires substantially underfunded MEPPs to implement a funding improvement plan (“FIP”) or a rehabilitation plan (“RP”) to improve their funded status. Factors that could impact funded status of an MEPP include, without limitation, investment performance, changes in the participant demographics, decline in the number of contributing employers, changes in actuarial assumptions, and the utilization of extended amortization provisions. A FIP or RP requires a particular MEPP to adopt measures to correct its underfunded status. These measures may include, but are not limited to: an increase in the Company’s contribution rate to the applicable CBA, a reallocation of the contributions already being made by participating employers for
various benefits to individuals participating in the MEPP, and/or a reduction in the benefits to be paid to future and/or current retirees.
The Company could also be obligated to make future payments to MEPPs if it either ceases to have an obligation to contribute to the MEPP or significantly reduces its contributions to the MEPP because the Company reduced its number of employees who are covered by the relevant MEPP for various reasons, including, but not limited to, layoffs or closures, assuming the MEPP has unfunded vested benefits. The amount of such payments (known as a complete or partial withdrawal liability) generally would equal the Company’s proportionate share of the plan’s unfunded vested benefits.
The following table lists the Company’s participation in its multiemployer plans which the Company deems significant. “Contributions” represent the amounts contributed to the plan during the fiscal years presented:
Contributions (In millions)
Pension Fund:EIN/Pension Plan NumberPension Act Zone Status
FIP/RP Status (1)
Surcharge202320222021
Central States, Southeast and Southwest Areas Pension Fund366044243Critical and Declining
(January 1, 2020)		RPNo$0.3 $0.4 $0.3 
Total$0.3 $0.4 $0.3 
(1) Funding Improvement Plan or Rehabilitation Plan, as defined by the Pension Protection Act of 2006
The Company’s contributions to this plan are approximately 0.1% of total contributions, which is less than the required disclosure threshold of five percent of total plan contributions. However, this plan is deemed significant for disclosure as it is severely underfunded. The current CBA that requires contributions to the plan expires on December 31, 2025. In May 2020, the Company received a demand letter for payment resulting from its partial withdrawal in 2018 from the Central States Plan and started making payments in June 2020. These payments are payable monthly for a period of 20 years. The Company’s liability for the remainder of these payments was $6.8 million as of December 30, 2023. The Company may, in the future, record an additional liability if required by an event of our complete withdrawal from the plan or a mass withdrawal. The Company’s most recent contingent withdrawal liability was estimated at approximately $45.0 million for a complete withdrawal occurring in 2023. In the case of a complete withdrawal or a mass withdrawal, the Central States Plan could demand yearly payments of approximately $1.1 million, which do not include payments for the partial withdrawal of approximately $0.6 million annually. In a complete withdrawal, the payments would not amortize the liability fully; however, payments for a complete withdrawal are limited to a 20-year period. In the case of a mass withdrawal, the liability would not amortize fully under current government regulations, and payments would continue indefinitely.
Defined Contribution Plans
The Company’s employees also participate in two defined contribution plans: the BlueLinx Corporation Hourly Savings Plan covering hourly employees, and the BlueLinx Corporation Salaried Savings Plan covering salaried employees. Discretionary contributions to the plans are based on employee contributions and compensation, and, in certain cases, participants in the hourly savings plan also receive employer contributions based on union negotiated match amounts. Employer contributions to the hourly savings plan for fiscal years 2023 and 2022 were approximately $0.9 million and $0.8 million, respectively.
Employer contributions to the salaried savings plan for fiscal 2023 were approximately $2.5 million, of which $0.0 million was for fiscal 2022. Employer contributions to the salaried savings plan for fiscal 2022 were approximately $4.0 million, of which $2.1 million were for fiscal 2021.
Single-Employer Defined Benefit Pension Plan
As previously disclosed, in October 2022, the Company, as sponsor, notified participants in its noncontributory defined benefit pension plan (the “DB Plan”) that the Company intended to transfer financial responsibility for the management and delivery of continuing benefits associated with the DB Plan to a highly rated insurance company with pension settlement experience. Most of the participants in the DB Plan are inactive, with all remaining active participants no longer accruing benefits, and the DB Plan is closed to new entrants. The DB Plan’s accumulated benefit obligation and its projected benefit obligation are the same amount (a “frozen” plan), and the Company has not incurred service cost under the plan since fiscal year 2019. Benefits under the plan were primarily related to years of service. The DB Plan’s assets were maintained in a separate trust entity prior to settlement, and then used to fund the settlement transaction as described below.

Effective December 5, 2023, the Company settled the frozen DB Plan by purchasing an irrevocable nonparticipating annuity contract with an insurance company (the “buy-out contract”). The buyout contract met the requirements for a settlement, as that term is defined in ASC No. 715, Compensation-Retirement Benefits, and the DB Plan and Company, as sponsor, have been relieved of primary responsibility for the benefits obligations. Participants of the DB Plan who had a vested benefit of less than $5,000 were paid a one-time and final lump sum distribution, including the option to roll over their vested balance to an individual retirement account at a financial institution.
Immediately before the settlement, benefit obligations and plan assets of the DB Plan were $78.7 million and $78.7 million, respectively. The plan assets included a final cash contribution of $6.9 million made by the Company, as sponsor, at the time the buy-out contract was purchased. Other than the aforementioned $6.9 million, the Company was not required to and did not make any contributions in fiscal 2023 or fiscal 2022 to the DB Plan.
Substantially all of the plan assets were used to purchase the buyout contract from the insurance company on December 5, 2023. Just prior to settlement, the Company’s accumulated other comprehensive loss included unrecognized pension cost of $30.4 million plus unrecognized deferred taxes of $4.5 million, for a total of $34.9 million and these amounts were reclassified into earnings at settlement in fourth quarter of fiscal 2023.

As previously disclosed, during fiscal 2013 the Company contributed two properties to the DB Plan in lieu of a cash contribution, and then entered into a lease for each of these properties and continued to use the properties in the Company’s distribution operations. The DB Plan engaged an independent fiduciary to manage the properties on behalf of the DB Plan. During fiscal 2022 and in anticipation of the settlement of the DB Plan, the Company repurchased these two real estate properties from the DB Plan for $11.1 million and terminated the associated leases. The repurchase in 2022 included certain land and buildings, located in Charleston, S.C. and Buffalo, N.Y., valued at approximately $11.1 million by independent appraisals. The repurchase amount is included in pension contributions within the operating activities section of the Company’s consolidated statements of cash flows for the fiscal year ended December 30, 2022.
Actuarial assumptions for the plan during fiscal 2023 and as of December 31, 2022 included considerations for settlement of the DB Plan. The following tables set forth the change in projected benefit obligation and the change in plan assets for the DB Plan:
December 30, 2023December 31, 2022
 (In thousands)
Change in projected benefit obligation:  
    Projected benefit obligation at beginning of period$82,752 $105,874 
    Interest cost4,419 2,424 
    Actuarial gain(240)(19,687)
    Benefits paid(6,018)(5,859)
    Settlement(78,732)— 
Projected benefit obligation at end of period (1)
$2,181 $82,752 
Change in plan assets:  
    Fair value of assets at beginning of period$81,231 $94,269 
    Actual return on plan assets(1,200)(19,055)
    Employer contributions6,900 11,876 
    Benefits paid(6,018)(5,859)
Settlement(78,732)— 
Fair value of assets at end of period(1)
2,181 81,231 
Net (unfunded) status of plan(1)
$— $(1,521)
(1) As disclosed above, the DB Plan was settled during fourth quarter of fiscal 2023. The remaining residual balances in projected benefit obligations and fair value of assets as of December 30, 2023 of $2.2 million and $2.2 million, respectively, will be used to fund 1) $0.5 million for January 2024 benefit payments (annuity will then begin making all subsequent benefit payments), 2) $0.6 million for vested benefits and related assets that will be submitted to the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (PBGC) for plan participants who cannot be located, and 3) $1.0 million to cover final estimated administrative expenses of the DB Plan. The Company expects the residual obligations and assets to be resolved in fiscal 2024 without material impact to the Company’s financial conditions, results of operations or cash flows.
The change in the funded status for fiscal year 2023, from underfunded by $1.5 million at the end of fiscal 2022 to zero at the end of fiscal 2023, was due to the settlement of December 5, 2023 described above.
The accumulated benefit obligation and the projected benefit obligation for the DB Pension Plan was $82.8 million as of December 31, 2022. The Company recognized the unfunded status (i.e., the difference between the fair value of plan assets and the projected benefit obligations) of the DB Pension Plan in its consolidated balance sheets, with a corresponding adjustment to accumulated other comprehensive income (loss), net of tax. As of December 31, 2022, the net unfunded status of the DB Plan was $1.5 million. In anticipation of the plan settlement, the Company reported the net unfunded status of the DB Plan as of December 31, 2022 within Other current liabilities in its consolidated balance sheet.
The Company elected to utilize a full yield curve approach in the estimation service and interest cost components for pension (income)/expense recognized by applying the specific spot rates along the yield curve used in determination of the benefit obligation to the relevant projected cash flows.
Prior to settlement, actuarial gains and losses occurred when actual experience differed from the estimates used to determine the components of net periodic pension cost, including the difference between the actual and expected return plan assets and when certain assumptions used to determine the projected benefit obligation were updated for plan re-measurement, including but not limited to, changes in the discount rate, plan amendments, mortality and other assumptions.
Prior to settlement, the Company amortized a portion of unrecognized actuarial gains and losses for the DB Pension Plan into its consolidated statements of operations and comprehensive income (loss). The amount recognized in the current year’s operations was based on amortizing the unrecognized gains or losses for the DB Pension Plan that exceed the larger of 10% of the projected benefit obligation or the fair value of plan assets, also known as the corridor. The amount that represented the unrecognized gain or loss that exceeded the corridor was amortized over the estimated average remaining life expectancy of participants, as almost all the participants in the plan are inactive.
The net adjustment to other comprehensive income (loss) for fiscal 2023 and fiscal 2022 was a $32.7 million pre-tax loss and a $2.4 million pre-tax gain, respectively. The amount for fiscal 2023 includes a $30.4 million settlement loss. The remainder of
the amount for fiscal 2023 and the amount for fiscal 2022 were primarily due to a combination of actuarial adjustments at year end in addition to the amortization of unrealized gain and/or losses throughout the fiscal year.
The funded status recorded as pension benefit obligation on the Company’s consolidated balance sheets for the plan is set forth in the following table, along with the unrecognized actuarial loss, which was presented as part of accumulated other comprehensive loss:
December 30, 2023December 31, 2022
 (In thousands)
Unfunded status$— $(1,521)
Unrecognized actuarial loss— 27,438 
Net amount recognized$— $25,917 
Amounts recognized on the balance sheet consist of:  
Accrued pension liability$— $(1,521)
Accumulated other comprehensive loss (pre-tax)— 27,438 
Net amount recognized$— $25,917 
The net periodic pension cost (benefit) for the plan included the following:
Fiscal Year Ended December 30, 2023Fiscal Year Ended December 31, 2022
 (In thousands)
Service cost$— $— 
Interest cost on projected benefit obligation4,419 2,424 
Expected return on plan assets(3,249)(4,706)
Amortization of unrecognized loss1,207 835 
Before settlement (1)
2,377 (1,447)
Settlement loss (2)
30,440 — 
Net periodic pension cost (benefit) for the pension plan$32,817 $(1,447)
(1) On the Company’s consolidated statements of operations, reported within Other expenses (income), net
(2) The DB Pension Plan was frozen and no service cost has been incurred for the plan since fiscal 2019. This one-time non-cash settlement loss is reported as a non-operating expense on the Company’s consolidated statement of operations.

The following assumptions were used to determine the projected benefit obligation at the measurement date and the net periodic pension cost (credit):
December 30, 2023December 31, 2022
Projected benefit obligation:  
     Discount rateN/A5.34 %
     Average rate of increase in future compensation levelsN/AN/A
Net periodic pension cost or benefit:  
     Discount rate5.34 %2.38 %
     Average rate of increase in future compensation levelsN/AN/A
     Expected long-term rate of return on plan assets4.00 %5.20 %
As disclosed above, the DB Plan was settled effective December 5, 2023. The assumptions in the table above for the fiscal year ended December 30, 2023 were used to determine net periodic pension cost in fiscal 2023 prior to the settlement. The annuity purchase price was used to measure the projected benefit obligation on settlement date.
Prior to settlement, estimates of the amount and timing of the Company’s future funding obligations for the DB Plan were based upon various assumptions specified above. These assumptions include, but are not limited to, the discount rate, projected return on plan assets, and mortality rates. The rate of increase in future compensation levels had no effect on both the projected benefit obligation and net periodic pension cost, as almost all the participants in the plan were inactive, the remaining active participants were no longer accruing benefits, and the plan was closed to new entrants.
Assumptions for plan settlement liability estimate. As previously disclosed, plan liabilities were settled through a lump sum offer to certain participants followed by an annuity buyout for remaining participants. The cost of this settlement was developed relative to the plan-based accounting obligations, segmented by participant status and other demographic subgroups where appropriate. The primary drivers of cost were lump sum election rates, the cost of lump sums relative to accounting obligations, and the cost to purchase annuities for participants not electing lump sums.
Projected return on plan assets. Prior to settlement, pension plan assets were managed under a balanced portfolio allocation policy comprised of two major components: a return-seeking portion and a liability-matching portion. The expected role of return-seeking investments was designed to achieve a reasonable long-term growth of pension assets with a prudent level of risk, while the role of liability-matching investments was designed to provide a partial hedge against liability performance associated with changes in interest rates. The objective within return-seeking investments was to achieve asset diversity in order to balance return and volatility. A designated fiduciary is engaged to manage the day-to-day investment responsibilities for pension plan assets and relationships with certain agents, advisors, and other fiduciaries.
The discount rate. Prior to settlement, a full yield curve approach was utilized in the estimation of components by applying the specific spot rates along the yield curve of high-quality corporate bonds used in determination of the benefit obligation to the relevant projected cash flows.
Mortality rates. For fiscal years 2023 and 2022, in conjunction with the decision to settle the DB Plan, the valuations and assumptions reflected adoption of the Society of Actuaries RP-2018 mortality tables with generational mortality improvement and adjustments to reflect the characteristics of the plan in conjunction actuarial assumptions customary in the insurance industry. For fiscal year 2021, the valuations and assumptions reflected adoption of the Society of Actuaries updated RP-2014 mortality tables, with a “blue collar employee” adjustment for non-annuitants and a BlueLinx custom adjustment projected from 2015 for annuitants. Additionally, we used the most current generational mortality improvement projection scales.
Plan Assets and Long-Term Rate of Return
Fiscal 2023
Prior to settlement, asset return assumptions were based on current and expected asset allocations, as well as historical and expected returns on the plan asset categories. The allocation of the DB Plan’s assets impacted expected return on plan assets. The expected return on plan assets was based on a targeted allocation consisting of return-seeking securities (including public equity, real assets, and diversified credit investment strategies), liability-matching securities (fixed income), and cash and cash equivalents. Net benefit cost increased as the expected return on plan assets decreased. Actual long-term asset allocations on average were designed to approximate targeted allocation. Targeted allocation was driven by investment strategy to earn a reasonable rate of return while maintaining risk at acceptable levels through the diversification of investments across and within various asset categories. For fiscal 2023 and fiscal 2022, expected rates of return on plan assets of 4.00% and 5.20%, respectively, were used.
Prior to settlement, the investment policy for the DB Pension Plan, in general, was to achieve a reasonable long-term rate of return on plan assets with an acceptable level of risk in order to maintain adequate funding levels. The plan’s investment committee established risk mitigation policies and regularly monitored investment performance and investment allocation policies, with a third-party investment advisor executing on these strategies. A designated fiduciary was utilized to manage the day-to-day investment responsibilities for plan assets and relationships with certain agents, advisors, and other fiduciaries.
As of December 30, 2023, the residual balance for plan assets had a fair value of $2.2 million and was primarily invested in cash. The fair value was determined based on inputs that are deemed to be Level 1 inputs on the fair value hierarchy.
Fiscal 2022
The Company based the asset return assumption on current and expected asset allocations, as well as historical and expected returns on the plan asset categories. The allocation of the plan’s assets impacts the expected return on plan assets. The expected return on plan assets was based on a targeted allocation consisting of return-seeking securities (including public equity, real
assets, and diversified credit investment strategies), liability-matching securities (fixed income), and cash and cash equivalents. Net periodic pension cost increases as the expected return on plan assets decreases. Actual long-term asset allocations on average approximated targeted allocation. Targeted allocation was driven by investment strategy to earn a reasonable rate of return while maintaining risk at acceptable levels through the diversification of investments across and within various asset categories. For fiscal 2022, a 5.20% expected rate of return on plan assets was used.
The investment policy for the pension plan, in general, was to achieve a reasonable long-term rate of return on plan assets with an acceptable level of risk in order to maintain adequate funding levels. The pension plan’s investment committee established risk mitigation policies and regularly monitored investment performance and investment allocation policies, with a third-party investment advisor executing on these strategies. A designated fiduciary was used to manage the day-to-day investment responsibilities for plan assets and relationships with certain agents, advisors, and other fiduciaries.
Target allocation, adjusted to exclude non-GAAP BlueLinx real-estate holdings, and actual investment allocation, by asset category as of December 31, 2022, consisted of the following:
TypeTarget AllocationActual Allocation, December 31, 2022
Global equity4.0 %2.8 %
Diversified credit3.0 %2.8 %
Real assets3.0 %2.7 %
Liability-hedging87.0 %73.0 %
Cash and cash equivalents3.0 %18.8 %
Total100 %100 %
The following table sets forth by level, within the fair value hierarchy, as defined in Note 1, Summary of Significant Accounting Policies, the plan’s assets at their fair values as of December 31, 2022:
TypeQuoted prices in active markets of identical assets
(Level 1)		Significant other observable inputs
(Level 2)		Significant other unobservable inputs
(Level 3)
Assets measured at net asset value (NAV)(3)
Total
(In thousands)
Return-seeking securities
 Investments in trusts and funds(1)
$— $— $— $6,683 $6,683 
Liabilities-matching securities:
    Investments in trusts and funds(2)
— — — 59,295 59,295 
Cash and cash equivalents15,253 — — — 15,253 
Total:$15,253 $— $— $65,978 $81,231 
(1) This category was comprised of a collective investment trust of equity funds that track the MCSI World Index, a collective investment trust that holds publicly traded listed infrastructure securities, and a pooled investment fund.
(2) This category consisted of a collective investment trust investing in Treasury STRIPS, in addition to a collective investment fund that tracks to U.S. government bond indexes, and a pooled investment fund.
(3) Investments that are measured at net asset value (“NAV”) (or its equivalent) as a practical expedient were not classified in the fair value hierarchy.
The fair value of the Level 1 assets was based on quoted prices in active markets for the identical assets. Certain investments are measured at fair value using the net asset value ("NAV") per share as a practical expedient and have not been classified in the fair value hierarchy. Investment objectives for our pension plan assets are:
•Matching plan liability performance
•Diversifying risk
•Achieving a target investment return
There were no significant concentrations of risk within the plan’s assets as of December 31, 2022. The DB Plan was in compliance with the rules and regulations promulgated under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (“ERISA”) and investments and investment strategies not allowed by ERISA were prohibited.