Reciprocal Pension

The Contributing Employers and the Union recognize that employees may not be able to earn enough years of Vesting Service to become vested in one Pension Plan if their years of employment are divided among employers which contribute to different Plans. Related pension plans have entered into a Reciprocal Agreement with this Pension Fund to benefit employees in the following situations:

Employees who are ineligible for any retirement benefit due to insufficient Vesting Service in each Plan;
Employees who are eligible for a pension benefit from another Related Plan, but who lack sufficient Vesting Service to receive a benefit from this Plan;
Employees who are eligible for pensions under both this Plan and a Related Plan, but one or both of their benefits will be less than the full amount due to divisions in employment covered by the different Plans.

Related Plans which have a Reciprocal Agreement with this Plan:
Local 6 Club Employee Pension Fund
Local 144/758 Pension Fund
Hotel Employees, Restaurant Employees International Union Pension Fund (H.E.R.E.I.U. – Local 1/89 only)
The Central Pension Fund of the International Union of Operating Engineers and Participating Employers (Local 94)
Hotel Association of New York City, Inc. Pension Fund

To Be Eligible for a Reciprocal Pension Under this Plan, You Must Be:

Eligible for a pension (other than a Reciprocal Pension) under this Plan if your combined Vesting Service or Pension Credits earned under both Plans had all been earned under this Plan
Eligible for a Reciprocal Pension under a Related Plan

Your Reciprocal Pension for this Plan (The New York Hotel Trades Council & Hotel Association of NYC, Inc. Pension Fund) is calculated by using the pension rate in effect at the later of (a) when you last worked in Covered Employment under this Plan or (b) when you last worked in employment covered under the Related Plan, multiplied by the portion of your total "combined" Pension Credits that you earned under this Plan. Any applicable deductions will be factored in, as described in this booklet.

Note that your pension under the Related plan will be calculated using that plan’s own terms and conditions. In no event can you be credited with more than one Year of Vesting Service or more than one Pension Credit between both Plans combined in any Calendar Year. Your combined Pension Credits will not exceed the lesser of the maximum credits allowed by either plan. This is typically a maximum of 25 credits. (H.E.R.E.I.U Local 89 currently only allows for 20 credits.) If you believe you may be entitled to a Reciprocal Pension, please contact the Pension Fund office.