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International Union of Operating Engineers Local 513
Chartered in 1907, the International Union of Operating Engineers Local 513 provides pension, annuity, and welfare benefits for heavy-equipment operators...
International Union of Operating Engineers Local 513
Chartered in 1907, the International Union of Operating Engineers Local 513 provides pension, annuity, and welfare benefits for heavy-equipment operators across eastern Missouri. Business Manager Tim Sappington oversees the fund's administration from the union hall on Hollenberg Drive in Bridgeton. The wealth originates from collectively bargained hourly contributions negotiated by the IUOE and its regional affiliates, including the St. Louis Building & Construction Trades Council. The fund constructs its portfolio with a pronounced tilt toward real assets and private markets, a posture consistent with Taft-Hartley plans that prioritize member employment alongside return. Asset-class exposure spans real estate equity, infrastructure debt and equity, private credit, and a deliberate emphasis on secondary-market transactions. The secondary strategy allows the fund to acquire seasoned interests in infrastructure and real estate vehicles, reducing blind-pool risk while maintaining exposure to projects — roads, bridges, energy-generation facilities, and commercial construction — that require operating engineers. Geographically, investments concentrate in the United States, with a natural gravity toward projects within the Midwest and Missouri. Local 513 operates adjacent welfare and annuity funds alongside the defined-benefit pension plan, and the union maintains a dedicated training center in Silex, Missouri, to supply skilled operators for signatory contractors. The fund's advocacy posture is evident in its membership in Missourians for a Balanced Energy Future, signaling a practical interest in energy-transition projects that provide operating hours for its members. Philanthropic arms include the Local 513 Children's Charity Fund and the Patrick D. Finley Scholarship Fund, both structurally separate from the pension trust. What distinguishes Local 513's architecture is the explicit alignment between investment policy and workforce deployment — a structural feature of Taft-Hartley funds that the plan actively reinforces through its secondary-market focus on built-environment assets. The fund does not present as an allocator searching for abstract alpha; it behaves as a long-duration capital pool with a dual mandate to secure retirement benefits while sustaining demand for the craft labor its members supply.
General information
Firm type
Pension Fund
Year founded
1907
AUM
Undisclosed
Location
Region
North America
Country
United States
City
Bridgeton
Corporate office
Bridgeton, MO, United States
Principals
Tim Sappington
President and Business Manager
Sector focus
Frequently asked questions
Who makes investment decisions for Local 513's pension fund?
The Board of Trustees, composed equally of union and employer representatives, holds fiduciary authority over the fund's investment decisions. Tim Sappington, as President and Business Manager of Local 513, serves as a key administrator and point of contact for fund operations, per the union's official communications.
Why does Local 513 emphasize secondaries in its investment strategy?
Secondaries allow the fund to acquire seasoned, income-producing interests in infrastructure and real estate vehicles with shorter duration to exit and reduced execution risk compared to primary commitments. For a Taft-Hartley plan, this approach also provides greater visibility into whether the underlying projects utilize union labor — a central alignment criterion for the fund's trustees.
Does Local 513 invest directly in projects or only through fund commitments?
The fund allocates primarily through fund commitments, including secondary-market acquisitions of limited-partnership interests. While direct project investment is less common for a plan of this structure, its focus on real estate and infrastructure funds results in indirect exposure to individual development and construction projects across the Midwest.
How is Local 513's pension fund related to the International Union of Operating Engineers?
Local 513 is a chartered affiliate of the International Union of Operating Engineers (IUOE), the parent labor organization representing roughly 400,000 members across North America. The pension fund is a separate legal trust governed by its own board of trustees and governed by ERISA, though contributions are bargained under agreements consistent with the international union's master collective-bargaining frameworks.
Does Local 513 maintain a formal environmental, social, or governance (ESG) investment policy?
The fund does not publicly disclose a formal ESG investment policy. However, its membership in Missourians for a Balanced Energy Future and its working-capital lens on energy-transition projects — both fossil-fuel and renewable-generation facilities that require operating engineers — suggest a pragmatic, member-employment-driven posture toward climate-exposed assets.
What is the relationship between Local 513's pension fund and its training center?
The training center in Silex, Missouri, is funded through separate collectively bargained contributions and operates independently of the pension trust's investment assets. It supplies skilled crane, dozer, and heavy-equipment operators for signatory contractors, indirectly supporting the construction projects within the pension fund's real-asset portfolio.
Are Local 513 fund investments limited to Missouri?
No. While the fund is administratively headquartered in Bridgeton, Missouri, its investment portfolio is national in scope. The secondary-market strategy allows the plan to acquire interests in real estate and infrastructure vehicles with assets across the United States, though labor-alignment considerations often produce a practical overweight to projects in the Midwest and regions with higher union density.
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