Laborers National (Industrial) Pension Fund
multiemployer plan · LIUNA · Washington, DC
Laborers National (Industrial) Pension Fund is essentially fully funded: 99% funding ratio — assets of $4.9B against actuarial liabilities of $5.0B. Fully funded status is the regulatory target most plans aim for; getting there usually requires sustained investment returns plus disciplined sponsor contributions.
Laborers National (Industrial) Pension Fund is a multi-employer pension plan sponsored by LIUNA — a collectively-bargained plan covering workers across multiple employers in the same industry or union. Multi-employer plans are PBGC-insured but under a different (and historically less-funded) program than single-employer plans. The plan remains active — accruing new benefits for current employees and accepting new participants. Among private-sector single-employer plans, the active status is increasingly rare as employers freeze accruals while continuing to fund existing obligations; public-sector plans are more often still actively accruing.
The plan is mid-sized: $4.9B in assets, 44,923 participants (20,573 active, 21,952 retired). Mid-sized plans often outsource investment management to institutional advisors and follow standard actuarial conventions. Active and retired participants are roughly balanced (20,573 active, 21,952 retired). The plan is in a steady-state cash-flow phase where new accruals offset benefit payments. Annual cash flows: $350M in sponsor contributions versus $520M in benefit payments. Investment performance over the most recent year ran 5.3%, against the plan's assumed long-term return of 7.0%.
On PBGC risk classification: low — the plan's funded status and solvency trajectory are favorable enough that PBGC intervention is not on the near-term horizon. Multi-employer plans like Laborers National (Industrial) Pension Fund have PBGC backing under a separate (and historically lower-funded) guarantee program. The 2021 American Rescue Plan provided substantial federal support to the multi-employer system, but long-term solvency varies plan-by-plan.
Source: DOL EFAST2 Form 5500 filings and Boston College CRR Public Plans Database.
Funding History
What This Means for You
Laborers National (Industrial) Pension Fund is in excellent financial health at 99% funded. This means for every dollar the plan owes in future benefits, it has 99 cents in assets to cover it. This plan is also covered by the PBGC, providing an additional safety net. Participants in this plan have relatively low risk of benefit reductions.
Year-by-Year Funding
| Year | Assets | Liabilities | Funding Ratio | Contributions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | $4.9B | $5.0B | 98.6% | $350.0M |
| 2022 | $4.8B | $8.4B | 57.0% | $339.5M |
| 2021 | $4.6B | $7.7B | 60.0% | $329.0M |
| 2020 | $4.5B | $8.3B | 54.0% | $318.5M |
| 2019 | $4.3B | $7.7B | 56.0% | $308.0M |
Frequently Asked Questions
Laborers National (Industrial) Pension Fund is 99% funded, meaning it has 99 cents in assets for every dollar in future benefit obligations. This is considered healthy by actuarial standards.
Laborers National (Industrial) Pension Fund has 44,923 total participants, including 20,573 active employees and 21,952 retirees currently receiving benefits.
Yes, Laborers National (Industrial) Pension Fund is covered by the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (PBGC), which provides a backstop if the plan cannot pay benefits. The PBGC risk level is currently "low."
The Pension Health Score (0-100, A-F) measures a pension plan's financial strength based on funding ratio (50%), funding trend over 3 years (30%), and PBGC risk level (20%). Higher scores indicate more secure retirement benefits.
Pension Health Score is calculated from funding ratio, 3-year funding trend, and PBGC risk classification.