UFCW International Union Industry Pension Fund
multiemployer plan · UFCW International · Washington, DC
UFCW International Union Industry Pension Fund is moderately funded at 86% — assets of $5.2B against $6.0B in actuarial liabilities. Unfunded liability sits at $849M. Plans in this band are common and often follow regulatory amortization schedules to close the gap over time.
UFCW International Union Industry Pension Fund is a multi-employer pension plan sponsored by UFCW International — 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.
On scale: $5.2B in plan assets across 365,494 covered participants. With 166,161 workers still accruing and 176,542 drawing benefits, the plan has the size to support institutional asset management and full-time actuarial staff. Active and retired participants are roughly balanced (166,161 active, 176,542 retired). The plan is in a steady-state cash-flow phase where new accruals offset benefit payments. Annual cash flows: $80M in sponsor contributions versus $220M in benefit payments. Investment performance over the most recent year ran 4.8%, against the plan's assumed long-term return of 6.5%.
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 UFCW International Union Industry 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
UFCW International Union Industry Pension Fund is in excellent financial health at 86% funded. This means for every dollar the plan owes in future benefits, it has 86 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 | $5.2B | $6.0B | 85.9% | $80.0M |
| 2022 | $5.0B | $12.2B | 41.0% | $77.6M |
| 2021 | $4.9B | $11.0B | 44.0% | $75.2M |
| 2020 | $4.7B | $12.4B | 38.0% | $72.8M |
| 2019 | $4.5B | $11.4B | 40.0% | $70.4M |
Frequently Asked Questions
UFCW International Union Industry Pension Fund is 86% funded, meaning it has 86 cents in assets for every dollar in future benefit obligations. This is considered healthy by actuarial standards.
UFCW International Union Industry Pension Fund has 365,494 total participants, including 166,161 active employees and 176,542 retirees currently receiving benefits.
Yes, UFCW International Union Industry 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.