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Northern California Glaziers, Architectural, Metal & Glass Workers Pension Trust Fund
The Northern California Glaziers, Architectural, Metal & Glass Workers Pension Trust Fund was established in 1963 as a multiemployer defined-benefit plan.
Northern California Glaziers, Architectural, Metal & Glass Workers Pension Trust Fund
The Northern California Glaziers, Architectural, Metal & Glass Workers Pension Trust Fund was established in 1963 as a multiemployer defined-benefit plan. It covers eligible members of local unions under the International Union of Painters and Allied Trades (IUPAT) District Council 16, with employer participation governed by agreements with the Northern California Glass Management Association (NCGMA). The board reflects the plan's joint labor-management structure, with trustees including Chris Christophersen, the past Business Manager/Secretary-Treasurer of DC-16, and John Maggiore, representing employer interests. The fund's investment strategy is notably diversified for a mid-sized multiemployer plan. Public filings and Altss research indicate a portfolio that spans investment-grade and high-yield debt instruments alongside a deliberate allocation to alternative assets. Within alternatives, the fund participates in real estate through direct mixed-use holdings and vehicles like the AFL-CIO Housing Investment Trust and Ullico's J for Jobs commercial property strategy. The venture and private equity sleeve covers a broad mandate — seed, early-stage, late-stage, buyout, and secondaries — effectively operating across the entire company lifecycle. The geographic footprint focuses primarily on United States-based assets in both real estate and corporate investments. The trust most recently reported assets of roughly $486 million (Altss estimate). The plan administers benefits from its single Dublin, California office, serving participants through a member portal that provides access to tax documents and account information. While no dedicated in-house investment team is publicly documented, the trustee board relies on external manager relationships and commingled fund structures to implement the multi-asset strategy. In May 2026, the trust's website actively encouraged participants to contact the fund to determine eligibility for unclaimed pension benefits — a window into the administration's beneficiary-focused operational posture. The structural differentiator for the Glaziers Trust is its function as a labor-management multiemployer plan in a specialized building trade. Unlike corporate or public pension funds, its governance is split evenly between union and employer trustees, creating a fiduciary dynamic that must balance participant benefit security with employer contribution stability. The fund further reinforces its niche identity through involvement in labor-friendly investment products like the AFL-CIO Housing Investment Trust, which deploys union pension capital into construction projects that often generate work for the plan's own participants.
General information
Firm type
Pension Fund
Year founded
1963
AUM
$400–$500M (Altss estimate)
Location
Region
North America
Country
United States
City
Dublin
Corporate office
4160 Dublin Boulevard, Suite 100, Dublin, CA 94568-7756, United States
Principals
Chris Christophersen
Trustee
Chris Bagatelos
Employee Trustee
Brett Davis
Employee Trustee
Robert Williams
Union Trustee
John Maggiore
Management Trustee
John Tweedt
Employer Trustee
Michael B Wells
Employer Trustee
Madison Hull
Employer Trustee
Gene Massey
Trustee
Alfred Weltz
Trustee
John Buckley
Trustee
Sector focus
Frequently asked questions
Who runs investment decisions at the Northern California Glaziers Pension Trust?
The fund is governed by a joint board of trustees, with equal representation from the International Union of Painters and Allied Trades (IUPAT) District Council 16 and the Northern California Glass Management Association (NCGMA). Named trustees include Chris Christophersen, Chris Bagatelos, Robert Williams, and John Maggiore. The trust does not publicly identify a dedicated internal investment committee structure, relying on the trustee group and external fund managers to implement the multi-asset strategy.
How does the Glaziers Trust source its alternative investment exposure?
The trust accesses alternatives primarily through commingled fund vehicles rather than direct operating-company investments. Public records and Altss research show commitments to labor-friendly real estate funds such as the AFL-CIO Housing Investment Trust (HIT) and Ullico's J for Jobs program. For venture and private equity, the fund maintains a broad mandate covering seed through late-stage, buyout, and secondaries, typically achieved via fund-of-funds or external manager relationships.
Is the Glaziers Trust structured like a typical corporate pension plan?
No. It is a multiemployer defined-benefit plan, also known as a Taft-Hartley plan, jointly governed by union and employer trustees. This structure is common in the building trades for workers who move between multiple employers over their careers. The fund pools contributions from signatory glazing contractors across Northern California and pays benefits based on years of service, with governance rules distinct from single-employer plans.
What is the trust's known posture on private credit?
The trust holds both investment-grade and high-yield debt instruments as part of its fixed-income allocation. While no specific direct-lending mandates or private-credit fund names are disclosed in public records, the high-yield allocation suggests a willingness to take credit risk within the broader portfolio. The alternative investments sleeve may also contain private-credit exposure through multi-strategy vehicles.
Does the trust maintain philanthropic or separate operating entities?
There is no public evidence of a separate philanthropic foundation or operating company tied to the pension trust. The trust's mission is exclusively fiduciary — providing retirement, disability, and death benefits to eligible union members. Administrative support is outsourced, with participant account management accessible through a member portal and inquiries directed to a third-party administrator at hsba.com.
Which sectors does the Glaziers Trust explicitly avoid?
The trust does not publish an exclusionary or negative-screening policy. However, as a union-affiliated multiemployer plan, its investment activity falls under Department of Labor ERISA guidelines, which impose strict fiduciary duties. The fund's use of labor-friendly vehicles like the AFL-CIO HIT suggests a constructive preference for investments aligned with participant economic interests, but no screened sectors are formally listed.
How is the trust related to IUPAT District Council 16?
District Council 16 of the International Union of Painters and Allied Trades (IUPAT) represents the plan's participants. The pension trust is an independent fiduciary entity, but half of its board of trustees are selected by the union. This ensures member interests are directly represented in all governance decisions, including the selection of investment managers and the setting of benefit policies.
Profile maintained by Altss using OSINT (open-source intelligence), regulatory filings, licensed data partners, and verified direct submissions. Read the methodology. Last updated: . Continuous refresh with full update cycles at least every 30 days.
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