Graphic Arts Industry Joint Pension Trust

What Graphic Arts Industry Joint Pension Trust does

The Graphic Arts Industry Joint Pension Trust (GAIJPT) is a non-profit, multi-employer defined benefit pension plan organized under federal labor law (Taft-Hartley) and established on July 1, 1976. Headquartered at 3040 Williams Drive, Suite 640, Fairfax, Virginia, the trust is jointly sponsored and administered by a Board of Trustees with equal representation from PPPWU (Printing, Publishing and Media Workers Union, formerly GCC/IBT and GCIU) locals and participating employers. The fund covers approximately 10,000 active and retired participants drawn from 15 PPPWU local unions and 35 contributing employers concentrated in the U.S. printing and graphic arts industry, with total assets of approximately $540 million.

The trust's product is a single pooled defined-benefit pension offering four core benefit categories — Normal Retirement (age 65+), Early Retirement (age 55+), Vested, and Disability — supplemented by Surviving Spouse benefits and ancillary services such as direct deposit, application processing, and required regulatory publications (Summary Plan Descriptions, Rehabilitation Plan notices, Annual Funding Notices). Administrative technology is minimal: a WordPress.com-hosted informational website supports participant communications, while benefits administration is handled by a small Fund Office staffed by four named employees (Fund Administrator Angela Alvey, Pension Manager Louis Rose, Administrative Analyst Annette Soussanin, and Research Analyst Meredith Maser).

The economic model is structurally distinct from a commercial enterprise. The trust is entirely employer-funded; contributions are negotiated locally by each PPPWU bargaining unit on hourly, daily, weekly, monthly, or percentage-of-wage bases, with no central minimum or maximum. Following a Critical Status certification in 2010, a Rehabilitation Plan was adopted, and an actuary projected insolvency between July 1, 2022 and June 30, 2023. The American Rescue Plan Act (2021) created the Special Financial Assistance program through PBGC, under which GAIJPT received $440 million on May 24, 2022 and an additional $82 million on January 11, 2023 — $522 million in total — eliminating the insolvency threat and funding benefit payments and expenses through at least June 30, 2051.

Name

Graphic Arts Industry Joint Pension Trust

Legal name

Graphic Arts Industry Joint Pension Trust

Website

https://gaijpt.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1976

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Graphic Arts Industry Joint Pension Trust is a non-profit Taft-Hartley multi-employer defined benefit pension plan established in 1976, serving approximately 10,000 active and retired graphic arts workers across 15 PPPWU local unions and 35 contributing employers, with roughly $540 million in assets.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Multi-Employer Defined Benefit Pension Administration

NAICS

Pension Funds (525110), Insurance and Employee Benefit Funds (5251)

akta.pro primary industry

Taft-Hartley / Labor Union & Public Sector Retirement Systems (FSAAAGAK)

akta.pro secondary industries

Pension Master Trusts, Superannuation & Provident Funds (FSAAAGAB), Pensions & Retirement Benefits Administration (BPAIAKAA)

Keywords

• Multi-employer pension plan
• Defined benefit retirement
• Pension fund administration
• Taft-Hartley pension
• Union pension benefits

Headquarters

HQ city

Fairfax

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Others, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Employer Contributions: The Fund is totally employer-contributed with contributions established upon negotiation by each individual local union. There are no minimum or maximum contribution rates, and local unions have negotiated contributions on an hourly, daily, weekly and monthly basis, as well as a percentage of wages.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

The Graphic Arts Industry Joint Pension Trust operates a multi-employer defined benefit pension plan that provides lifetime monthly pension benefits to vested participants in the graphic arts industry. The fund is totally employer-contributed, with contribution rates negotiated by each PPPWU local union on hourly, daily, weekly, monthly, or percentage-of-wages bases. The plan covers approximately 10,000 active and retired participants across 15 PPPWU local unions and 35 employers, with assets of approximately $540 million.

Product overview

The Graphic Arts Industry Joint Pension Trust operates a single multi-employer defined benefit pension plan that provides lifetime monthly pensions for vested participants. The plan offers four core benefit types: Normal Retirement Pension (age 65+), Early Retirement Pension (age 55+), Vested Pension (for those who leave before 55), and Disability Pension. Additionally, Surviving Spouse Pension Benefits are available. The plan also provides ancillary services including pension applications, direct deposit for benefit payments, and various publications including Summary Plan Descriptions, Rehabilitation Plan Notices, and Annual Funding Notices. The fund was established July 1, 1976 and covers approximately 10,000 active and retired participants across 15 PPPWU local unions and 35 employers.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Multi-Employer Defined Benefit Pension Plan A multi-employer defined benefit pension plan providing lifetime monthly pensions for vested participants in the graphic arts industry, covering approximately 10,000 active and retired participants across 15 PPPWU local unions and 35 employers.
• Normal Retirement Pension Pension benefits provided to participants who retire from Covered Employment at age 65 or older.
• Early Retirement Pension Pension benefits for participants who retire directly from Covered Employment at age 55 or older with Vested Status based on years of Contributory Service.
• Vested Pension Pension benefits for participants who leave Covered Employment with Vested Status prior to age 55, or those whose Vested Status is not based on Contributory Service.
• Disability Pension Pension benefits for participants who become totally and permanently disabled, as defined by the Plan, within 12 months of working in Covered Employment with Vested Status.
• Surviving Spouse Pension Benefits Pension benefits provided to the surviving spouse of an active participant or a participant that separated from Covered Employment after age 55.
• Direct Deposit Service Electronic fund transfer service allowing participants to have monthly pension payments sent directly to a U.S. bank account, with payments received on the first business day of each month.

Quantifiable outcome

• Full benefit payments guaranteed through June 30, 2051 following $522M SFA

Named customers2 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• PPPWU (Printing, Publishing & Media Workers Union)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 July 1976PPPWU is the primary union partner for this multi-employer pension trust. The fund is open to all members of the PPPWU and covers participants from 15 PPPWU local unions (formerly GCC/IBT and GCIU). The union and employer trustees jointly administer the fund through the Board of Trustees.
• RR DonnelleycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRR Donnelley is a participating employer represented on the Board of Trustees through Mark Brothers as Employer Trustee.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights2 records

Others

• ERISA Industry Committee (ERIC): Industry association representing large plan sponsors on retirement policy; relevant as an ecosystem participant shaping federal multi-employer pension and SFA policy that directly affects GAIJPT's operating environment.

Direct peers

• Western Conference of Teamsters Pension Trust: Large multi-employer Taft-Hartley DB pension plan covering Teamsters in the western U.S., operating under the same joint union-employer governance and ERISA framework as GAIJPT.
• Iron Workers Local 25 Pension Trust Fund: Taft-Hartley multi-employer DB pension plan covering iron workers; structurally similar to GAIJPT in providing lifetime monthly benefits through joint union-employer trusteeship.
• New York State Teamsters Conference Pension and Retirement Fund: Multi-employer defined benefit pension plan for Teamster locals in New York, comparable in structure and benefit offerings to GAIJPT and operating under the same federal multi-employer pension regulatory regime.
• Automotive Industries Pension Trust Fund: Multi-employer defined benefit pension plan covering automotive supply and related workers; comparable in plan structure, joint governance, and ERISA multi-employer framework.
• United Mine Workers of America 1974 Pension Plan: Multi-employer DB pension plan that received ARPA Special Financial Assistance; a high-profile peer illustrating both the regulatory pathway GAIJPT used and the long-term demographic and funding risks facing industrial-era plans.
• Southwest Carpenters Pension Trust Fund: Multi-employer DB pension plan covering carpenters' union locals in the southwestern U.S.; comparable in Taft-Hartley structure, vesting and benefit design, and centralized administration.
• Central States, Southeast and Southwest Areas Pension Fund: Teamsters multi-employer defined benefit pension plan with similar Critical and Declining Status challenges that received PBGC Special Financial Assistance under ARPA; directly comparable in structure, regulatory exposure, and participant demographics.

Regional players

• Printing, Publishing & Media Workers Sector of CWA (PPPWU): The union whose 15 locals sponsor GAIJPT; the strategic partner whose membership demographics and contract negotiations directly determine contributions and active participant counts in the trust.

Broad incumbents

• Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (PBGC): Federal agency that administers the multi-employer pension insurance program and provides Special Financial Assistance; not a peer operator but the primary counterparty and regulator shaping GAIJPT's regulatory environment.

Market position

Strengths3 records

Weaknesses3 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/GAIJPT
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/graphic-arts-industry-joint-pension-trust

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Graphic Arts Industry Joint Pension Trust