DockBook Blog
Plain-English explainers on the contract clauses, pension rules, and pay codes longshoremen never get a straight answer about. Written by a Local 502 longshoreman, not a journalist.
Plain-English explainer of the ILWU-PMA Pension Plan and the Savings (401(k)) Plan. Years of service, the eligibility ladder, the 401(k) qualifying-year gate, and the hours that don't count.
How the ILWU-PMA Welfare Plan decides who keeps medical coverage. Major vs Minor port thresholds, the Annual Review and Mid-year Review, what hours count, and who actually makes the call.
How BCMEA / ILWU Canada welfare coverage is earned in hours on a rolling deadline, the difference between A and B coverage, which hours count, and what happens if you miss the window.
Why Class B PGP caps at 32 hours until you stack up 5 vacation qualifying years, then jumps to 40, and how to know where you stand.
The qualification rule, the 15-shift threshold, what you get when you fall short, and the Vancouver Island exception. Plain English for longshore workers.
How the ILWU-PMA Pay Guarantee Plan works: weekly caps, the Class B ladder, disqualifiers, and where PGP counts (pension, welfare) and doesn't (401(k)).
Plain-English guide to the WIPP pension for BCMEA / ILWU Canada longshoremen: credited service, the Rule of 90, the Bridge Benefit, and your RRSP room.