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Tile Layers Union Local No. 52 NY Pension Fund
The fund was established in 1953 as a defined-benefit plan to deliver retirement, disability, and death benefits to members of Tile Layers Union Local No.
Tile Layers Union Local No. 52 NY Pension Fund
The fund was established in 1953 as a defined-benefit plan to deliver retirement, disability, and death benefits to members of Tile Layers Union Local No. 52, an affiliate of the International Union of Bricklayers and Allied Craftworkers. Its administration is outsourced to Daniel H. Cook Associates Inc., a New York-based advisory firm. The investment strategy is disproportionately weighted toward private credit. The plan concentrates its capital in distressed debt and mezzanine, complemented by allocations to real estate and infrastructure that carry a direct union-labor nexus. Known portfolio commitments include stakes in the AFL-CIO Housing Investment Trust and the Ullico J for Jobs fund, both of which finance construction projects using union workers in the United States. The fund also manages a diversified investment portfolio held directly in New York. The plan operates alongside the Tile Layers Union Local No. 52 Annuity Fund, a sister vehicle sharing the same board of trustees and administrator. Employer trustees on the board come from the Greater New York Tile Contractors Association, the bargaining counterparty to the union's collective agreement. This governance structure means investment and benefits decisions are made jointly by labor and management representatives. The fund's structural distinction is its dual fiducial role: it must meet its actuarial return targets while steering capital toward projects that preserve and expand work hours for its contributing members. This mission alignment is operationalized through dedicated relationships with labor-friendly investment vehicles—a concrete mechanism that ties alpha generation to the economic activity of the union's own contractors.
General information
Firm type
Pension Fund
Year founded
1953
Location
Region
North America
Country
United States
City
New York
Corporate office
New York, NY, United States
Sector focus
Frequently asked questions
Who administers the Tile Layers Union Local No. 52 NY Pension Fund?
The plan is administered by Daniel H. Cook Associates Inc., a New York-based firm that also provides consulting and actuarial services to other Taft-Hartley plans. Day-to-day investment and benefits operations are carried out under a board of trustees composed of both union and employer representatives.
How are investment decisions governed at the fund?
A joint board of trustees governs the plan. Union trustees are named by Local 52, while employer trustees come from the Greater New York Tile Contractors Association. This parity structure is standard for multiemployer plans under the Taft-Hartley Act and means that asset allocation and manager selection require consensus between labor and contributing employers.
Does the fund invest directly in real estate or through intermediaries?
The fund uses intermediaries with an explicit union-labor mandate. Identified commitments include the AFL-CIO Housing Investment Trust and the Ullico J for Jobs program, both of which channel capital into commercial and residential construction projects that require union workers. The plan also reports a diversified investment portfolio held at the New York level.
What is the relationship between the Pension Fund and the Tile Layers Union Local No. 52 Annuity Fund?
They are sister funds. Both share the same board of trustees and the same administrator, Daniel H. Cook Associates Inc. The Annuity Fund provides a separate, defined-contribution-style benefit to Local 52 members and is governed by the same joint labor-management structure, but maintains a distinct pool of assets.
What credit strategies does the fund target?
The plan's strategy documentation lists distressed debt and mezzanine as primary allocations. This credit-focused posture suggests a portfolio built around higher-yielding, sub-investment-grade corporate debt and subordinated financing, though specific manager names and mandate sizes are not publicly disclosed.
How does the fund's union affiliation shape its investment policy?
The affiliation creates a dual mandate: achieve actuarially required returns to pay benefits while channeling money into investments that generate hours for Local 52 members. This shows up most clearly in real asset allocations directed to vehicles such as the AFL-CIO Housing Investment Trust, which only finances projects built with union labor.
Is the plan open to new employer contributors?
Eligibility is determined by the collective bargaining agreement between Tile Layers Union Local No. 52 and the Greater New York Tile Contractors Association. Employers who sign onto that agreement are required to contribute to the plan for covered employees. There is no publicly available mechanism for unaffiliated employers or individuals to join.
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