COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES

9 Months Ended

Sep. 25, 2015

Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract]

Workers’ compensation commitments

Our insurance carriers and certain state workers’ compensation programs require us to collateralize a portion of our workers’ compensation obligation, for which they become responsible should we become insolvent. The collateral typically takes the form of cash and cash equivalents, highly rated investment grade debt securities, letters of credit, and/or surety bonds. On a regular basis these entities assess the amount of collateral they will require from us relative to our workers' compensation obligation. The majority of our collateral obligations are held in the Trust.

We have provided our insurance carriers and certain states with commitments in the form and amounts listed below (in thousands):



	September 25, 2015		December 26, 2014
Cash collateral held by insurance carriers	$	22,217	$	22,639
Cash and cash equivalents held in Trust	31,227		43,856
Investments held in Trust	116,319		90,095
Letters of credit (1)	4,240		6,513
Surety bonds (2)	16,971		16,861
Total collateral commitments	$	190,974	$	179,964


(1)	We have agreements with certain financial institutions to issue letters of credit as collateral.

(2)

Our surety bonds are issued by independent insurance companies on our behalf and bear annual fees based on a percentage of the bond, which are determined by each independent surety carrier. These fees do not exceed 2.0% of the bond amount, subject to a minimum charge. The terms of these bonds are subject to review and renewal every one to four years and most bonds can be canceled by the sureties with as little as 60 days' notice.

Legal contingencies and developments

We are involved in various proceedings arising in the normal course of conducting business. We believe the liabilities included in our financial statements reflect the probable loss that can be reasonably estimated. The resolution of those proceedings is not expected to have a material effect on our results of operations or financial condition.