Pension Litigation & Governance: Legal Developments Concerning Multi-Employer Pension Plans (“MEPPs” and “SMEPPs”), presented at the Canadian Institute’s Western Canadian Forum in Calgary, May 16 and 17, 2007
Date:
May 1 2007
A MEPP is a registered pension plan established through the collective bargaining process. The plan covers two or more unrelated employers, although, a MEPP often has dozens or even hundreds of employers participating in a single plan. A MEPP can include both public-sector and private-sector employers (examples include construction trades, retail, transportation, hotel and restaurants, and textile and electricians). As a result, an employee could accrue pension credits with many different participating employers. Plan membership usually does not terminate when employment terminates with one of the participating employers. The Multi-Employer Benefit Plan Council of Canada (“MEBCO”) estimates that there are over 360 MEPPs (including SMEPPs) with membership of over a million employees.