Frequently Asked Questions

An Active participant must be reported by a signatory employer for 200 hours or more during a qualifying work quarter, or on a monthly basis.

Active eligibility will terminate on the last day of an Eligibility Quarter if the hours worked for Contributing Employers during the most recent complete Work Quarter, plus the hours in your Reserve Account, do not equal 200 hours or more.

If you are eligible on a month-to-month basis, your eligibility will end on the last day of the second month after the month in which you were last reported. If you have a Reserve Hour Bank, your eligibility will be maintained until that expires. For example, a member whose last month of work is July would be reported to the Fund during the month of August and eligibility would be established for September.

If you enter full-time active duty with the Armed Forces of the United States, your eligibility will terminate upon entrance to active duty if you do not follow certain provisions described here.

Eligibility will be terminated and Reserve Hours forfeited for any Active eligible who is in collusion with his employer to deliberately under-report the hours actually worked, or required to be reported to the Fund, or who works for a non-contributing employer in a covered classification. Upon discovery of either of these incidents, the Reserve Hour Bank will be suspended. Unless the Active member works 200 hours or more for which contributions are made or are required to be made to the Fund within a work quarter in the next four consecutive work quarters, the Reserve Hours will be forfeited permanently. However, any canceled hours may be reinstated if the Board of Trustees receives satisfactory proof that the Active Employee was continuously on the out-of-work list of the Union in each work quarter during which no contributions were made on his behalf.

Enrollment in the Plan is automatic once you satisfy all the eligibility requirements. No proof of good health is required. Existing illnesses or injuries are not excluded from coverage, except for treatment for alcohol and drug detoxification and counseling.

No. Eligibility can only be established by being reported in the appropriate quarter. No shifting of hours is permitted.

Reserve Account
The Reserve Account can provide extended eligibility to supplement your hours if you have not been reported for enough hours to make you eligible.

For the quarterly eligibility system, all hours reported over 400 in a work quarter go into the reserve. The maximum reserve is 500 hours which can provide for six months. An Active quarterly participant uses 200 hours from his Reserve Hour Bank to be eligible for one quarter

For participants on the monthly system, each month of reporting provides a reserve of 15 hours, with a maximum reserve of 500 hours. An Active monthly participant uses 83 hours from his Reserve Hour Bank to be eligible for one month.

Eligibility Buy-Up
If an Active Member on hourly eligibility falls short of continuing eligibility for a given Eligibility Quarter by 50 or fewer hours, that member will have the option to buy-up the shortfall in hours at the same hourly contribution rate his or her employer would have paid ($13.20 in California and $13.30 in Nevada*).  For example, if a member only worked 180 hours in a Qualifying Work Quarter in California, he or she would have the option to pay $264.00 (20 X $13.20*) to the Fund and continue their eligibility for the next quarter.

The Fund Office will automatically offer this option to every member, each quarter who falls short of continuing their eligibility by 50 or fewer hours.

*Based on the current employer contribution rates as of July, 2024.

No. Past years of service have no bearing on the Reserve Hour Bank.

Any unused hours in your Reserve Hour Bank will remain in your account for four consecutive eligibility quarters (one year). These hours can be combined with future hours reported on your behalf to extend your eligibility. If no hours are reported during these four consecutive quarters, the Reserve Hours Bank is forfeited.

If the eligible Active member becomes disabled and because of that disability is prevented from maintaining his eligibility, he may be entitled to disability credit. Based on the information received from the treating physician, disability credit can extend his full benefits for himself and his family for 3 to 6 months. Click here for more information.

All Active dependents are eligible for Health & Welfare benefits as soon as the participant becomes eligible. A spouse becomes eligible on the date of marriage, children on the date of birth or adoption. The only exception is that a baby is not eligible for the life insurance benefits until he or she is 14 days old. Dependents of Retirees are not eligible for Health & Welfare benefits until the Retiree enrolls them in the Plan and pays the appropriate fee. New dependents (spouse or child) must be added within 31 days of marriage or birth of the child, or they cannot be added to the Plan until Open Enrollment.

Yes, step-children are covered on the same basis as other dependent children. Coordination of benefits with another group insurance carrier may be a factor with step-children. As each situation is unique, please get in touch with the Fund Office with any questions.