Massachusetts › Accommodation and food services › 5,000 to 24,999 participants
Form 5500 statement · plan year 1 Jan 2024 to 31 Dec 2024
Unite Here! Workers and Hospitality Employers VDB Pension Trust
Sponsored by Board of Trustee Unite Here! Workers, Boston, MA
Form 5500 information is as filed by the plan administrator with the Department of Labor and may be amended. Figures reflect the plan year shown, not current balances. Form 5500 contains no individual account balances. Look up the original filing at EFAST2.
Board of Trustee Unite Here! Workers of Boston, Massachusetts sponsors Unite Here! Workers and Hospitality Employers VDB Pension Trust, a defined benefit pension plan. Its Form 5500 for the plan year ending 31 Dec 2024 shows 7,443 participants (6,037 active) and $169M in net assets. It is a multiemployer plan, maintained under collective bargaining agreements with more than one employer.
Net assets came to $22,670 per participant, well below the $87,623 median for defined benefit plans with 5,000 to 24,999 participants and below the $27,107 median for defined benefit plans in accommodation and food services. The figure is an average across everyone in the plan, including former employees with small balances; Form 5500 holds no individual account data.
Employer contributions were $24.0M for the year ($3,982 per active participant) and benefits paid were $2.8M. In a defined benefit plan the employer's contribution follows funding rules rather than a match formula, so it can swing widely from year to year.
Schedule C lists 5 service provider organisations paid $5,000 or more, with reported compensation of $497K: $66.84 per participant, well below the same-size median of $232. Administrative expenses charged to the plan were $1.6M. Schedule C does not capture every cost: fees netted from fund returns and fees the employer pays directly are outside it.
Across the filings on record, net assets went from $7.5M in 2012 to $169M in 2024 (up 2149%), and participants from 3,615 to 7,443 (up 106%).
Compared with similar plans
| Measure | This plan | Same size | Same industry | All US DB plans |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Net assets per participant | $22,670 | $87,623 | $27,107 | $86,221 |
| Employer contributions per active participant | $3,982 | $9,468 | $4,875 | $10,244 |
| Schedule C compensation per participant | $66.84 | $232 | $121 | $344 |
| Schedule C compensation, share of net assets | 0.29% | 0.30% | 0.47% | 0.42% |
| Administrative expenses per participant | $216 | $396 | $217 | $527 |
Peer columns are medians for plan year 2024 across defined benefit plans with 100 or more participants: 5,000 to 24,999 participants (651 plans), accommodation and food services (39) and all US plans (5,308). Fee medians cover plans that report an amount.
Trend by plan year
| Plan year | Participants | Net assets | Per participant | Employer contributions | Participant contributions | Schedule C compensation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 7,443 | $169M | $22,670 | $24.0M | — | $497K |
| 2023 | 6,063 | $136M | $22,444 | $17.2M | — | $549K |
| 2022 | 5,307 | $109M | $20,549 | $13.9M | — | $553K |
| 2021 | 4,793 | $109M | $22,660 | $8.1M | — | $589K |
| 2020 | 4,312 | $94.0M | $21,807 | $5.7M | — | $473K |
| 2019 | 4,819 | $82.9M | $17,193 | $14.9M | — | $386K |
| 2018 | 4,752 | $60.3M | $12,689 | $12.7M | — | $416K |
| 2017 | 4,621 | $50.3M | $10,882 | $10.6M | — | $315K |
| 2016 | 4,391 | $37.3M | $8,496 | $9.2M | — | $325K |
| 2015 | 4,258 | $27.3M | $6,408 | $8.1M | — | $419K |
| 2014 | 4,074 | $20.3M | $4,978 | $6.7M | — | $442K |
| 2013 | 4,002 | $13.5M | $3,382 | $6.1M | — | $544K |
| 2012 | 3,615 | $7.5M | $2,076 | $8.0M | — | $552K |
Years in which the plan filed the full Form 5500 with 100 or more participants, from 2009. Plan year is the year in which the plan year began.
Statement for the year
- Net assets, beginning of year$136,075,295
- Employer contributions$24,037,499
- Participant contributions—
- Rollovers and other contributions—
- Total contributions$24,037,499
- Total income, including investment results$37,095,947
- Benefits paid$2,836,969
- Administrative expenses$1,604,609
- Total expenses$4,441,578
- Net income$32,654,369
- Net transfers$0
- Net assets, end of year$168,729,664
Participants
- Active participants6,037
- Retired or separated, receiving benefits570
- Retired or separated, entitled to future benefits801
- Total participants, end of year7,443
Fees and service providers
| Organisation | Services reported | Direct | Indirect |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mekata Investment Group | Investment advisory (plan) | $176,147 | $0 |
| Wilmington Trust | Custodial (securities); Investment management | $138,334 | $0 |
| Cheiron | Actuarial | $127,363 | $0 |
| US Bank | Custodial (securities); Investment management | $30,119 | $0 |
| Manzi & Associates LLC | Accounting (including auditing) | $25,500 | $0 |
Schedule C, Part I line 2: providers that received $5,000 or more, with the form's own service codes. Individuals named on Schedule C (plan employees, individual trustees) are never shown and their compensation is excluded. Eligible indirect compensation disclosed by formula carries no dollar amount. See how to read Schedule C fees.
Administrative expenses on Schedule H
- Other administrative expenses$1,085,837
- Investment advisory and management fees$365,909
- Actuarial fees$127,363
- IQPA audit fees$25,500
- Total administrative expenses$1,604,609
Investment structure
Assets at year end by Schedule H category. The form shows the kind of vehicle holding the money, not the funds on the menu.
- Common/collective trusts$97.9M · 57.9%
- Partnership/joint venture interests$34.2M · 20.3%
- Registered investment companies (mutual funds)$26.2M · 15.5%
- Cash (interest and non-interest bearing)$8.6M · 5.1%
- Receivables$2.1M · 1.2%
- Buildings and other property used in plan operation$1,822 · 0.0%
Audit and compliance answers, as filed
- Accountant's opinionNot stated
- Audit scope limited under ERISA section 103(a)(3)(C)—
- Participant contributions reported as transmitted lateNo
- Covered by a fidelity bondYes, $500,000
- Blackout period during the yearNo
These are the plan administrator's own answers on Schedule H, Part IV. A reported late transmittal is the filer's disclosure of a timing lapse, usually corrected through the Department of Labor's voluntary program; the amount is the total involved, not a loss.
Plan characteristics
1BBenefits are primarily flat dollar (includes dollars per year of service)
Codes entered on Form 5500 line 8a, with the labels from the official instructions. Business code 721110: Hotels (except Casino Hotels) & Motels.
Similar plans in Massachusetts
| Plan | Sponsor | Participants | Net assets | Per participant |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sonesta International Hotels Corporation Pension Plan | Sonesta International Hotels Corporation | 414 | $23.0M | $55,616 |
Defined benefit plans in accommodation and food services closest in size.
Questions and answers
How big is Unite Here! Workers and Hospitality Employers VDB Pension Trust?
7,443 participants at the end of the plan year ending 31 Dec 2024, of whom 6,037 were active employees, with net assets of $168,729,664. Among defined benefit plans that places it in the 5,000 to 24,999 participants band, which held 651 plans in plan year 2024.
What does Board of Trustee Unite Here! Workers contribute per participant?
The filing reports $24,037,499 in employer contributions for the year, which is $3,982 per active participant; the median for plans of the same type and size was $9,468 in plan year 2024. Form 5500 reports the total only. It does not state the match formula, and the per-participant figure is an average, not any one person's contribution.
What fees does the plan pay and how do they compare?
Schedule C reports $497,463 in compensation to service provider organisations, $66.84 per participant or 0.29% of net assets. The same-size median among plans reporting any Schedule C compensation was $232 per participant. Administrative expenses on Schedule H were $1,604,609. Investment costs deducted inside mutual funds and other pooled vehicles are not itemised on Form 5500, so these figures are a floor rather than a full cost.
Who runs the plan?
The sponsor is Board of Trustee Unite Here! Workers. Investment advisory or management: Mekata Investment Group, Wilmington Trust and US Bank. Trustee or custodian: Wilmington Trust and US Bank. Form 5500 also names the plan administrator's signer and other individuals; this site publishes organisations only.
Was the audit opinion unqualified?
The filing does not state an accountant's opinion type.
How current is this, and does it show my balance?
This is the Form 5500 for the plan year 1 Jan 2024 to 31 Dec 2024, received by the Department of Labor on 15 Oct 2025. Filings are due seven months after the plan year ends, or nine and a half with an extension, so the public record always runs a year or more behind. It contains plan-level totals only: no individual balances, contributions or names of participants exist in the data.
Provenance
Source: U.S. Department of Labor, Employee Benefits Security Administration, Form 5500 research files (Form 5500, Schedule H, Schedule C) for plan years 2009 to 2025, public domain, with filings received through 24 Aug 2026. This page shows the latest filing on record for EIN 45-4227067, plan 026, received 15 Oct 2025; an amended filing replaces it at the next build. Medians and percentiles are computed by this site; see the methodology. Report an error through corrections.