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Manual of Benefits
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COMET MARKETS PART TIME EMPLOYEES |
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As a participant you are entitled to certain rights and protections
under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974.
ERISA provides that all plan participants shall be entitled to: (i) Examine, without charge, at the plan administrator's office and at other locations (worksites and union halls), all plan documents, including insurance contracts, collective bargaining agreements and copies of all documents filed by the plan with the U.S. Department of Labor, such as annual reports and plan descriptions. (ii) Obtain copies of all plan documents and other plan information upon written request to the plan administrator. The administrator may make a reasonable charge for the copies. (iii) Receive a summary of the plan's annual financial report. The plan administrator is required by law to furnish each participant with a copy of this summary financial report. (iv) Obtain, once a year, a statement of the total pension benefits accrued and the nonforfeitable (vested) pension benefits (if any) or the earliest date on which benefits will become nonforfeitable (vested). The plan may require a written re- quest for this statement, but it must provide the statement free of charge. (v) File suit in a federal court, if any materials requested are not received within 30 days of the participant's request, unless the materials were not sent because of matters beyond the control of the administrator. The court may require the plan administrator to pay up to $100.00 for each day's delay until the materials are received. In addition to creating rights for plan participants, ERISA imposes obligations upon the persons who are responsible for the operation of the employee benefit plan. These persons are referred to as "fiduciaries" in the law. Fiduciaries must act solely in the interest of the plan participants and they must exercise prudence in the performance of their plan duties. Fiduciaries who violate ERISA may be removed and required to make good any losses they have caused the plan. Your employer may not fire you or discriminate against you to prevent you from obtaining a (pension, welfare) benefit or exercising your rights under ERISA. If you are improperly denied a (pension, welfare) benefit in full or in part, you have a right to file suit in a federal or a state court. If a plan fiduciaries are misusing the plan's money, you have a right to file suit in a federal court or request assistance from the U.S. Department of Labor. If you are successful in your lawsuit, the court may, if it so decides, require the other party to pay your legal costs, including attorney's fees. If you have any questions about this statement or your rights under ERISA, you should contact the plan administrator or the nearest Area Office of the U.S. Labor-Management Service Administration, Department of Labor. |