Annual report pursuant to Section 13 and 15(d)

Benefit Plans and Collective Bargaining Agreements

v3.6.0.2
Benefit Plans and Collective Bargaining Agreements
12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2016
Compensation and Retirement Disclosure [Abstract]  
Benefit Plans and Collective Bargaining Agreements
Benefit Plans and Collective Bargaining Agreements
The Company has a 401(k) Employee Stock Ownership Plan (the "401(k)/ESOP Plan") covering all non-union employees. Employees could contribute to the 401(k)/ESOP Plan up to 100 percent of their wages with a maximum of $18,000 for 2016. Under the Economic Growth and Tax Relief Reconciliation Act, employees who are age 50 or older could contribute an additional $6,000 per year for a maximum of $24,000 for 2016. Contributions by the employees are invested in one or more funds at the direction of the employee; however, employee contributions cannot be invested in Company stock. For the years ended December 31, 2015 and January 3, 2015, contributions by the Company were made in cash and then used by the 401(k)/ESOP Plan Trustee to purchase Company stock. Effective January 1, 2016, contributions by the Company are made in accordance with the investment elections made by each participant for their deferral contributions. The Company contributes on behalf of each eligible participant a matching contribution equal to a percentage which is determined each year by the Board of Directors. For 2016, 2015 and 2014 the maximum was four percent. The matching contribution is allocated after each payroll. Matching contributions of approximately $517,000, $541,000 and $521,000 were made for 2016, 2015 and 2014, respectively. The Company may also make a discretionary contribution, which if made, would be distributed to all eligible participants regardless of whether they contribute to the 401(k)/ESOP Plan. No discretionary contributions were made to the 401(k)/ESOP Plan in 2016, 2015 or 2014.
The Company also has a 401(k) and Profit Sharing Plan (the "Profit Sharing Plan") covering all employees of the United Steel Workers of America, Local 4586 Collective Bargaining Agreement. Employees could contribute to the Profit Sharing Plan up to 60 percent of pretax annual compensation, as defined in the Plan, with a maximum of $18,000 for 2016. Under the Economic Growth and Tax Relief Reconciliation Act, employees who are age 50 or older could contribute an additional $6,000 per year for a maximum of $24,000 for 2016. The Company contributes three percent of a participant's compensation for the plan year, regardless of whether the participants contribute to the Profit Sharing Plan. The Company's contribution of approximately $137,000, $147,000 and $148,000 were expensed for 2016, 2015 and 2014, respectively. Additional profit sharing amounts may also be contributed at the option of the Company's Board of Directors, which if made, would be allocated to participants based on the ratio of the participant's compensation to the total compensation of all participants eligible to participate in the Profit Sharing Plan. No discretionary contributions were made to the Profit Sharing Plan in 2016, 2015 or 2014.
The Company also contributes to union-sponsored defined contribution retirement plans. Contributions relating to these plans were approximately $22,000, $38,000 and $2,180,000 for 2016, 2015 and 2014, respectively. Also, upon closure of Bristol Fab as discussed in Note 19, the Company was legally obligated to pay a withdrawal liability to the Union's pension fund of over $1,900,000. This withdrawal liability is included in the employer contribution to the union-sponsored defined contribution retirement plan for 2014.
The Company has two collective bargaining agreements at its Bristol, Tennessee and Mineral Ridge, Ohio facilities. The number of employees of the Company represented by these unions, located at the Bristol, Tennessee and Mineral Ridge, Ohio facilities, is 132, or 32 percent of the Company's total employees. They are represented by two locals affiliated with the United Steelworkers. The Company considers relationships with its union employees to be satisfactory. Collective bargaining contracts for the United Steelworkers will expire in June 2017 and July 2019.