Via pionline.com
By Hazel Bradford
“Roofers Local No. 88 Pension Fund, Merrillville, Ind., applied to the Treasury Department to reduce benefits to avoid plan insolvency.
Pension fund trustees said in the application that benefit cuts starting in November would help the $25.4 million pension fund remain solvent. The pension fund is 61.4% funded and projected to be insolvent by the 2036 plan year.
Trustees said in the application that they have taken multiple steps to attract and retain contributing employers, and that significant contribution increases in recent years “were not enough to repair the damage from the 2008 and 2014 investment losses.” Other factors were decreased benefit accrual levels, lower pension contributions in neighboring locals and increased non-union competition in the area, the trustees said.”