Trust Fund Administrative Office is Essential
The PAMCAH-UA Local 675 Trust Fund Administrative Office (created in 1963) provides In- House administrative services for the various employee-employer benefit funds and programs. These services include administering the benefits on behalf of all Members for their PAMCAH-UA Local 675 Pension, Annuity, Health and Welfare, Training, Vacation and Holiday and Cooperation Trust Funds. This very important service is currently provided by the Administrative Office located on the 4th floor of 1109 Bethel Street under the direction of Administrator Erinn Liu and Assistant Administrator Jaimme Hayakawa along with their hard working staff members Nicole Miyaji, Wilma Rivera, Sharlene Pasion and Debra Manuel. The Administrative Office’s mission is to provide excellent and reliable services for our Active and Retired participants and their dependents and beneficiaries. In addition to everyday responsibilities, the Administrative Staff is committed to making continuous improvements to become more efficient to ensure Government compliance and save dollars that can be used to give back to all PAMCAH-UA Local 675 Members and their dependents. Some of the items implemented in recent years are as follows:
Converting to an Electronic Benefits Software – In the past, data was accumulated and stored utilizing a manual system. The Administrative Office has completed conversion to a more efficient, automated electronic system. Administrator Erinn Liu stated, “Administering our benefits with a reputable benefits software allowed us to improve our accuracy when administering participant benefit programs and analyze problem areas that needed plan improvement.”
Collecting Delinquent Contributions – “The collection of delinquent employer contributions was previously outsourced to different law firms. This was costly and ineffective in collecting our members earned benefits,” said Erinn Liu. The Administrative Office took over the collection process in 2015 and has significantly reduced the amount of uncollected contributions that have since been allocated back to the Members.
Ensuring Compliance – The Trust Funds are subject to numerous rules and regulations set forth by the government and our own Trust Fund Plan rules and regulations. It has been the Administrative Office’s goal to ensure compliance by keeping up to date with compliance requirements and deadlines, implementing new procedures and obtaining more qualified professionals to assist with this process. Business Manager Val Ceria stated, “Keeping the Trust Funds in compliance ensures that we can continue to provide benefits to our Members and avoid unnecessary and very costly penalties.”
Improvements to Operational Efficiency – The Administrative Office has assisted with reducing operational expenses across multiple Funds by agreeing to take on additional duties that were previously outsourced. These duties include but are not limited to eligibility enrollment processing with our various Health and Welfare carriers, COBRA processing, tax return filings and submissions and execution of Participant notices. Trust Fund Co-Chairman Kent Matsuzaki commented, “Taking on these duties eliminated expensive professional fees incurred from outsourcing these services.”
Follow Up and Questions – The Administrative Office is an Essential business always striving to better serve the membership. During this time of unprecedented changes, they have been overwhelmed and inundated with requests and questions from members, professionals, and signatory companies. “The Union and the Trust Fund Administrative Office have been working very hard to service the Members and Contractors, and thank everyone for their patience and understanding. We all have made a conscious effort to follow up with all requests in a timely manner,” said Business Manager Val Ceria.