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Southern Illinois Bricklayers Pension Fund
The fund provides defined-benefit pensions to members of the International Union of Bricklayers and Allied Craftworkers Local 8 Illinois, with assets...
Southern Illinois Bricklayers Pension Fund
The fund provides defined-benefit pensions to members of the International Union of Bricklayers and Allied Craftworkers Local 8 Illinois, with assets administered out of an additional office in Belleville. Contribution inflows arrive from signatory masonry contractors via collectively bargained hourly rates, a structure that ties funding health directly to local construction activity and union density across the Southern Illinois jurisdiction. As a Taft-Hartley multiemployer plan, the fund does not allocate across conventional private-market asset classes like venture capital or private equity in a direct-deal sense. Its legal framework constrains it to pooled trust vehicles, fixed-income portfolios, and historically limited alternative exposures common among union pension funds. The plan’s 2020 Critical Status designation under the Pension Protection Act means it faced projected funding deficiencies, triggering a Rehabilitation Plan that can include adjustable benefits and surcharge requirements on contributing employers. November 2020: The Department of Labor listed Southern Illinois Bricklayers Pension Fund on its annual Critical Status notice, confirming the fund entered rehabilitation procedures under federal multiemployer pension law. The same year, the plan’s union sponsor, BAC Local 8 Illinois, continued to negotiate contributions through the Mason Contractors Association across the Metro East and broader Southern Illinois territory. Distinct from single-family or corporate-defined-benefit peers, the fund operates in the narrow, interconnected governance triangle of a local union, an employer association, and a third-party administrator. Ekon Benefits handles the operational layer — compliance, actuarial work, recordkeeping — while the jointly trusteed board of union and employer representatives sets policy. This structure places every allocation decision within a bargaining-table framework that corporate allocators would not recognize.
General information
Firm type
Pension Fund
Year founded
1981
Location
Region
North America
Country
United States
City
St. Louis
Corporate office
4940 Washington Boulevard St. Louis, Missouri 63108
Additional offices
Belleville, IL
Frequently asked questions
What does the fund's Critical Status designation mean for its investment strategy?
A Critical Status designation under the Pension Protection Act signals that the fund projects a funding deficiency within a specified timeframe. It forces adoption of a Rehabilitation Plan, which typically adjusts benefits or employer contribution surcharges and restricts the board from taking material investment-policy risk that could worsen the shortfall. The portfolio likely skews toward fixed-income and lower-volatility assets until funding ratios improve.
Who governs investment decisions at the Southern Illinois Bricklayers Pension Fund?
The fund is jointly trusteed, meaning a board composed of union representatives from the International Union of Bricklayers and Allied Craftworkers Local 8 Illinois and employer representatives from the Mason Contractors Association collectively oversee asset allocation and manager selection. Day-to-day administration, including actuarial and compliance services, is outsourced to Ekon Benefits.
How are contributions collected and does that shape the fund's asset allocation?
Contributions flow in through collective bargaining agreements with signatory masonry contractors, typically as an hourly per-capita rate paid into the fund. Because these inflows are contractually fixed and regional construction cycles influence contribution volume, the fund is structurally subject to employment-level risk, which pushes the allocation toward liquidity and matching-duration fixed-income instruments rather than illiquid private commitments.
Is Ekon Benefits the investment manager for this pension fund?
No. Ekon Benefits acts as the third-party administrator, providing retirement-plan design, actuarial services, compliance, and recordkeeping. Investment policy remains the responsibility of the joint board of trustees; Ekon does not claim discretionary investment-management authority for the pension fund in its marketing materials.
Does the fund make co-investments or direct allocations in private equity or venture capital?
There is no public evidence that the fund participates in direct deals, co-investments, or venture capital allocations. As a Critical Status Taft-Hartley multiemployer plan, its fiduciary framework and liquidity needs constrain it to pooled trust vehicles and traditional fixed-income and equity strategies common among underfunded union retirement plans.
What is the relationship between the pension fund and the Mason Contractors Association?
The Mason Contractors Association is the employer bargaining representative that negotiates contribution rates with the union on behalf of the signatory contractors employing Local 8 members. Those employer contributions form the primary revenue stream for the fund, making the association's health and collective bargaining outcomes central to the fund's financial trajectory.
Are there philanthropic or community investment carveouts tied to the fund?
The fund's administrator, Ekon Benefits, publicly highlights philanthropy and local charity sponsorship as part of its corporate culture, but no public record indicates the pension fund itself maintains a dedicated impact-investment allocation, community loan program, or charitable investment carveout.
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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