Pension Plan – Rights and Protections

As a Participant in this Plan, you are entitled to certain rights and protections under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA).

ERISA provides that all Plan Participants shall be entitled to:

• Examine, without charge, at the Fund Office and at other specified locations, such as worksites and union halls, all Plan documents, including collective bargaining agreements and copies of all documents filed by the Plan with the U.S. Department of Labor, such as detailed annual reports and Plan descriptions. Copies of all Plan documents and other Plan information may also be obtained upon written requests to the Fund Office; a reasonable charge may be made for the copies.
• Receive a summary of the Plan’s annual financial report. The Board of Trustees is required by law to furnish each Participant with a copy of this summary annual report.

Insofar as required by applicable government regulations you may also obtain a statement telling you whether you have a right to receive benefits at Normal Retirement Age (65) if you stop working under the Plan now. This statement must be requested in writing and is not required to be given more than once a year. The Plan must provide the statement free of charge.

In addition to creating rights for Plan Participants, ERISA imposes duties upon the people who are responsible for operation of this Plan. The people who operate your Plan, called “fiduciaries” of the Plan, have a duty to do so prudently and in the interest of you and other Plan Participants and Beneficiaries. No one, including your employer, your union, or any other person may fire you or otherwise discriminate against you in any way to prevent you from obtaining an annuity benefit or exercising your rights under ERISA. If your claim for benefits is denied, in whole or in part, you must receive a written explanation of the reason for the denial and you have the right to have the Plan review and reconsider your claim, as described elsewhere in this booklet.

Under ERISA, there are steps you can take to enforce the above rights. For instance, if you request certain materials required to be furnished by the Plan and do not receive them within 30 days, you may file suit in a federal court. In such a case, the court may require that you be provided with the materials and paid up to $110 a day until you receive them, unless the materials were not sent because of reasons beyond the Board’s control. If you have a claim for benefits which is denied or ignored, in whole or in part, you may file suit in a state or federal court. If it should happen that Plan fiduciaries misuse the Plan’s money, or if you are discriminated against for asserting your rights, you may seek assistance from the U.S. Department of Labor, or you may file suit in a federal court. The court may decide who should pay court costs and legal fees. If you are successful, the court may order the person you have sued to pay these costs and fees. If you lose, the court may order you to pay these costs and fees, for example, if it finds your claim is frivolous.

If you have any questions about your Plan, you should contact the Plan Administrator. If you have any questions about this statement or about your rights under ERISA, you should contact the nearest office of the Employee Benefits Security Administration (EBSA), U.S. Department of Labor, listed in your telephone directory or the Division of Technical Assistance and Inquiries, Employee Benefits Security Administration, U.S. Department of Labor, 200 Constitution Avenue N.W., Washington, D.C. 20210, or visit the EBSA website at www.dol.gov/ebsa/. You may also obtain certain publications about your rights and responsibilities under ERISA by calling the publications hotline of the EBSA.