CEA CNY negotiates collective bargaining agreements with construction unions throughout central and northern New York and the Mohawk Valley. Those agreements provide the authority for signatory employers to remit contributions to the unions’ pension, health, training and annuity funds for the benefit of the union member employee and his/her beneficiaries. Those union benefit plans are governed by a Trust Agreement and Board of Trustees made up of an equal number of union and employer representatives.
By virtue of the funds’ Trust Agreements, the CEA CNY has maintained employer Trustee appointing authority to 24 union benefit funds across New York State. CEA CNY Executive Director Earl R. Hall serves as a Trustee on all 24 funds, representing the sole interest of plan participants. The plans fall under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA) and governed by the United States Department of Labor.
Serving as a fiduciary to the multi-employer ERISA funds is a duty Mr. Hall and the Association take very seriously. “It remains a privilege to serve as a Trustee representing the best interest of the plan participants and their beneficiaries. The health and overall well-being of union members remains important to those signatory union employers who hire union employees for their construction projects. Our duty as Trustees is to continue the long-standing history of providing excellent benefits to union members and their families by preserving the funds to assure their existence for the next generation of union employees.”
To learn more about the status of a particular benefit fund, please contact Earl R. Hall at (315) 437-3717 or ehall@syrabex.com.
