Arizona › Retail trade › 25,000 or more participants
Form 5500 statement · plan year 1 Jan 2024 to 31 Dec 2024
Desert States Employers & UFCW Unions Pension Plan
Sponsored by Board of Trustees, Desert States Employers & UFCW, Phoenix, AZ
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.
Desert States Employers & UFCW Unions Pension Plan is a defined benefit pension plan sponsored by Board of Trustees, Desert States Employers & UFCW of Phoenix, Arizona. For the plan year ending 31 Dec 2024 it reported 55,607 participants, 24,360 of them active, and net assets of $1.04B. It is a multiemployer plan, maintained under collective bargaining agreements with more than one employer.
Net assets came to $18,617 per participant, well below the $88,040 median for defined benefit plans with 25,000 or more participants and well below the $30,870 median for defined benefit plans in retail trade. 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 $30.8M for the year ($1,263 per active participant) and benefits paid were $66.6M. 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 15 service provider organisations paid $5,000 or more, with reported compensation of $4.5M: $81.25 per participant, well below the same-size median of $143. Administrative expenses charged to the plan were $7.0M. 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 $517M in 2009 to $1.04B in 2024 (up 100%), and participants from 36,442 to 55,607 (up 53%).
The independent accountant's opinion on the financial statements was unmodified (unqualified).
Compared with similar plans
| Measure | This plan | Same size | Same industry | All US DB plans |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Net assets per participant | $18,617 | $88,040 | $30,870 | $86,221 |
| Employer contributions per active participant | $1,263 | $6,524 | $2,829 | $10,244 |
| Schedule C compensation per participant | $81.25 | $143 | $165 | $344 |
| Schedule C compensation, share of net assets | 0.44% | 0.26% | 0.59% | 0.42% |
| Administrative expenses per participant | $126 | $306 | $310 | $527 |
Peer columns are medians for plan year 2024 across defined benefit plans with 100 or more participants: 25,000 or more participants (215 plans), retail trade (132) 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 | 55,607 | $1.04B | $18,617 | $30.8M | — | $4.5M |
| 2023 | 53,889 | $1.00B | $18,580 | $32.7M | — | $4.0M |
| 2022 | 48,107 | $951M | $19,778 | $31.1M | — | $4.2M |
| 2021 | 53,586 | $1.09B | $20,354 | $32.2M | — | $6.1M |
| 2020 | 49,709 | $961M | $19,324 | $32.5M | — | $4.1M |
| 2019 | 49,809 | $874M | $17,555 | $27.5M | — | $4.5M |
| 2018 | 49,070 | $794M | $16,186 | $28.5M | — | $4.3M |
| 2017 | 47,323 | $833M | $17,600 | $29.9M | — | $4.2M |
| 2016 | 45,589 | $758M | $16,631 | $27.7M | — | $4.1M |
| 2015 | 42,190 | $726M | $17,210 | $26.7M | — | $4.1M |
| 2014 | 40,299 | $747M | $18,537 | $27.2M | — | $3.7M |
| 2013 | 40,977 | $729M | $17,798 | $28.7M | — | $3.7M |
| 2012 | 41,777 | $632M | $15,116 | $30.1M | — | $3.3M |
| 2011 | 40,726 | $568M | $13,940 | $32.5M | — | $3.3M |
| 2010 | 37,507 | $566M | $15,089 | $29.6M | — | $3.3M |
| 2009 | 36,442 | $517M | $14,182 | $25.6M | — | $3.1M |
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$1,001,262,645
- Employer contributions$30,756,073
- Participant contributions—
- Rollovers and other contributions—
- Total contributions$30,756,073
- Total income, including investment results$107,534,346
- Benefits paid$66,575,773
- Administrative expenses$6,992,325
- Total expenses$73,568,098
- Net income$33,966,248
- Net transfers$0
- Net assets, end of year$1,035,228,893
Participants
- Active participants24,360
- Retired or separated, receiving benefits10,761
- Retired or separated, entitled to future benefits19,561
- Participants with account balances0
- Total participants, end of year55,607
Fees and service providers
| Organisation | Services reported | Direct | Indirect |
|---|---|---|---|
| Southwest Service Administrators | Contract Administrator | $911,802 | $0 |
| New England Pension Consultants | Investment advisory (plan) | $646,212 | $0 |
| The Northern Trust Bank | Custodial (securities); Other services | $459,548 | $0 |
| BNY Mellon | Investment management | $348,495 | $0 |
| Ullico Investment Advisors Inc. | Investment management | $267,486 | $0 |
| The Segal Company | Consulting (general) | $216,833 | $0 |
| Miller Kaplan Arase LLP | Accounting (including auditing) | $212,580 | $0 |
| Horizon Actuarial Services, LLC | Actuarial; Consulting (general) | $203,011 | $0 |
| Wedge Capital Management | Investment management | $189,359 | $0 |
| JP Morgan Asset Management | Investment advisory (plan); Investment management | $172,400 | $0 |
| LSV | Investment management | $142,439 | $0 |
| Foundry Microcap | Investment management fees paid directly by plan; 'Soft dollars' commissions; Securities brokerage commissions and fees | $128,500 | $0 |
Schedule C, Part I line 2: providers that received $5,000 or more, with the form's own service codes. 3 smaller rows are not shown. 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$2,406,509
- Investment advisory and management fees$2,376,651
- Contract administrator fees$911,802
- Trustee and custodial fees$459,548
- Actuarial fees$419,844
- IQPA audit fees$125,000
- Other trustee fees and expenses$108,415
- Legal fees$96,976
- Recordkeeping fees$87,580
- Total administrative expenses$6,992,325
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.
- Partnership/joint venture interests$484M · 46.6%
- Common/collective trusts$233M · 22.4%
- 103-12 investment entities$97.6M · 9.4%
- Other investments$82.7M · 8.0%
- Corporate stocks$51.0M · 4.9%
- Receivables$24.1M · 2.3%
- Registered investment companies (mutual funds)$23.5M · 2.3%
- Cash (interest and non-interest bearing)$22.0M · 2.1%
- Pooled separate accounts$20.8M · 2.0%
Audit and compliance answers, as filed
- Accountant's opinionUnmodified (unqualified)
- Audit scope limited under ERISA section 103(a)(3)(C)No
- Accounting firmMiller Kaplan Arase LLP
- Participant contributions reported as transmitted lateNo
- Covered by a fidelity bondYes, $2,000,000
- Blackout period during the year—
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 445110: Supermarkets and Other Grocery (except Convenience) Stores.
Similar plans in Arizona
| Plan | Sponsor | Participants | Net assets | Per participant |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Atkinson Trading Company Defined Benefit and Cash Balance Plan | Atkinson Trading Company, Inc. | 110 | — | — |
Defined benefit plans in retail trade closest in size.
Questions and answers
How big is Desert States Employers & UFCW Unions Pension Plan?
55,607 participants at the end of the plan year ending 31 Dec 2024, of whom 24,360 were active employees, with net assets of $1,035,228,893. Among defined benefit plans that places it in the 25,000 or more participants band, which held 215 plans in plan year 2024.
What does Board of Trustees, Desert States Employers & UFCW contribute per participant?
The filing reports $30,756,073 in employer contributions for the year, which is $1,263 per active participant; the median for plans of the same type and size was $6,524 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 $4,518,339 in compensation to service provider organisations, $81.25 per participant or 0.44% of net assets. The same-size median among plans reporting any Schedule C compensation was $143 per participant. Administrative expenses on Schedule H were $6,992,325. 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 Trustees, Desert States Employers & UFCW. Recordkeeping or administration: Southwest Service Administrators. Investment advisory or management: New England Pension Consultants, BNY Mellon and Ullico Investment Advisors Inc.. Trustee or custodian: The Northern Trust Bank. The financial statements were audited by Miller Kaplan Arase LLP. Form 5500 also names the plan administrator's signer and other individuals; this site publishes organisations only.
Was the audit opinion unqualified?
The filing reports an unmodified (unqualified) opinion. Unmodified (formerly "unqualified") is the standard clean opinion.
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 84-6277982, plan 001, 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.