Generally, no. Plan provisions vary depending on your age and the type of pension you are receiving. The Plan document provides that a bargaining unit participant cannot commence pension benefits before age 70½ until a legitimate severance of employment occurs.
After you retire and begin collecting pension benefits, if you work in prohibited employment, your pension benefit will be suspended and you are legally required to pay the benefits back to the Plan, for the period of time you were working in prohibited employment. Effective July 1, 2026 Participants can work 39 hours per month beginning at age 55 and an additional 1000 hours across a calendar year.
- Before reaching age 65, prohibited employment means employment, self-employment or other business activity in the trade or craft of carpentry or other business activity covered by a collective bargaining agreement or participation agreement in any geographic location.
- At or after reaching age 65 until reaching age 70½, prohibited employment means employment, self-employment or other business activity in the trade or craft of carpentry or other business activity covered by a collective bargaining agreement or participation agreement in any geographic location of 40 hours or more in a month.
- After age 70½, no types of employment are prohibited. Disability Pensioners are permitted to engage in and have earnings from non-carpentry type employment provided that the earnings for such employment do not exceed the Social Security Administration’s “substantial gainful activity” (SGA) earnings limit, as adjusted annually. Be sure to review the Prohibited Employment rules and contact the Retirement Benefits Department, if you are thinking about going back to work.