A pension plan for the Broader Public Sector

As an employee working in the Broader Public Sector, you understand a thing or two about service and protection. In one way or another, your job is about improving the lives of others.

The OPSEU Pension Plan System (TOPPSfund) works in much the same way, but on a personal level. This valuable pension plan was designed specifically to give you and your family an important source of financial protection — and a foundation for building a secure future.

Some TOPPSfund features are:

• Flexible contribution levels - Employee contribution levels start at an affordable 3% of wages. Employers must at a minimum match employee contributions.

• Benefits are targeted - Pension benefits are based on a benefit formula taking into account things such as contribution history and years of plan participation.

• Life/10 Guarantee - Your pension is payable for life and guaranteed for ten years. This means that if you die within the first ten years of retirement, your full pension payments will continue to be made for the remainder of those first ten years (the guarantee period). Thereafter, survivor benefits may apply.

• Survivor Benefits - In the event of a pensioner’s death, after the guarantee period (see Life/10 Guarantee above), a surviving spouse will be eligible for survivor benefits of 60% of the pensioner’s benefit payable for their natural life. Other survivor benefit scenarios also apply depending on when death occurs, and the amount of continuous service in the Plan.

• Optional part-time and casual employee participation - If you regularly work less than 24 hours per week, participate only if you qualify and want to!

• Normal Retirement Age of 65 - With options to retire as early as age 55, and as late as age 71.

• Buybacks - You can “buyback” up to 5 years of pre-membership service to build a bigger pension.

• Joint Trusteeship - The Board of Trustees of TOPPSfund will be comprised of 50% Union Trustees and 50% Employer Representatives. Their role is to ensure that the Plan is well managed on behalf of individual members and Participating Employers. One of the Board’s key responsibilities is to choose the experts and other specialists required to help run the Plan and invest its assets, ensuring the long-term stability and growth of TOPPSfund.

• Administration - TOPPSfund will be administered by Manion Wilkins and Associates Ltd., a Third Party Administrator who will be responsible for things such as signing up new members, receiving contributions from employers, answering questions and preparing annual pension statements.

• Professionally managed assets - The assets of the TOPPSfund will be professionally managed in line with the Trustee’s Statement of Investment Policies and Procedures.

How do I join TOPPSfund?
 

Joining TOPPSfund is done through negotiations between OPSEU and Employers with OPSEU bargaining units. Once participation in the Plan and contribution levels have been agreed to, a Participation Agreement is signed. The Participation Agreement outlines the terms of participation in TOPPSfund, such as the negotiated contribution levels and timeliness of remittances to the Plan.

On a one-time basis, upon initial enrolment, non-union employees may also join TOPPSfund at the same contribution rate as OPSEU members.

For more information, or to request a presentation on TOPPSfund, contact the OPSEU Resource Centre at 1-800-268-7376 or

E-mail: TOPPSfund@opseu.org

The information contained above is for reference purposes only, and is not intended to be comprehensive. Please refer to the Plan booklet for more information on the Plan, or to the Plan Text for the Plan’s more comprehensive terms and provisions.