The Ninth Circuit recently issued a pair of decisions clarifying how the rules governing withdrawal liability apply to employers in certain industries. In Walker Specialty Const., Inc. v. Bd. of Trs. of the Constr. Indus. & Laborers Joint Pension Tr. for S. Nev., No. 24-1560, 2026 WL 21743 (9th Cir. Jan. 5, 2026), the
Multiemployer Pension Plans
PBGC (Slightly) Opens Door to Exceptions From Special Withdrawal Liability Rules for SFA Multiemployer Pension Plans
As previously discussed, the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (the “PBGC”) issued final regulations in July 2022 for plans that receive special financial assistance (“SFA”) under the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (“ARPA”). Among other things, the regulations imposed special withdrawal liability rules on plans that receive SFA – including a phase-in period for…
42 Years in the Making: PBGC Proposes Regulation on Interest Rate for Withdrawal Liability Calculations
A hotly debated (and litigated) issue for multiemployer pension plans in recent years has been the appropriate interest rate to determine a multiemployer pension plan’s liabilities when calculating the plan’s underfunding for withdrawal liability purposes. The Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (the “PBGC”) is now poised to end the debate. The PBGC proposes to allow multiemployer…