were is his pension money now?

[wethree]

What is the name of your state?
Ilive in P.A.,
for about 16 years my husband worked for a company that repaired longwall mining equipment, and supposidly the company had set up some sort of retirement pension, now about 5 years ago, the company up and permanantly laid off all the workers and shut down operations at that plant, leaving everyone without a job. he got another job thank goodness, but I was wondering, since then, I wish there was some way I could retrieve what ever probably small amount of money they had put in this account, and put it into some sort of private account for him, so that when he retires he gets that money, Im afraid that that whole company, U.S. wide will someday be non exsistant ,and we will never see that money. we have no savings no retirement fund, since we have no idea what that is,or how to get one started,
we never hear from the union that he was with then, and never get any thing from the company verifying any pention or account, nothing, its like all the years of union dues and strike funds and pention money is lost forever, (I feel like he was robbed.) I would have no clue how to find out where this companys operations are.And if the union dont keep in contact with members to opt to continue paying dues, are we still part of that union?
any suggestions?

 

[JETX]

"any suggestions?"
*** Yes. What was the companies response when HE wrote them asking about the pension???

 

[wethree]

Well we actually dont know who to write, I can do that ,and what would I ask? Im not sure how to locate the companys main headquarters, if there is one,would the union office know?
I cant even find out something simple like how to set up a ira myself, the company he currently works with is with a different union, and they have a pention also, but I dint know that till yesterday!
wethree

 

[JETX]

Clearly, there is some type of communication problem here if you don't even know the benefits offered by his CURRENT employer.

Any contacts with his pension plans must be done by HIM (not you). Your post makes no mention of his former employer being out of business, only that they shut that plant. So, he should contact them. He might also be able to get some information from the union that he was with at the time.

Finally, he might be able to get some assistance from the Department of Labor at:
http://www.dol.gov/ebsa/publications/dislocated_workers_brochure.html