IATSE-2nd2018_web

pants were primarily projectionists, ushers, and film sales and
distribution employees. Employers made contributions of
$0.06 per hour per employee at the time.
In 1963, Plan B was established, with fixed daily
contribution rates of $0.75 for participants, who were largely
traveling stagehands working under Pink Contracts. Plan A
was merged into Plan B in 2002. Today’s daily contribution
rates go up to $25 day.
In 2002, Plan C was launched for participants who are
mostly in motion picture production. Many agreements
added Plan C pension benefits to their negotiations in the
years that followed.
Today, there are approximately 2,500 retirees and spouses
receiving monthly pension benefits through Plans A and C.
In 1973, the IATSE National Health & Welfare Fund was
founded to provide health benefits for IA members in film
sales and distribution roles, as well as stagehands working on
tours.
In 1992, the Fund addded a Plan C after the NABET
merger, providing members of NABET Local 15 a benefit
plan structured similarly to the one they had been receiving.
Plan C was innovative in its creation of CAPP (Contributions
Available for Premium Payments) accounts, which made it
possible for IATSE members who did not work consistently
to still participate in a comprehensive group health plan for
themselves and their families. This was of special benefit to
members in the motion picture industry, and it also enabled
IATSE local unions to negotiate richer benefit packages.
Another unique feature of Plan C is its Medical
Reimbursement Program (MRP) which allows participants
who have other group health benefits through a spouse or
other employment to use that plan as their primary coverage,
while having their deductibles, coinsurance, copayments and
some out-of-pocket expenses reimbursed through the MRP.
Starting in the late 1990s, the Health and Welfare Fund
saw extraordinary growth in participation. Many Locals,
including ATPAM, Local 4, Local 764, Local 798, and USA829,
merged their plans into the National Fund and others have
been able to obtain benefits for their members through
collective bargaining. Today, more than 45,000 IATSE
members, spouses and dependent children receive health
coverage through the Fund.
To further meet the needs of IA members, the NBF
launched two other funds in 1973. The IATSE Annuity Fund
established a defined contribution pension for members, with
two distinct 401(k) features so that workers under different
types of collective bargaining agreements can fund their nest
eggs with pre-tax deferrals up to IRS limits. Today, it has more
than 77,000 participants.
The IATSE Vacation Fund ensures that members not
working year-round can still take paid vacations. It provides
an annual check of post-tax monies primarily contributed
by Pink Contract employers for members working on such
agreements. The Fund has approximately 4,000 participants.
The combined assets of all four funds now exceed $1.8
billion, representing a more than two-hundred percent
increase over the previous ten years. The Funds have enjoyed
double digit contribution increases over the past fifteen
years, reflecting the strength of IATSE’s collective bargaining
agreements and providing members with health and pension
benefits that are the envy of virtually all non-union workers
and many workers in other industries.
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