Plumbers and Pipefitters Local Union No 333 Pension Fund

Plumbers and Pipefitters Local Union No 333 Pension Fund

The Plumbers and Pipefitters Local Union No. 333 Pension Fund is a Taft-Hartley defined benefit plan, established through collective bargaining between Local 333 and the Mid-Michigan Mechanical Contractors' Association. The pension plan sits inside the broader Fringe Benefit Fund, which also administers health and supplemental unemployment benefits from its Lansing office. Governance rests with a joint board of trustees — union and employer representatives, chaired by Price Dobernick — operating under ERISA and LM-29 disclosure requirements. The fund targets a diversified strategy to meet long-term pension liabilities. While the full asset allocation is not publicly disclosed, the presence of the Smart Markets Fund signals a direct real estate allocation focused on mixed-use properties in North America. Like many Taft-Hartley plans, the fund likely blends domestic equities, fixed income, and private real estate commitments, prioritizing income generation and capital preservation over venture-stage risk. Geographic exposure is concentrated in the United States, consistent with the Lansing-based membership and the domestic real estate vehicle. Board leadership includes Chairman Price Dobernick and Secretary Chad Myers, alongside trustees John Green, Chris Keck, Kevin Jonas, Joseph Michilizzi, Jason Kreger, and George VanCoppenolle, with Becky Brimley serving as alternate. The fund remains closely tied to its parent labor organization, the United Association of Journeymen and Apprentices of the Plumbing and Pipefitting Industry. No recent asset manager searches, investment consultant hires, or allocation shifts have been publicly reported in the last 24 months. The structural differentiator for Local 333 is its joint-trusteeship governance model, mandatory for Taft-Hartley plans. This architecture requires equal representation from union and contributing employers on the board, creating a built-in check that separates it from single-sponsor corporate plans. The inclusion of a dedicated real estate vehicle — the Smart Markets Fund — suggests a willingness to invest directly in property rather than relying exclusively on commingled funds, a posture that demands a higher degree of internal oversight from the trustee board.