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Introduction

The UFCW Local 1776 and Participating Employers Health and Welfare Fund (The Health & Welfare Fund) was created to provide cost effective, comprehensive benefits to certain members of UFCW Local 1776 (and its predecessors) who are employed by employers required to contribute to the Fund. The following introduction will acquaint you with the Fund and its operations. 

What is a Health & Welfare Fund?

For many years, employers and the unions representing their employees have maintained health and welfare funds as a way to provide healthcare benefits to their employees/members in a way that provides maximum flexibility, responsiveness, and cost control. The more technical name for a health and welfare fund is a jointly managed multi-employer Taft Hartley trust fund. Jointly managed means that the Fund is administered and run by representatives of both the contributing employers and the union(s); multi-employer means that more than one employer contributes to the Fund; and Taft Hartley is the federal labor law that has prompted the creation of these Funds.

Who Runs The Health & Welfare Fund?

The  Health & Welfare Fund is managed by a Board of Trustees. Half of the Trustees are appointed by the Union and half are appointed by the Contributing Employers. Together, the Trustees must act in the best interest of you, the participant, and your beneficiaries. These Trustees meet periodically to review the operations of the Fund. The Board is responsible for setting policy and making the important decisions about how the Fund will operate and about the level of benefits you will receive. The Trustees are the decision makers who are ultimately responsible for the Fund. Any changes to benefits and most claim appeal decisions are determined by the Trustees.

The Trustees hire professionals to help them run the Fund. These professionals include a third-party administrator and staff who have the responsibility to collect contributions from the employers, maintain records, pay claims, and provide the overall day-to-day operations of the Fund. The Trustees also contract with attorneys to consult on legal matters, an auditor to review the financial statements, an actuary to do cost projections, and an investment advisor to provide guidance on investment decisions.