Pension Plan (Canada) - IUPAT

ParticipationWho Can Participate In The Plan?You can participate in this Plan if your employer is acontributor to the Plan under the terms of a CollectiveBargaining Agreement and you are:1. An employee working under a Collective BargainingAgreement;2. A paid employee or officer of a Local Union orDistrict Council; or3. An employee who is not within a bargaining unitprovided that your class has been accepted forparticipation in the Plan.You may also become a participant in the Plan ifyou are an employee of a union industry-relatedorganization as defined in the Plan and acceptedby the Trustees. You cannot participate in the Planif you are a piece worker who is responsible forpayment of your own benefits.When Do I Become A Participant?If you were a participant in the Plan before January1, 2000 and you have not terminated your participation,you remain a participant in this amended Plan.If you start working in covered employment afterDecember 31, 1998, you will become a participantin the Plan on January 1st or July 1st, whichever isearlier, after you have met one of the followingrequirements:• If you work under a Collective Bargaining Agreementrequiring contributions, or you are a fulltimeemployee as defined in categories (2) or (3)above, you will become a participant after 12consecutive months in which you have at least1,000 hours of covered employment.• If you are a part-time employee whose job iscovered by either category (2) or (3), you willbecome a participant upon the completion of a12-consecutive-month period during which youhave at least 700 hours of service in coveredemployment.Covered employment means employment for whichyour employer is obligated to contribute to the Fundon your behalf. Service for eligibility means eachhour you are paid or entitled to be paid for theperformance or nonperformance of duties, or foreach hour for which back pay is either awarded oragreed to by your contributing employer.Your hours may be with one or more ContributingEmployers. All your hours count even though youmay not have worked for some period of timebetween employers; however, if you are employedin British Columbia and you do not meet either oneof the above requirements, you can become a participantfollowing two consecutive calendar yearsin each of which you have at least 350 hours ofservice in covered employment with one or moreemployers, and earnings not less than 35% of theYMPE in each of the 2 consecutive calendar years.Example:John, a full-time employee who started workingunder a Collective Bargaining Agreement inFebruary 2010, earned:• 892 hours of service in covered employmentfrom February to December of 2010, and• 120 hours of service in covered employment inJanuary 2011.Since he completed at least 1,000 hours of serviceover twelve consecutive months, John becomes aparticipant in the Plan on July 1, 2011.Example:Steve, who was hired at the beginning of September2009 as a part-time employee of a Local Union,earned:• 203 hours of service in covered employmentfrom September to December of 2009, and• 560 hours of service in covered employmentfrom January to August 2010.Since he has completed at least 700 hours of serviceover twelve consecutive months Steve becomesa participant in the Plan on January 1, 2011.—9—