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time staff who work out of the IATSE Canadian office in Toronto
and coordinates with participating Locals to ensure efficient administration.
In June 2006, then-President Short appointed a Retirement
Committee to manage the plan’s day to day operations
comprised of local representatives from the various regions in
Canada. The Retirement Plan offers professional administrative
support for Locals and greatly reduced management fees to our
members — the direct result of negotiating on a national basis.
Canadian National Retirement Plan got off to a strong start,
with 2,200 members, ten participating Locals and $8.2 million in
assets in 2005. By 2007, the Canadian Plan was growing at a stunning
rate, with more than half of the country’s Locals participating
and assets surpassing $27 million. This phenomenal growth is an
example of what can be accomplished when local unions and the
International work together — and it stands as a testament to the
leadership and commitment of then-President Short and Local
891 member Frank Haddad, who was the architect of the Retirement
Plan and served as Chair of the Retirement Committee.
In 2008, the Directors Guild of Canada joined the plan and
it was renamed the Canadian Entertainment Industry Retirement
Plan. At that time, it had more than 11,800 members
with assets in excess of $67 million. Today, ten years later, there
are 22,000 participants and assets total nearly $500 million.
That same year, IATSE became an affiliate of the Canadian
Union Advantage Benefit Program – also known as Union Savings
– which offers special savings, discounts and benefits only to
union members. Much like Union Plus for American members, the
Union Savings program uses the purchasing power of Canadian
union members to obtain money-saving benefits for the members
and their families. Areas covered include mortgage consulting, accident
insurance, critical illness, home and auto insurance, long-term
health care insurance, cellular phones, real estate services, and a
low-interest, low-fee credit Mastercard bearing the IATSE emblem.
In 2011, the IATSE Canada Health Plan was launched, a
superlative achievement in local cooperation to provide all Canadian
members with better value for their benefit dollars. The
participation of larger Locals enabled coverage for smaller Local
memberships.
The flexible structure of the Plan accommodates the direct
participation by Canadian Locals, as well as the separate and dis-
First Young Workers’
Conference in 2012
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