Pension Act Affects Contributors to Multiemployer Plans

Congress has made sweeping changes to the requirements for employer-sponsored retirement plans in passing the Pension Protection Act of 2006 (PPA). Although many of the new requirements under the PPA focus on single employer corporate plans, the legislation also seriously impacts the administration of multiemployer plans. These PPA changes will directly affect employers who contribute to multiemployer plans (including the possibility of (a) changes in the collective bargaining process and (b) increased contributions over what is required in the employer’s collective bargaining agreement). It is therefore critical for employers to monitor the funded status of any multiemployer plan to which they contribute. This Alert will focus only on those aspects of the new law that could affect employer participation in multiemployer plans.