As a participant in the New Jersey Carpenters Vacation Fund, you are entitled to certain rights and protections under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974. ERISA provides that all plan participants shall be entitled to:

Examine without charge, at the Plan Administrator’s office, all Plan documents, including insurance contracts, Collective Bargaining Agreements and copies of any documents filed by the Plan Administrator with the U.S. Department of Labor or the Internal Revenue Service, such as detailed annual reports and Plan descriptions.

Obtain copies of all Plan documents and other Plan information upon written request to the Plan Administrator. The Administrator may make a reasonable charge for the copies.

Receive a summary of the Plan’s annual financial report. The Administrator is required by law to furnish each participant with a copy of this summary annual report.

A complete list of the employer and employee organizations sponsoring the Vacation Plan may be obtained by participants and beneficiaries upon written request to the Plan Administrator and is available for examination by Plan participants and beneficiaries who may also receive from the Plan Administrator, upon written request, the name and address of a particular employer or employee organization which sponsors this plan.

In addition to creating rights for the Plan participants, ERISA imposes obligations upon the persons who are responsible for the operation of the employee benefit Plan. The people who operate your Plan, called "fiduciaries" of the Plan, have a duty to do so prudently and in the interest of you and other Plan participants and beneficiaries. No one, including your employer, may fire you or otherwise discriminate against you in any way to prevent you from obtaining your vacation fund or exercising your rights under ERISA. If your claim for a benefit is denied in whole or in part, you must receive a written explanation of the reason for the denial. You have the right to have the Trustees review and reconsider your claim.

Under ERISA there are steps you can take to enforce the above rights. For instance, if you request materials from the Plan and do not receive them within thirty (30) days, you may file suit in a federal court. In such cases, the court may require the Plan Administrator to provide the materials and pay you up to $100 per day until you receive the materials, unless the materials were not sent because of reasons beyond the control of the Administrator. If you have a claim for benefits which is denied or ignored, in whole or in part, you may file suit in a state or federal court. If it should happen that Plan Fiduciaries misuse the Plan’s assets or if you are discriminated against for asserting your rights, you may file suit in a federal court. The court will decide who should pay the court costs and legal fees. If you are successful, the court may order the persons you have sued to pay these costs and fees. I you have any questions about the Plan, you should contact the Plan Administrator. If you have any questions about this statement or about your rights under ERISA, you should contact the nearest Area Office of the U.S. Labor-Management Services Administration, Department of Labor.