Updated:
Washington-Idaho Laborers and Employees’ Pension Trust
The Washington-Idaho Laborers and Employees’ Pension Trust is a multiemployer Taft-Hartley pension plan serving union construction workers in Washington and...
Washington-Idaho Laborers and Employees’ Pension Trust
The Washington-Idaho Laborers and Employees’ Pension Trust is a multiemployer Taft-Hartley pension plan serving union construction workers in Washington and northern Idaho. Governance is split evenly between labor and management: Andrew Ledbetter represents the Associated General Contractors of Washington as Chairman and Employer Trustee, while Jermaine Smiley serves as Secretary and Labor Trustee on behalf of the Washington and Northern Idaho District Council of Laborers. The plan's parent union, the Laborers' International Union of North America (LiUNA), provides the broader institutional framework, but day-to-day oversight rests with the local trustees. The fund's investment strategy skews heavily toward private markets, with a specific emphasis on buyout strategies across its private equity allocation. Real estate forms a second major pillar. Direct property holdings include an office asset at 4897 Lake Park Boulevard in Salt Lake City, Utah, and the Crown Valley Mall property in Mission Viejo, California. On the commingled side, the trust invests through the Washington Capital Joint Master Trust Real Estate Equity Fund, a Seattle-based pooled vehicle. Geographic exposure from these holdings spans the Intermountain West and Southern California, beyond the plan's Pacific Northwest participant base. The trust does not publicly disclose total assets or professional headcount, consistent with many mid-sized multiemployer plans. It operates as part of a shared-services arrangement with the Northwest Laborers-Employers Health & Security Trust, a parallel welfare fund covering the same participant pool (per public record). This structure allows the two entities to pool administrative overhead while maintaining separate fiduciary duties and investment policies for pension versus health plan assets. No recent operational announcements or personnel changes could be confirmed for the last 24 months. The plan's structural distinction lies in its even labor-management trustee split, a defining feature of Taft-Hartley governance. Neither side controls the board unilaterally, which forces consensus on investment policy and manager selection. This joint-trustee architecture—with Ledbetter negotiating for contributing contractors and Smiley for the rank-and-file—creates a built-in negotiation layer absent from single-sponsor corporate pensions or public retirement systems.
General information
Firm type
Pension Fund
Year founded
—
AUM
Undisclosed
Location
Region
North America
Country
United States
City
Spokane
Corporate office
Spokane, WA, United States
Principals
Andrew Ledbetter
Chairman and Employer Trustee
Jermaine Smiley
Secretary and Labor Trustee
Sector focus
Frequently asked questions
Who runs investment decisions at the Washington-Idaho Laborers and Employees’ Pension Trust?
Investment decisions are overseen by a board of trustees split evenly between labor and management representatives. Andrew Ledbetter serves as Chairman and Employer Trustee, representing the Associated General Contractors of Washington. Jermaine Smiley serves as Secretary and Labor Trustee, appointed by the Washington and Northern Idaho District Council of Laborers. The board operates under Taft-Hartley governance rules, which require joint agreement between both sides on all fiduciary matters including asset allocation and manager selection.
What is the trust's investment strategy?
The trust allocates heavily to private markets, with a specific emphasis on buyout strategies within its private equity portfolio. Real estate is the second major pillar, spanning direct property ownership and commingled fund commitments. Direct holdings include an office property in Salt Lake City and a retail asset in Mission Viejo, California. The trust also invests through the Washington Capital Joint Master Trust Real Estate Equity Fund for pooled real estate exposure.
How is the trust related to the Northwest Laborers-Employers Health & Security Trust?
The two trusts share administrative resources and overlapping trustee representation, covering the same participant pool of union laborers in Washington and northern Idaho. The pension trust handles retirement assets, while the Health & Security Trust manages welfare benefits. Though they operate in parallel under a shared-services model, each trust maintains separate fiduciary duties, investment policies, and plan assets.
Which union groups participate in this pension plan?
The plan covers laborers affiliated with the Washington and Northern Idaho District Council of Laborers, which operates under the parent union Laborers' International Union of North America (LiUNA). Contributing employers are represented by the Associated General Contractors of Washington. Together these organizations appoint the board trustees who govern the plan.
Does the trust co-invest alongside other labor-affiliated funds?
No direct co-investment relationships with other labor pension funds have been publicly disclosed. The trust's primary commingled investment is through the Washington Capital Joint Master Trust Real Estate Equity Fund, a pooled real estate vehicle based in Seattle. Its direct property holdings are wholly owned by the trust itself rather than held through joint ventures or club deals with peer plans.
What investment stages does the trust target?
The trust's private equity activity concentrates on buyout strategies, with no disclosed focus on venture capital, growth equity, or early-stage investing. This buyout emphasis aligns with the preferences of many mid-sized multiemployer plans, which favor mature, cash-flowing companies that can support ongoing benefit obligations. The real estate portfolio similarly skews toward income-producing commercial properties rather than development projects.
Where does the underlying capital come from?
Assets are funded by employer contributions negotiated through collective bargaining agreements covering union construction workers in Washington and northern Idaho. The trust operates as a defined-benefit plan, meaning it pools these contributions and invests them to meet future pension obligations to retired laborers. Contribution rates are set through contract negotiations between the District Council of Laborers and the Associated General Contractors of Washington.
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.
Need institutional-grade insight on pension funds?
Altss delivers:
Prefer a guided tour?
We’ll walk you through: