The UNITE HERE Pension Plan (“Pension Plan”) has been established as a group pension plan for its eligible employees of participating employers to provide assistance in achieving financial security during your retirement years. A Board of Trustees is your Plan Administrator. As the Plan Administrator, the Board is responsible for the overall operations, administration, and governance of the Pension Plan. The Board of Trustees is comprised of Employee Trustees who have been appointed by the Union - UNITE HERE Local 75, and Employer Trustees that have appointed by the participating employers.
The UNITE HERE Pension Plan is a Defined Contribution Pension Plan (visit the Answers Hub to learn more). The provisions are governed by both the plan documents and government pension legislation, the Financial Services Regulatory Authority (FSRA) of Ontario. The provisions are governed by the Plan Text and provincial government pension legislation overseen by the Financial Services Regulatory Authority (FSRA) of Ontario.
Your benefit upon retirement is your accumulated account balance (i.e., employer plus employee contributions, if applicable, accumulated with any applicable investment income). The investment income is based on the net rate of return earned by the Pension Plan’s investments.
To submit your forms, find the form you need in the list provided and carefully follow the instructions. Please note that we accept submissions via email or fax, but it is important that your forms have a wet (ink) signature for them to be processed. At this time, we do not accept electronic or digital signatures.
Your eligibility for membership in the Pension Plan is determined by an agreement between the Union (UNITE HERE – Local 75) and your Employer. This is typically called a Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA).
You can request access to your CBA through your union or your employer.
Full-time employees are required to join the Pension Plan on the earlier of:
For all other Employees, those working regularly less than 24 hours per week, the CBA between UNITE HERE Local 75 and your Employer will determine your eligibility to join the Pension Plan.
To enroll in the Pension Plan, you must complete an Application of Pension Plan membership (see form here) and return to your Employer once you have satisfied the above requirements. The Employer must send the completed application to the Plan administrator’s office.
The required pension contributions from you and your Employer are specified in the agreement between your Employer and the Union.
The agreement between your Employer and the Union may permit additional voluntary contributions. Please contact the Plan administrator, Ellement, for more details.
By making voluntary contributions to Pension Plan or contributing to an RRSP (Registered Retirement Savings Plan)throughout your working career you may benefit from immediate tax benefits at a time when your income may be the highest. Investment earnings from you Pension Plan are tax-sheltered until withdrawal.
You are responsible to ensure that you do not over contribute to the Plan based on the allowable maximum contributions into registered retirement plan under the government rules under the Income Tax Act. The annual limit for pension contributions is the lower of 18% of your current year’s pensionable salary or the annual maximum ($32,490 for 2024).
As a member of a Registered Pension Plan , your pension contributions will impact your RRSP room by lowering the amount of contribution room available. Your annual limit for RRSP contributions is found on your annual Notice of Assessment (the letter you receive from Canada Revenue Agency, CRA, after you file your tax return). The RRSP contribution limit is the lesser of 18% of earned income from the preceding year or the annual maximum ($31,560 for 2024). If you have not contributed the maximum amount to your RRSP annually, any unused contributions will increase your RRSP contribution limit, but not your contribution limit with the Pension Plan.
The Member Portal is an online tool where you can:
Have a question about your pension plan? Check out our Answers Hub to learn more about it.
Learn how to register and navigate through the member Portal.
A member could stop contributing to the Pension Plan when one of the following situations occurs:
