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Theatrical Stage Employes Local No.4, IATSE
The Pension Fund of Stage Employees Local 4 IATSE was a multiemployer defined-benefit plan sponsored by IATSE Local No. 4, the labor union representing stage...
Theatrical Stage Employes Local No.4, IATSE
The Pension Fund of Stage Employees Local 4 IATSE was a multiemployer defined-benefit plan sponsored by IATSE Local No. 4, the labor union representing stage employees in Brooklyn and Queens. Trustees included Local 4 Business Manager Lewis Resnick, Secretary Terence K. Ryan, and union trustees Samantha Stiegelbauer and Keith Stubblefield. The fund provided retirement benefits to a niche workforce — behind-the-scenes live-event professionals — until its board elected to merge into the larger I.A.T.S.E. National Pension Plan. Prior to its dissolution, the fund’s investment posture was consistent with small multiemployer Taft-Hartley plans: a conservative, deeply diversified portfolio spanning public equities, fixed income, and likely real estate. The union maintained a direct real asset in its headquarters at 2917 Glenwood Road in Brooklyn. The fund’s investment operations, governance, and asset pool are now fully integrated into the national plan, which covers tens of thousands of IATSE members across the United States. December 2023: The fund formally merged into the I.A.T.S.E. National Pension Plan, transferring all assets and liabilities. The successor entity now administers retirement and welfare benefits for former Local 4 participants. The move mirrors a consolidation wave among Taft-Hartley plans seeking solvency scale and reduced administrative drag. The national plan operates with a board evenly split between labor and management trustees, overseeing a multi-billion-dollar pool invested across external managers. This fund’s structural differentiator is its endpoint: it is a case study in small-plan consolidation. Rather than navigate Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation pressures and escalating actuarial demands alone, the trustees chose absorption. The result is a legacy entity with no stand-alone investment committee, no disclosed AUM, and no future deployment decisions to track — only a union hall in Brooklyn and a set of beneficiaries now relying on the national plan’s actuarial soundness.
General information
Firm type
Pension Fund
Location
Region
North America
Country
United States
City
Brooklyn
Corporate office
2917 Glenwood Rd, Brooklyn, NY 11210, United States
Principals
Lewis Resnick
Trustee, Business Manager of Local 4
Terence K. Ryan
Trustee, Secretary of Local 4
Samantha Stiegelbauer
Union Trustee
Keith Stubblefield
Union Trustee
Sector focus
Frequently asked questions
Who ran investment decisions at the Pension Fund of Stage Employees Local 4?
The fund was governed by a board of trustees split between employer and union representatives — Lewis Resnick, Terence K. Ryan, Samantha Stiegelbauer, and Keith Stubblefield are named in public records. Investment decisions were likely delegated to external consultants and asset managers, a common arrangement for small Taft-Hartley plans. As of December 2023, all investment authority transferred to the I.A.T.S.E. National Pension Plan.
What happened to the fund's assets after the 2023 merger?
All pension assets and liabilities transferred to the I.A.T.S.E. National Pension Plan, a significantly larger multiemployer plan covering IATSE members nationwide. The national plan now administers retirement and welfare benefits for former Local 4 participants. The transferred assets were folded into the national plan's pooled investment portfolio.
Is the Pension Fund of Stage Employees Local 4 still an active investor?
No. The entity ceased independent investment operations effective December 31, 2023, when it merged into the I.A.T.S.E. National Pension Plan. It no longer deploys capital, issues RFPs, or maintains a stand-alone investment committee. All historical commitments are now managed by the national plan.
What investment strategy did the fund follow before the merger?
As a small multiemployer Taft-Hartley defined-benefit plan, the fund almost certainly followed a conservative asset-allocation model — public equities, investment-grade fixed income, and limited alternatives exposure — structured to meet near-term benefit obligations while preserving capital. Specific manager rosters and allocations were not publicly disclosed.
How is the fund related to IATSE Local No. 4?
IATSE Local No. 4 is the Brooklyn- and Queens-based union that sponsored the pension fund. The union’s business manager and secretary served as employer trustees on the fund’s board. Local No. 4 continues to operate and represent stage employees; the pension fund no longer exists as a separate entity.
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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