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WA-ID Laborers Employers Pension Trust
The WA-ID Laborers Employers Pension Trust operates as a multi-employer defined-benefit plan for members of the Laborers’ International Union of North America...
WA-ID Laborers Employers Pension Trust
The WA-ID Laborers Employers Pension Trust operates as a multi-employer defined-benefit plan for members of the Laborers’ International Union of North America (LiUNA) in Washington state and Northern Idaho. Administered from Bothell, the trust receives contributions from signatory employers under collective bargaining agreements negotiated through the Washington and Northern Idaho District Council of Laborers. The plan provides retirement security for a workforce that builds the region's highways, bridges, energy infrastructure, and commercial real estate. The trust’s investment portfolio spans the typical asset classes of a mid-market Taft-Hartley plan: public equities, investment-grade and high-yield fixed income, core and value-add real estate, and alternative credit. Like most labor pension funds, it allocates through a mix of external managers and commingled vehicles rather than making direct company investments. Board-appointed investment consultants assist trustees in setting asset allocation targets and conducting manager searches, though specific mandates and performance figures are not disclosed to the public. The WA-ID plan reports annually to the U.S. Department of Labor through Form 5500 filings, which provide audited statements of net assets, contributions, benefit payments, and actuarial funding status. The plan is subject to the fiduciary standards of ERISA and the funding rules of the Pension Protection Act. While no recent operational announcements appear in trade press, the trust — like many multi-employer plans in the building trades — has navigated the post-2021 interest-rate reset that substantially improved funding ratios for well-managed defined-benefit plans. The trust’s structural differentiator is its funding mechanism: employer contributions are set by negotiated hourly rates, not discretionary profit sharing. That makes contribution flows more predictable than corporate plans — and more dependent on union construction hours in the Pacific Northwest, which track public infrastructure spending and private non-residential development cycles across two states.
General information
Firm type
Pension Fund
Year founded
1975
Location
Region
North America
Country
United States
City
Bothell
Corporate office
Bothell, WA, United States
Frequently asked questions
How is the WA-ID Laborers plan funded?
Through hourly contributions from union-signatory contractors, set by collective bargaining agreements negotiated between the Washington and Northern Idaho District Council of Laborers and participating employers. Contribution rates are calibrated per hour worked by covered laborers, making the funding stream a direct function of construction employment in the region rather than corporate profitability. This model is standard for multi-employer plans under the Taft-Hartley Act.
Who oversees investment decisions at the trust?
A joint board of trustees — typically composed equally of union and employer representatives — sets investment policy, hires external managers, and monitors performance. Day-to-day manager selection and asset allocation work is generally supported by an institutional investment consultant, though the trust does not publicly name its specific board members or consultant. The trustees bear fiduciary responsibility under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974.
Is the trust a single pension fund or part of a larger system?
It is a stand-alone multi-employer pension fund serving LiUNA members under the Washington and Northern Idaho District Council's jurisdiction. It is not part of a state retirement system and does not pool assets with other regional LiUNA plans. The trust files its own annual Form 5500 with the U.S. Department of Labor.
What is the plan's funding status?
Specific funded ratios are not publicly advertised, but the trust’s most recent Form 5500 filings contain audited actuarial disclosures. Like most multi-employer building-trades plans, the WA-ID trust likely saw a significant improvement in its funding ratio during 2022–2023 as rising discount rates reduced the present value of future liabilities, a trend widely documented across Taft-Hartley plans.
Does the trust invest directly in companies or real estate?
There is no public evidence of direct company investments or separately managed real-asset operating platforms. The trust appears to deploy capital through external fund managers and commingled investment vehicles across equities, fixed income, real estate, and alternative credit — the dominant operating model for mid-tier multi-employer plans with lean internal staff.
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