In order for your pension benefit to start you will need to notify the Plan Trust Office at least 90 days before your benefit will begin.  At the time that you apply for your pension benefit it will be required that you provide satisfactory evidence of your age.  The most satisfactory evidence is a copy of your birth certificate.  If you are married, it will be necessary for you to provide evidence of your spouse’s birth date, similar in nature to that required for yourself, as well as proof of marriage.    If you have been divorced, you will need to submit a copy of the divorce decree or QDRO

You must have 10 years of credited service in order to elect early retirement, between age 55 and your Normal Retirement date.

Yes, the benefit is reduced. There is an actuarial reduction or if you retire immediately after working from an Employer under the Preferred Schedule, there is an Early Retirement Subsidy reduction from age 62 until 65 of one quarter of one percent for each month that your retirement precedes Normal Retirement Age.  That means there is a 3% percent reduction for each 12 months up to a possible 12% reduction if retiring at age 62. Prior to age 62 there is no subsidized Early Retirement and actuarial reductions apply. Other factors including optional form of payment, beneficiary age, retiring from a terminated vested benefit status, and working under the Default Schedule, will also make the Early Retirement factors actuarily equivalent. Please contact the Trust Office for a personalized Pension Retirement benefit estimate.

No. This Plan is funded through Employer contributions only.  Your Employer pays contributions, per a Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA), to fund the Plan.  No contributions are required by or permitted from you. If the CBA you work under allows, you may sign up for the IBU 401(k) Plan and make contributions to an account, which are pre-tax elective deferrals withheld from your wages by your Employer who then contributes to the IBU 401(k) Plan on your behalf.

Annually, usually in September.  Or you may receive a statement anytime upon request.

A participant is considered totally and permanently disabled for a disability pension if the service requirements are met and Social Security disability benefit has been awarded under the Federal Social Security Act.  There are additional requirements to being totally and permanently disabled.  One, you must be vested in the Pension plan. Two, you must have become disabled while under covered employment.  Three, you must have worked for an Employer under the Preferred Schedule. For a more detailed explanation, please refer to your Summary Plan Description or Plan Document.

If you die before retirement, you are Vested and you are married at the time of your death, your spouse is entitled to receive a surviving spouse death benefit.

You may not return to work in any industry or any craft whose members are covered by this Plan in any state bordering the Pacific after retiring on a normal or early retirement pension for more than 120 hours over a course of two plan years. Note this does not apply to Retirees over the age of 70.5. Please see the SPD for more information on Suspension of Benefits and Return to Work Rules.

When you get married or divorced, you may want to change your beneficiary for your pension and 401k benefits.  There is one form for each plan.  You can print the pension Beneficiary Designation Form from this website.  Be sure to fill the forms out COMPLETELY and mail them to BeneSys.  If you get a divorce, be sure to file your Qualified Domestic Relations Order (QDRO) with the Trust.  The Trust office can supply you with a sample QDRO.

It is important that you get your mail from us.  So let us know where you are.  Simply contact us via email or mail, we may change our records. If you are already retired and receiving your benefit, we will only change your address after receiving a written request from you.  Therefore, you must mail your change of address to us. 

 You may need to change your beneficiary for your pension and 401k benefits. There is one form for each plan. You can print the pension Beneficiary Designation Form from this website.  Be sure to fill the forms out COMPLETELY and mail them to BeneSys. 

Contact the Trust Office as soon as possible.

If you had not yet retired upon your death your spouse will have benefit options. The Trust Office will send out the necessary forms, and a photocopy of the death certificate and your marriage certificate will be required. Be sure to have an up-to-date beneficiary form at all times to ensure your benefits go to the people you intend.

If you had already retired, your benefit option selected at retirement will determine what any survivor benefits may be. The Trust Office will send out the necessary forms, and a photocopy of the death certificate will be required.

The Health Trust will send information and the necessary forms for the health insurance benefits for your survivors at the same time.