PODCAST: Williams Mullen's Benefits Companion - Multiemployer Plans
On September 16, 2025, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) issued final regulations to reflect statutory changes under Section 603 of SECURE 2.0, which generally require that catch-up contributions made by participants in...more
Under ERISA, a participating employer that withdraws from a multiemployer pension plan must pay its share of the plan’s unfunded vested benefits (i.e., its withdrawal liability). ERISA’s “controlled group” rules extend this...more
On September 16, 2025, the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit in In re Yellow Corp., No. 25-1421: (i) upheld regulations issued by the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (“PBGC”) that partially exclude...more
The Supreme Court kicked off a new term on October 6 and is set to decide several key cases in the coming year that could have big effects on employers for years to come. Here’s a preview of the top cases on the Court’s...more
Under ERISA’s multiemployer pension plan provisions (the Multiemployer Pension Plan Amendments Act of 1980 or MPPAA), an employer who withdraws from a multiemployer pension plan normally is liable for withdrawal liability....more
Just before its summer recess, the Supreme Court agreed to review whether multiemployer pension funds can impose withdrawal liability based on actuarial assumptions adopted after the relevant plan year. The expected decision...more
On April 24, 2025, the Seventh Circuit upheld a Northern District of Illinois decision requiring a multiemployer pension plan to exclude the employers’ post-2014 rehabilitation plan contribution rate increases from the...more
In Central States, Se. & W. Areas Pension Fund v. Laguna Dairy, S. de R.L. de C.V., No. 23-3206 (3d Cir. 2025 Mar. 27, 2025), the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit (“Third Circuit”) reversed the district...more
The Department of Labor (DOL) issued guidance earlier this month that will affect defined benefit plans’ annual funding notices. The annual funding notice requirements were amended by SECURE 2.0 and are effective for plan...more
Even as high-priority issues such as diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI), immigration, and Ukraine take center stage in the first months of the new presidential administration, many employers are wondering what the next...more
A recent case from the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit, Local No. 499, Board of Trustees of Shopmen's Pension Plan v. Art Iron, Inc., et al., 177 F. 4th 923 (6th Cir. 2024), clarifies a significant legal...more
When a New York waste operator took over a waste hauling and recycling contract for Westchester County last year, the successful acquisition of a multimillion-dollar business opportunity turned into a pension liability...more
The Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (PBGC) insures most private sector (i.e., non-governmental) defined benefit pension plans. The Plan Administrator of each pension plan covered under ERISA is required to annually file...more
A bankruptcy court in Delaware recently upheld rules issued by the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (PBGC) that severely impact how liability is calculated for employers withdrawing from multiemployer pension plans...more
“Withdrawal liability” blindsides many employers when they stop contributing to collectively bargained pension plans. Multiemployer plans have used different calculations for years that inflate the withdrawal liability they...more
We often hear, “OSHA can’t cite me because I didn’t employ the injured worker.” Unfortunately, this statement is often untrue. Under OSHA’s Multi-Employer Doctrine, if you are an employer on a worksite where other...more
A recent ruling by the US Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit serves provides a valuable reminder for multiemployer pension funds and contributing employers regarding ERISA’s withdrawal liability notice and demand...more
We recently attended the “Heat Illness Prevention for Indoor and Outdoor Workers – What Employers Need to Know” presentation put on by Cal/OSHA’s Consultation Unit to get an idea of how Cal/OSHA plans to interpret and enforce...more
Successor liability is a powerful collection tool for multiemployer plans under ERISA. It most commonly arises in the context of asset sales (although it is not limited to that situation)....more
On March 29, 2024, the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois issued its decision in Central States, Southeast and Southwest Areas Pension Fund v. Event Media, Inc. In a matter of first impression for...more
Last Friday, a three-judge panel of the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit reversed a district court’s decision upholding an arbitration award requiring an employer to pay more than $2.3 million in...more
Recent headlines involving the Central States Teamsters Pension Fund and the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation’s (PBGC) Special Financial Assistance (SFA) Program highlights an issue with meaningful consequences for...more
Andrew Graw, Taryn Cannataro, and Jessica Kriegsfield of Lowenstein Sandler's Employee Benefits and Executive Compensation Practice Group address multi-employer pension plans in the context of a business transaction,...more
In January 2022, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) changed the withholding election rules applicable to distributions from pension plans (a term that includes 401(k) plans, money purchase pension plans and defined benefit...more
With a multitude of questions surrounding implementation and administration, late on a summer Friday afternoon, the IRS issued Notice 2023-62 (Notice), providing Plan Sponsors with a transition period until 2026 to implement...more