WASHINGTON - Senators Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and Bernie Moreno (R-OH) joined Representatives Brad Finstad (R-MN), Mike Carey (R-OH), Brendan Boyle (D-PA), and John Larson (D-CT) to introduce the Multiemployer Plan Relief Act,a bipartisan bill that provides targeted relief from the automatic enrollment mandate for multiemployer union retirement plans.

Multiemployer unions provide retirement plans to workers in industries such as construction and trucking, where individuals may have multiple employers rather than consistently working for one company. When workers are automatically enrolled for new plans, as currently mandated, they may be enrolled multiple times as they change employers. This happens because payroll systems and plan administrators often struggle to coordinate enrollment status, which creates confusion, compliance risks, and ultimately harms the worker whose plan is supposed to support them.

"Workers in construction, trucking, and manufacturing rely on multiemployer union retirement plans to build financial security and prepare for their futures. While automatic enrollment can be a helpful tool to boost retirement savings, it doesn't work the same way in multiemployer settings, where frequent job changes and uncoordinated payroll systems pose serious logistical challenges,"said Sen. Klobuchar. "Our bipartisan legislation provides relief for workers and businesses with multiemployer union retirement plans, so that we're not imposing one-size-fits-all mandates where they don't fit."

"Hardworking Ohioans deserve retirement plans that work for them," said Sen. Moreno."This bill removes unnecessary red tape from automatic enrollment rules, allowing Americans' rightfully earned benefit plans to continue serving them without added compliance burdens from frequent job changes."

"At its core, this is about fairness and flexibility. Entities offering multi-employer plans shouldn't be forced into rules that don't work for them. This bipartisan legislation ensures workers still have access to retirement savings without putting unnecessary burdens on the plans that serve them," said Rep. Finstad.

"Hard-working Americans deserve to have more options for how to save for their retirements - not less," Rep. Carey said. "By avoiding mandatory enrollment into 401(k) plans when they are offered, employees and employers maintain more choices when making retirement savings decisions. Our bipartisan legislation removes bureaucratic burdens to ensure workers in multi-employer pension plans have access to strong retirement savings and benefits."

"This bill is a commonsense fix that protects workers' access to hard-earned retirement benefits by cutting unnecessary red tape on multi-employer plans. I'm proud to partner across the aisle to make sure these plans can continue serving working families,"said Rep. Boyle.

"Retirement security is not a one-size-fits-all approach, especially for union workers with multi-employer plans," said Rep. Larson. "I am proud to join this bipartisan effort with my colleagues to cut through red tape so union workers can adequately save for their retirement. I will continue to fight to ensure all Americans who work their entire lives can retire with dignity, both by enhancing Social Security benefits and expanding access to private retirement plans."

This legislation is endorsed by the National Coordinating Committee for Multiemployer Plans and trades representing workers in multiemployer settings.

"The introduction of the Multiemployer Plan Relief Act is a critical step forward for multiemployer plans. By addressing the unintended consequences of SECURE 2.0, this legislation ensures that Taft-Hartley plans can continue delivering efficient, union-negotiated retirement benefits without unnecessary administrative burdens,"said Matt Fairbanks, Business Manager and President of Sheet Metal Workers Local #10.

"We applaud Congress for advancing a bipartisan fix that protects the integrity of multiemployer retirement systems. The Multiemployer Plan Relief Act will help preserve plan flexibility and encourage broader adoption of 401(k) features, ultimately strengthening retirement security for millions of working families,"said Michael Scott, the Executive Director of NCCMP.

The Multiemployer Plan Relief Actwould provide a targeted exemption from the SECURE 2.0 Act's automatic enrollment requirement for multiemployer union retirement plans, recognizing their unique, collectively bargained structure. Such an exemption is currently provided for governmental and church plans.

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