Becoming a Participant

You become a participant in the Pension Plan—and start earning your pension benefit—once you’ve worked at least 350 hours in a continuous 12-month period with a participating employer. Typically, participation starts on either the January 1 or July 1 after you have reached the 12-month requirement.

When you’re a participant, you earn “credit” for the hours you work. That credit is used to determine the amount of your pension benefit and when you’re eligible to receive it. Refer to Earning Your Pension for more information.

Maintaining Eligibility

You will continue to be a participant in the Pension Plan as long as you are:

• employed by a participating employer;
• receiving a salary; and
• meeting the hourly requirements for work in a 12-month period.

Questions about your eligibility? Refer to your Summary Plan Description for more information.

If I change jobs to work for another contributing employer, what happens to my pension?

Your pension plan is “portable,” which means you can continue to receive pension credit if you change jobs to work for another contributing employer. Refer to your Summary Plan Description for more information.