STATEMENT OF RIGHTS UNDER EMPLOYEE RETIREMENT INCOME SECURITY ACT OF 1974
As a participant in the I.U.O.E. Local 14-14B Training Fund you are entitled
to certain rights and protections under the Employee Retirement Income Security
Act of 1974 ("ERISA"). ERISA provides that all plan participants shall be entitled
to:
Examine, without charge, at the plan administrator's office and at other specified
locations, such as worksites and union halls, all plan documents, including insurance
contracts, collective bargaining agreements and copies of all documents filed by
the plan with the U.S. Department of Labor, such as detailed annual reports and
plan descriptions.
Obtain copies of all plan documents and other plan information upon written request
to the plan administrator. The administrator may make a reasonable charge for the
copies. Receive a summary of the plan's annual financial report. The plan administrator
is required by law to furnish each participant with a copy of this summary annual
report.
In addition to creating rights for plan participants, ERISA imposes duties upon
the people who are responsible for the operation of the employee benefit plan. The
people who operate your plan, called "fiduciaries" of the plan, have a duty to do
so prudently and in the interest of you and other plan participants and beneficiaries.
No one, including your employer, your union, or any other person, may fire you or
otherwise discriminate against you in any way to prevent you from obtaining a benefit
or exercising your rights under ERISA. If your claim for benefits is denied in whole
or in part you must receive a written explanation of the reason for the denial.
You have the right to have the plan review and reconsider your claim. Under ERISA,
there are steps you can take to enforce the above rights. For instance, if you request
materials from the plan and do not receive them within 30 days, you may file suit
in a federal court. In such a case, the court may require the plan administrator
to provide the materials and pay you up to $100 a day until you receive the materials,
unless the materials were not sent because of reasons beyond the control of the
administrator. If you have a claim for benefits which is denied or ignored, in whole
or in part, you may file suit in a state or federal court. If it should happen that
plan fiduciaries misuse the Plan's money, or if you are discriminated against for
asserting your rights, you may seek assistance from the U.S. Department of Labor,
or you may file suit in a federal court. The court will decide who should pay court
costs and legal fees. If you are successful the court may order the person you have
sued to pay these costs and fees. For example, if it finds your claim is frivolous,
you may be required to pay the fees and other costs involved in defending the case.
If you have any questions about your plan, you should contact the Plan administrator.
If you have any questions about this statement or about your rights under ERISA
you should contact the nearest Area Office of the U.S. Labor-Management Services
Administration, Department of Labor.
RIGHT OF APPEAL
If a dispute arises as to the administration of these benefits, a Participant may
request a review of the matter within sixty days after he becomes aware of the problem.
A Participant may request a review, may have the opportunity to review pertinent
documents, and may submit issues and comments in writing to the Board of Trustees.
Requests for review must be made in writing and should be sent to the Fund Office.
The Board of Trustees will render a decision within 60 days after the receipt of
the request for a review unless special circumstances require an extension of time
in which case a decision will be rendered within 120 days. The decision of the Board
of Trustees will be in writing and will include the specific reason(s) for the decision
and specific references to provisions of plan documents or policy decisions on which
the decision is based.