COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES

9 Months Ended

Sep. 23, 2016

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 23, 2016		December 25, 2015
Cash collateral held by workers' compensation insurance carriers	$	26,532	$	23,133
Cash and cash equivalents held in Trust	21,101		26,046
Investments held in Trust	148,811		126,788
Letters of credit (1)	4,520		4,520
Surety bonds (2)	19,327		17,946
Total collateral commitments	$	220,291	$	198,433


(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.