Plan Facts
| Legal Name of the Plan | Electrical Workers Local No. 26 Pension Trust Fund |
|---|---|
| Plan Number | 001 |
| Board Of Trustees Employer Identification Number (EIN) | 52-6117919 |
| Plan type | Multiemployer defined benefit pension plan |
| Plan Year | January 1 - December 31 |
| Plan Administrator/Plan Sponsor | Board of Trustees Electrical Workers Local No. 26 Pension Trust Fund 10003 Derekwood Lane, Suite 130 Lanham, MD 20706-4811 |
| Fund Administrator | Michael McCarron Electrical Workers Local No. 26 Pension Trust Fund 10003 Derekwood Lane, Suite 130 Lanham, MD 20706-4811 301-731-1050 |
| Fund Office | 10003 Derekwood Lane, Suite 130 Lanham, MD 20706-4811 |
| Agent for Service of Legal Process | Fund office or any Trustee at : Electrical Workers Local No. 26 Pension Trust Fund 10003 Derekwood Lane, Suite 130 Lanham, MD 20706-4811 |
Plan Administration
The Plan is administered by a Board of Trustees made up of six Trustees, three appointed by IBEW Local No. 26 and three are appointed by the Washington, DC Chapter of the National Electrical Contractors Association, in accordance with the Fund’s Restated Agreement and Declaration of Trust. The day-to-day administration of the Fund is performed by the Fund Office and Fund Administrator listed above.
Amendment Provisions
The Trustees have the authority, and reserve the right, to amend the Plan, in whole or in part, at any time, accordance with the Trust Agreement and applicable law.
Interpretation of the Plan
The Board of Trustees has the full discretionary authority to interpret the terms of the Plan and Trust Agreement and to decide all questions pertaining to the operation and administration of the Plan and Trust Agreement. Its interpretations and decisions are final and binding on all applicable parties.
Contribution Source
This Plan was established through collective bargaining. All contributions to the Plan are made by Employers in accordance with their Collective Bargaining Agreements with the Union or their participation agreements with the Fund. The Collective Bargaining Agreements and participation agreements require contributions to the Plan at a fixed-rate per hour worked.
A copy of any Collective Bargaining Agreement pursuant to which the Plan is maintained may be obtained from the Fund Office upon written request. A charge may be made to cover the cost of providing the requested documents. Upon written request, the Fund Office will also provide you a list of all employers that contribute to the Plan, as well as information about whether a particular employer is contributing to the Plan. The list of Contributing Employers and copies of the Collective Bargaining Agreements also are available for inspection at the Fund Office, the Union’s office, and at any employer establishment at which at least 50 Plan participants are customarily working.
Funding Medium
Benefits are provided from the Fund’s assets, which are held in a trust administered by the Board of Trustees solely for the purpose of providing benefits to covered participants and their beneficiaries and defraying reasonable administrative expenses.
Plan Merger or Termination
The Plan may be terminated by joint decision of the Union and the DC Chapter of NECA and Employers at any time, if they agree to do so in writing. The Plan also may be terminated by the unanimous written vote of the Trustees if no further contributions to the Pension Fund are required by any Collective Bargaining Agreement.
In the event of Plan termination, you will not accrue any further benefits under the Plan. However, the benefits that you have already accrued will become vested to the extent funded, and in no event will the assets of the Fund be used for any purposes other than for the exclusive benefit of Plan participants and beneficiaries.
In accordance with applicable law, no merger or consolidation with, or transfer of assets or liabilities to, any other pension fund will take place unless each participant in the Fund would receive a benefit equal to or greater than the benefit he or she would have been entitled to receive if the Fund terminated immediately before the merger, consolidation or transfer.
Under no circumstances may money that has been properly contributed to the Fund ever be returned to any Employer or Union. If the Fund’s assets are insufficient to pay benefits, benefits may be reduced as required by law (but not below levels guaranteed by the PBGC). The PBGC subsequently may restore some or all of any lost benefits to the extent possible under applicable law.
Basic Financial Operations
The basic financial records of the Fund and Trust are maintained on a fiscal year ending December 31. The Board of Trustees meets regularly with an actuary representing the Fund and other advisers to review anticipated payments from Employers, investment income, benefit payments, and Fund expenses. These reviews are carried out to ensure that the financial operation of the Fund is sound for both the short and the long run, so that benefits can be paid and the funding requirements of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA) are met. In addition, the financial operations of the Fund are audited annually by an independent firm of certified public accountants.
Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation
Your pension benefits under this multiemployer defined benefit plan are insured by the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (PBGC), a federal insurance agency. A multiemployer plan is a collectively bargained pension arrangement involving two or more unrelated employers, usually in a common industry. Under the multiemployer plan program, the PBGC provides financial assistance through loans to plans that are insolvent. A multiemployer plan is considered insolvent if the plan is unable to pay benefits (at least equal to the PBGC’s guaranteed benefit limit) when due.
The maximum benefit that the PBGC guarantees is set by law.
The PBGC guarantee generally covers:
- normal and early retirement benefits;
- disability benefits if you become disabled before the plan becomes insolvent;
- certain benefits for your survivors.
The PBGC guarantee generally does not cover:
- benefits greater than the maximum guaranteed amount set by law;
- benefit increases and new benefits based on plan provisions that have been in place for fewer than 5 years at the earlier of: (i) the date the plan terminates or (ii) the time the plan becomes insolvent;
- benefits that are not vested because you have not worked long enough;
- benefits for which you have not met all of the requirements at the time the plan becomes insolvent; and
- non-pension benefits, such as health insurance, life insurance, certain death benefits, vacation pay and severance pay.
For more information about the PBGC and the benefits it guarantees, ask the Fund Office or contact:
PBGC’s Technical Assistance Division
1200 K Street, N.W., Suite 930
Washington, DC 20005-4026
800-400-7242
TTY/TDD users may call the federal relay service toll-free at (800) 877-8339 and ask to be connected to 800-400-7242.
Additional information about the PBGC’s pension insurance program is available through the PBGC’s website at www.pbgc.gov.
Normal Retirement Age
For purposes of this Plan, normal retirement age, as that term is defined in ERISA 3(24), is age 62, or if later, the fifth anniversary of your participation in the Plan.
Non-assignment of Benefits
Your pension benefits are intended for your personal financial security. They cannot be sold, borrowed against, garnished or attached in any way and generally cannot be assigned to another party except as permitted by law. For example, the Plan is required by law to honor a court-entered Qualified Domestic Relations Order that assigns a portion of a participant’s pension benefit to an alternate payee. The Plan must also comply with any offset or deduction permitted under applicable law.
Beneficiary Designation and Survivor Benefits
As required by law, if you are married and entitled to a vested pension benefit upon retirement, your spouse is entitled to survivor(s) benefits upon your death unless you and your spouse voluntarily consent in writing to waive your spouse’s rights to any survivor(s) benefits. This consent must be witnessed by a Notary Public.
Maximum Retirement Benefits
In no event may your annual retirement benefit from the plan exceed the legal limit. This limit is specified in section 415 of the Internal Revenue Code. Contact the Fund Office for more information.
Lump Sum Payments of Small Amounts
If the lump-sum value of your pension benefit is less than $7,000, your benefit will be paid to you as a lump-sum at your retirement in full settlement of all your benefits under the Plan.
Rollover of Plan Distributions
You may elect to have any portion of an eligible rollover distribution paid directly to an eligible qualified retirement plan or individual retirement plan of your choice that accepts rollovers. An example of an eligible rollover distribution is a lump-sum payment of your pension benefits as described above. A monthly retirement benefit that is not paid in a single lump-sum would not be an eligible rollover distribution. For more information on eligible rollover distributions from this Plan, please contact the Fund Office.
Loans
Loans against the value of your pension benefit are not available under the Plan.