3M 2011 Annual Report Download - page 115

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NOTE 15. Employee Savings and Stock Ownership Plans
The Company sponsors employee savings plans under Section 401(k) of the Internal Revenue Code. These plans
are offered to substantially all regular U.S. employees. Effective January 1, 2010, substantially all Company
contributions to the plans are made in cash. During 2008 the Board of Directors approved various changes to the
employee savings plans. For substantially all employees hired prior to January 1, 2009, employee
401(k) contributions of up to 6% of eligible compensation are matched at rates of 60% or 75%, depending on the
plan the employee participated in. Employees hired on or after January 1, 2009 receive a cash match of 100% for
employee 401(k) contributions of up to 6% of eligible compensation and also receive an employer retirement income
account cash contribution of 3% of the participant’s total eligible compensation. All contributions are invested in a
number of investment funds pursuant to their elections.
The Company maintained an Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP) that was established in 1989 as a cost-
effective way of funding the majority of the Company’s contributions under 401(k) employee savings plans. Total
ESOP shares were considered to be shares outstanding for earnings per share calculations. The ESOP debt
matured in 2009.
Dividends on shares held by the ESOP were paid to the ESOP trust and, together with Company contributions, were
used by the ESOP to repay principal and interest on the outstanding ESOP debt. The tax benefit related to dividends
paid on unallocated shares was charged directly to equity and totaled approximately $1 million in 2009. Over the life
of the ESOP debt, shares were released for allocation to participants based on the ratio of the current year’s debt
service to the remaining debt service prior to the current payment.
Until 2009, the ESOP was the primary funding source for the Company’s employee savings plans. As permitted by
accounting standards relating to employers’ accounting for employee stock ownership plans, the debt of the ESOP
was recorded as debt, and shares pledged as collateral were reported as unearned compensation in the
Consolidated Balance Sheet and Consolidated Statement of Changes in Equity. Unearned compensation was
reduced symmetrically as the ESOP made principal payments on the debt. Expenses related to the ESOP included
total debt service on the notes, less dividends. The Company contributed treasury shares (accounted for at fair
value) and cash to employee savings plans to cover obligations not funded by the ESOP (reported as an employee
benefit expense).
Employee Savings and Stock Ownership Plans
(Millions) 2011 2010 2009
Dividends on shares held by the ESOP .............................................. $ — $
—
$ 31
Company contributions to the ESOP .................................................. —
—
16
Interest incurred on ESOP notes ........................................................
—
1
A
mounts reported as an employee benefit expense:
Expenses related to ESOP debt service ......................................... —
—
10
Expenses related to treasury shares ............................................... —
—
25
Expenses for Company contributions made in cash ....................... 109 97 6
ESOP Debt Shares
2011 2010 2009
A
llocated .................................................................................. —
—
14,473,474
Committed to be released ....................................................... —
—
—
Unreleased .............................................................................. —
—
—
Various international countries participate in defined contribution plans. Expenses related to employer contributions
to these plans were $54 million, $36 million and $22 million for 2011, 2010 and 2009, respectively.