Keep the Fund Office informed of any change in your mailing address, telephone number, or marital status, to make sure you and anyone related to your benefit will receive all communications relevant to them. Always include your correct Social Security number, mailing address, and telephone number with all correspondence.

We suggest that you apply three (3) months before you would like your benefits to begin. You will need copies of certain documents, such as birth certificate(s), marriage certificate, divorce decree(s), qualified domestic relations orders, or death certificates. If you have any questions, the Fund Office can advise you as to what materials you will need in order to submit a completed application.

Normal Retirement Age means the earliest of the following:

• (a) Your 60th birthday, provided you are Vested at that time, or
• (b) The date on which you are credited with at least 30 years of Future Service or combined service credit provided you are at least age 55.*

*Effective May 22, 2010, special transition rules apply to you if you have 30 years of Future Service and are under the age of 55. If you are younger than 55 and have 30 years of Future Service, you may commence receipt of your benefit only if you stop working in the trades. Benefits accrued prior to May 22, 2010 will not be reduced for early commencement. Benefits accrued on and after May 22, 2010 and paid prior to reaching age 55 will be reduced for early commencement. If you recommence working in the trades, it will be considered disqualifying employment and your pension will be suspended until you reach age 55 or stop working in the trades.

You are eligible for an early retirement pension once you have completed at least 10 years of Future Service and have reached age 55 but not your Normal Retirement Date.

You may elect to start receiving your early retirement pension beginning as of the first day of any calendar month before your Normal Retirement Date after leaving employment with all Employers. If you start payments prior to your Normal Retirement Date, your Accrued Benefit will generally be reduced by 6.0% for each full and partial year that your pension starts before your Normal Retirement Date, to reflect the fact that payments will be made over a longer period of time. You may wait until your Normal Retirement Date to commence your pension, in which case there will be no reduction for early commencement. If you wait to begin your payments until after you have reached age 55 but before your Normal Retirement Date, payment of your pension may be retroactive to the earliest date you were eligible to begin receiving a pension, but only for up to three months before the month of your application. If you apply less than three months after the start of the year, payment of your pension will only be retroactive until the first of the year.

If your Employer has not adopted the Preferred Schedule under the Rehabilitation Plan (see Appendix A), your Early Retirement benefit will be different than what is described in this Section. Under the Preferred Schedule, Early Retirement is no longer subsidized; the benefit reduction for Early Retirement is changed from 1.5% for each year you begin receiving the benefit before your Normal Retirement Date to 6% for each year you begin receiving the benefit before your Normal Retirement Date. Please check with the Plan Administrator to determine if your Early Retirement is affected by the Rehabilitation Plan.

Rehabilitation Plan is a plan that was required by law to be adopted by the Pension Plan to increase the Plan’s funded status. The Rehabilitation Plan may be modified by the Trustees as they deem necessary. Part of the Rehabilitation Plan involves the adoption of one of two schedules (the “Preferred Schedule” or the “Default Schedule”) by Participating Employers and Unions.

Disability Retirement

If you become disabled, have at least 10 years Future Service, and are not yet eligible for a normal retirement pension, you may be eligible for a disability pension. The Plan considers you disabled if you are eligible for, and are continually receiving, a Social Security disability benefit. You may receive your disability pension on the first day of the month following the later of:

• (a) your 55th birthday (if you have already submitted an application and proof of disability)
• (b) the date you apply for a disability pension and submit proof of your disability

Beginning September 1, 2005, you may receive a disability benefit before age 55 if you have at least 25 years Future Service at the time of your disability. After January 1, 2010, you may be eligible for disability retirement if you are at least 50 years old and you have at least 20 years of Future Service. To receive any disability pension, you must file a written application for benefits and provide proof of disability. You may also be required to provide evidence of ongoing disability at any point during the period between the date of your disability retirement and your Normal Retirement Date.

The amount of your disability pension will be actuarially equivalent to the Normal Retirement Pension. This means that a calculation will be done to determine how many more years or months you will receive a benefit than if you had retired on your Normal Retirement Date. Your disability benefit will then be reduced to account for the longer amount of time you will receive a benefit. Over your lifetime you will generally receive the same amount you would have received had you retired on your Normal Retirement Date. You will simply receive a smaller monthly benefit because you began receiving benefits sooner.

If you retire under a disability pension, your disability pension will convert to a normal retirement pension as of your Normal Retirement Date. You will not be required to submit any evidence of ongoing disability after your Normal Retirement Date.

You are not required or permitted to make any contributions to the Plan. The cost of the Plan is paid by the Participating Employer(s) for whom you work, based on your Hours of Service. The amount of contributions by Participating Employers is determined by the Collective Bargaining Agreement that governs your employment if you are a collectively-bargained employee and by the Participating Employer's written agreement with the Trustees if you are a Special Class Employee.

The Trustees have entered into reciprocal agreements with certain other union-sponsored plans ("related plans"). Under these reciprocal agreements, you may be able to have your service under a related plan recognized under this Plan. This credit is computed on the same basis as it was earned and credited under the related plan, and as such amount is certified by the related plan to this Plan. The total service credited under this Plan and related plans is referred to as your "combined service credit" and is included in your Future Service. Not more than one year of combined service credit will be counted for any calendar year.

In addition, contributions made on your behalf to a related plan may be transferred to or accepted from a related plan, provided you sign a valid transfer request and such transfer is approved by the Trustees. You should advise the Plan Administrator if you have prior service under a plan that you think may be a related plan.

Vested Pensions

If you stop working for any Participating Employers prior to becoming eligible for an early, normal, late or disability pension, you will still be eligible for a pension if you are Vested, which means that you have earned a nonforfeitable right to a benefit from the Plan. The amount of your vested pension will be a percentage of your Accrued Benefit (calculated as described in the section on normal retirement pensions), based on your number of years of Future Service, as follows:

If you have fewer than 10 years of Future Service, your Vested pension will be payable as of your Normal Retirement Date. If you have 10 or more years of Future Service, you may elect to start receiving your Vested pension as of the first day of any calendar month after your 55th birthday and before your Normal Retirement Date. If you start your Vested pension early, the amount you receive will generally be reduced 6.0% for each full year and partial year that payments start before your Normal Retirement Date, to reflect the fact that it will be paid over a longer period of time. If you wait to begin your payments until after you have reached age 55 but before your Normal Retirement Date, payment of your pension may be retroactive to the earliest date you were eligible to begin receiving a pension, but only for up to three months before the month of your application. If you apply less than three months after the start of the year, payment of your pension will only be retroactive until the first of the year. If you delay starting your pension until after your Normal Retirement Date, when you start your pension payments, your pension will be payable retroactive to your Normal Retirement Date.

If your Employer has adopted one of the schedules under the Rehabilitation Plan described in Appendix A your benefit could be different than what is described above. Please contact the Plan Administrator to determine if your benefit is affected by the Rehabilitation Plan.

If you die before you begin receiving an early, normal, late or Vested pension, certain benefits may be payable to your spouse. Benefits may also be payable if you die while receiving a disability pension. The amount of your surviving spouse's benefit will be 50% of the amount you would have received if you had retired when first eligible (or on your date of death if later) and received your pension in the form of a Qualified Joint and Survivor Annuity. If a surviving spouse's pension starts before your Normal Retirement Date, it will be reduced 6.0% for each full or partial year that it starts before your Normal Retirement Date.

No benefit is payable if you are single.

If you die after you begin receiving your early, normal, late or Vested pension, the determination of whether any benefits are payable upon your death will be based on the form of your pension. See the section entitled "How Your Pension Is Paid" for details on the types of pensions payable under the Plan.

If you are married and are Vested at the time of your death, your spouse will be entitled to a surviving spouse's pension starting on the first day of the month following what would have been the earliest retirement date for which you would have been eligible to start pension payments. Your spouse must submit a written application to the Plan Administrator for this benefit.

You should contact the Plan Administrator at least 90 days before you plan to retire. You and your spouse (if applicable) will consult with a Plan representative about your options. Your benefits will be explained to you and you will choose the payment option best suited to your retirement needs by returning the signed and dated forms to the Plan Administrator. You can change your mind about the form of payment you want to receive any time during the 180-day period before your Annuity Starting Date. If you are married and wish to receive a pension in any form other than the Qualified Joint and Survivor Annuity, your spouse must consent to your election and the designation of any Beneficiary other than your spouse by submitting written Spousal Consent to the Plan Administrator witnessed by a notary public or a Plan representative.

The money contributed on your behalf is not treated as income to you until you receive your benefits from the Plan. Federal income taxes will be withheld automatically from your monthly pension checks unless you elect otherwise. When you apply for your pension, you will be given current information on the taxability of your pension payments.

Your pension payments from the Plan are additional and supplemental income and will not reduce or affect your Social Security payments. Your pension does not count towards your annual earning allowance.