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Plumbers & Steamfitters Local 21 Pension Fund
The Plumbers & Steamfitters Local 21 Pension Fund was established in 1959 to provide retirement security for members of the Hudson Valley local, which...
Plumbers & Steamfitters Local 21 Pension Fund
The Plumbers & Steamfitters Local 21 Pension Fund was established in 1959 to provide retirement security for members of the Hudson Valley local, which traces its lineage back to 1896 and now counts over 1,200 active journeymen. Trustees drawn from both the union — Business Manager Thomas O'Brien and President Nick Cassetta — and contributing contractors like C&B Plumbing and Heating co-govern the plan. The fund shares administrative infrastructure with the Local 21 Welfare Fund and Annuity Fund, all based at the union's McKinley Street headquarters in Peekskill. The fund casts a deliberately broad net across the capital structure. Altss-captured strategy tags indicate credit-oriented positions in distressed debt and mezzanine lending alongside direct venture exposure spanning seed, early-stage, and late-stage private companies. Core holdings are concentrated in common and collective trusts and registered investment companies, a structure that allows access to private markets without the operational burden of running a direct investment program. The real asset footprint is visible closer to home — the plan lists a direct interest in the 1024 McKinley Street union hall and benefits office, a commercial property that doubles as the fund's physical anchor. Estimated assets stand at $253 million, a figure that anchors the plan among the smaller but durable multiemployer funds in New York's union pension landscape. The trustee bench includes Vice President Joseph Forintos and employer-side representative Robert Courtien, providing the balanced oversight mandated by ERISA for Taft-Hartley plans. The fund maintains active ties to the Hudson Valley Regional Workforce Development Institute, where Local 21 representatives hold board seats, signaling a broader commitment to the region's construction-trade pipeline. No recent closed fund commitments or spin-out vehicles are publicly documented. Its structural fingerprint is distinct: a jointly trusteed multiemployer plan where every investment decision must clear a labor-management divide. That design prevents rapid strategy pivots but creates built-in accountability to two constituencies — working plumbers and the contractors who employ them. The resulting portfolio defaults to liquidity and credit quality, with private-market exposures routed through intermediaries rather than captured in dedicated direct-investment teams.
General information
Firm type
Pension Fund
Year founded
1959
AUM
$253M (Altss estimate)
Location
Region
North America
Country
United States
City
Peekskill
Corporate office
1024 McKinley Street, Peekskill, NY 10566, United States
Principals
Thomas O'Brien
Business Manager & Union Trustee
Robert Courtien
Employer Trustee
Nick Cassetta
President
Joseph Forintos
Vice President
Altss tracks 2 additional named team members for this firm — including direct investment leads, IR, and operating principals not listed on the public website.
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Frequently asked questions
Who runs investment decisions at Plumbers & Steamfitters Local 21 Pension Fund?
A joint board of union and employer trustees governs the fund. Union trustees include Business Manager Thomas O'Brien and President Nick Cassetta; employer-side representation includes Robert Courtien of C&B Plumbing and Heating. The board sets investment policy and selects external managers rather than employing a dedicated internal investment staff.
How is the fund structured, and what does Taft-Hartley mean for asset allocation?
It is a multiemployer defined-benefit plan governed under the Taft-Hartley Act, which requires equal representation from labor and contributing employers on the board of trustees. This joint-trustee model tends to produce conservative asset-allocation decisions and heavy reliance on commingled vehicles, since every strategy must satisfy both union and contractor representatives.
Does the fund make direct venture investments or operate through intermediaries?
The strategy spans early-stage, seed, and late-stage venture exposure, but the fund primarily accesses these allocations through common and collective trusts and registered investment companies rather than direct LP positions. This intermediary approach lets the fund capture private-market returns without building a direct-investment team.
How is the pension fund related to UA Local 21's other benefit plans?
It shares governance, trustees, and physical offices with the UA Local 21 Welfare Fund and Annuity Fund at 1024 McKinley Street in Peekskill. The three plans operate as a benefits package for union members under the umbrella of UA Local 21 and its parent international, the United Association of Journeymen and Apprentices of the Plumbing and Pipe Fitting Industry.
What real estate does the pension fund hold directly?
The plan lists a direct commercial-property interest in the Local 21 Benefit Funds Headquarters at 1024 McKinley Street, Peekskill, NY 10566. Beyond that owner-occupied asset, real estate exposure is routed through commingled trust vehicles rather than held as separately managed properties.
Which sectors does the fund explicitly avoid?
Public statements do not enumerate excluded sectors. The investment tags captured suggest a broadly diversified approach, but the fund's labor-management governance and mid-sized asset base make it unlikely to take material positions in deeply illiquid or reputationally sensitive asset classes such as for-profit corrections or direct commodity trading.
What is the fund's known posture on co-investments alongside external GPs?
There is no public record of the fund participating in co-investment sidecars or direct GP-led club deals. The reliance on common trusts and registered investment companies implies a preference for diversified, intermediated exposure rather than concentrated deal-by-deal co-underwriting.
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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