In 1922 the IBEW established a fraternal death benefit association in response to high electrocution rates, and insurance companies refusing to insure the lives of electrical workers or making premiums unaffordable. The original purpose was to provide the named beneficiary of a deceased Member a sum that might permit our Member to be interred in a dignified manner. That fraternal death benefit association (The Electrical Workers Benefit Association) was later merged, in January 1992, with the IBEW Pension Benefit Fund.
- Only ‘A’ Members participate in the IBEW Pension Benefit Fund
- Named beneficiaries of ‘A’ Members may receive a $6,250 death benefit if death occurs by natural causes or $12,500 for those who die accidently.
- ‘A’ Members require only six months of IBEW membership for their beneficiary to receive the death benefit.
- Beneficiaries of retired ‘A’ Members may also be eligible for a death benefit between $3,000 and $6,250, determined by the amount of pension benefits received before their death. However, this amount never falls below $3,000.
- ‘A’ Members placed on pension with the IBEW Pension Benefit Fund, cease dues payments to their local.
- ‘A’ Members, who meet the qualifications for pension, may also receive a monthly benefit from the IBEW Pension Benefit Fund.
- Currently, ‘A’ Members pay $15 toward their participation in the fund. Plan trustees have reported that, after three-and-a-half years, ‘A’ Members receiving a pension benefit from the IBEW Pension Benefit Fund have already surpassed their total contributions to the fund during their years as active ‘A’ Members.
- ‘A’ Members (for example) who reach age 65 and successfully apply for pension after 20 years of participation in the fund will receive a monthly benefit in the amount of $90 (20 years X $4.50/per year of membership) for the remainder of their life. More than 20 years of participation results in a proportionate increase in the pension rate.
- ‘A’ Members with 20 years or more of membership and who meet the qualifications for pension, may apply for early retirement between the ages of 62-64, but will experience a 6.66% reduction in monthly payments for each year or part thereof that they are under the age of 65 at the time they begin to receive a benefit.
- Active ‘A’ Members, as well as those who are receiving a benefit from the IBEW Pension Benefit Fund, continue to receive the newspaper, The Electrical Worker.
- Half of all IBEW Members hold ‘A’ membership, but ‘A’ membership is now available to all IBEW Members.
A description of the IBEW Pension Benefit Fund is contained within Article XI of the IBEW Constitution, available online at;
https://www.ibew.org/members/pensionbenefitfund/ArtXI_041207.pdf