A Call to Act Responsibly
July 5, 2019
Yet another round of misinformation has been sent to some AFM-EPF participants by the group "Musicians for Pension Security" (MPS). We are focused on preserving our Pension Fund for current and future generations of musicians, but these attacks are part of a concerted effort to undermine participant support for the coming benefit changes that are necessary to achieve this goal. They serve only to confuse and alarm participants, while obscuring the actual challenges facing our Fund and the actual solutions that we must pursue. So we find ourselves once again in the position of setting the record straight.
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Investment Performance / The Role of Multiemployer Pension Fund Trustees
June 30, 2019
Some AFM-EPF participants recently received a communication from an outside organization that contains out-of-date and misleading information about the Fund's recent investment performance. It also discusses a resolution that was proposed and overwhelmingly defeated at the AFM Convention earlier this month.
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Butch Lewis Act approved by House Education and Labor Committee
June 13, 2019
On Tuesday, the House Education and Labor Committee approved HR 397, the "Rehabilitation for Multiemployer Pensions Act." Also known as the "Butch Lewis Act," this bill would provide low-interest government loans to struggling multiemployer plans, including the AFM-EPF. These loans would provide enough money for a multiemployer fund to pay current retirees and beneficiaries their benefits for life, which would allow the fund to grow back to stronger financial footing.
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AFM-EPF Enters ''Critical and Declining'' Status - Trustees Will Apply to Treasury Department to Reduce Benefits Under Multiemployer Pension Reform Act
May 24, 2019
At this week's Board of Trustees meeting, our actuaries advised that the AFM-EPF is entering ''critical and declining'' status, which means the Fund is projected to run out of money to pay benefits within 20 years. We are in this position because of the combination of investment losses during the Great Recession and rising benefit payments that increasingly exceed contributions.
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AFM-EPF Fiscal Year Ends March 31, 2019; "Critical" or "Critical and Declining" Status Not Yet Determined
March 31, 2019
Sunday, March 31 is the last day of the current fiscal year for the American Federation of Musicians and Employers' Pension Fund (Fund). Over the next two months, the Fund's actuaries will collect and analyze the year-end data and prepare actuarial projections to determine whether our Fund will remain in "critical" status or move into "critical and declining" status for the new fiscal year. Entering "critical and declining" status means that the Fund is projected to run out of money to pay benefits within 20 years. The Fund's status must be certified by the Fund's actuaries and filed with the federal government by June 28. Once that occurs, we will communicate with our participants through the Fund's website and via email for those who have an email address on file at the Fund Office. The Fund will send all participants and employers the Annual Funding Notice and Zone Status Notice by postal mail or email on or before July 26, 2019.
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