Note 13 – Employee Benefit Plans

The Company has a qualified, defined benefit pension plan that was established to provide benefits to certain employees. The plan is frozen and participants are no longer accruing benefits. Generally, contributions to the plan are not less than the minimum amounts required under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, as amended (“ERISA”), and not more than the maximum amount that can be deducted for federal income tax purposes. The plan assets are held by an independent trustee and consist primarily of equity and fixed income securities.

The Company also provided certain postretirement health care benefits for certain of its salaried retired employees. Generally, employees became eligible for health care benefits if they retired after attaining specified age and service requirements. These benefits were subject to deductibles, co-payment provisions and other limitations. On October 15, 2019, the Company notified retirees and affected active employees that it would terminate medical benefits offered to retirees of the Company and their dependents effective January 1, 2020. The retiree benefits that were terminated include medical insurance and vison insurance that were offered under the FreightCar America, Inc. Health and Welfare Plan.

The components of net periodic benefit cost (benefit) for the three months ended March 31, 2020 and 2019, are as follows:



	Three Months Ended
	March 31,
Pension Benefits	2020		2019
Interest cost	$	358	$	466
Expected return on plan assets		(609)		(555)
Amortization of unrecognized net loss		140		137
	$	(111)	$	48



	Three Months Ended
	March 31,
Postretirement Benefit Plan	2020		2019
Service cost	$	-	$	5
Interest cost		-		45
Amortization of prior service cost		-		4
Amortization of unrecognized net (gain) loss		-		(97)
	$	-	$	(43)

The Company made no contributions to the Company’s defined benefit pension plan for each of the three months ended March 31, 2020 and 2019. The Company expects to make no contributions to its pension plan in 2020.

Due to the plan termination the Company made no postretirement benefit plan contributions during the three months ended March 31, 2020. The Company made contributions to the Company’s postretirement benefit plan for salaried retirees of $118 for the three months ended March 31, 2019.

The Company also maintains qualified defined contribution plans, which provide benefits to employees based on employee contributions and employee earnings with discretionary contributions allowed. Expenses related to these plans were $20 and $371 for the three months ended March 31, 2020 and 2019, respectively. Effective January 1, 2020, the Company suspended the employer contribution to its defined contribution plans.