ARTICLE 15 - TRANSFER OF CONTRIBUTIONS

15.1 Purpose. By allowing for a transfer of contributions between participating Funds, a pension is provided or enhanced under this Plan for employees who would otherwise be ineligible for a pension because their years of employment have been divided between different pension plans or, if eligible, whose pension would be less than the full amount because of such division of employment. The provisions of this Article are operative only if the Electrical Industry Pension Reciprocal Agreement has been adopted by the signatory Funds in whose jurisdiction the employee works.

Transfer of contributions to or from this Plan shall or may be made pursuant to forms or methods as set forth in the Electrical Industry Pension Reciprocal Agreement from time-to-time. It is the sole responsibility of the individual requesting a transfer of contributions to timely register for transfers in accord with the provisions of the Electrical Industry Pension Reciprocal Agreement and to file any and all required forms, if any, with the appropriate Plan.

15.2 Home Pension Fund. This Plan is the Home Defined Benefit Pension Fund of employees who are members of IBEW Local Unions 11, 440, 441 and 477, all of which Local Unions participate in this Plan by virtue of Collective Bargaining Agreements requiring contributions to this Plan. If an employee is not a member of an IBEW Local Union, or the employee's IBEW Local Union does not have a pension fund, or the employee is not a Participant in or has no credited service in his Local Union's fund, then his Home Defined Benefit Fund will be the Participating Fund or Funds in which he currently is a Participant or has credited service at the time he files an authorization form requesting reciprocity.

15.3 Participating Pension Fund. Each jointly administered Defined Contribution Plan or jointly administered Defined Benefit Plan which has executed the Electrical Industry Pension Reciprocal Agreement which covers employment within the jurisdiction of an IBEW Local Union is considered a Participating Pension Fund.

15.4 At least monthly, each Participating Pension Fund(s) shall transfer to the electing Employee's Home Fund(s) an amount of money equal to all contributions received. There shall be no administrative fee charged by a Participating Fund for the transfer or for any other reason. If the Employee electing reciprocity has two Home Funds, a Defined Benefit Fund and a Defined Contribution Fund, the Participating Funds shall transfer all monies to whichever Home Fund is the same type as the Participating Fund (Defined Benefit to Defined Benefit, Defined Contribution to Defined Contribution). If the Employee electing reciprocity has only one Home Fund, the Participating Fund(s) shall transfer all monies to that Home Fund. All hours worked in any Participating Pension Fund for which contributions are transferred pursuant to an Employee's election for reciprocity shall be counted as vested service by the Employee's Home Pension Fund receiving the transferred contributions on an hour-for-hour basis. In computing the amount of benefits payable under the Home Pension Fund receiving reciprocal contributions, full credit shall be given to Employer Contributions forwarded to said Pension Fund by Participating Pension Funds, as well as those employer contributions received or required to be received by the Home Pension Fund directly from its contributing employers. The eligibility for and/or payment of the pension will be solely subject to the provisions of the Home Pension Fund receiving reciprocal contributions.

15.5 Special Provisions. Participants in this Plan may also participate in the Southern California IBEW-NECA Defined Contribution Plan and/or the Orange County IBEW-NECA Defined Contribution Plan. For Plan Years commencing on and after July 1, 2004, notwithstanding anything in this Plan to the contrary, no Plan Year in which at least 375 hours of reciprocal contributions are made on behalf of a Participant to either of these Defined Contribution Plans shall constitute a portion of a 'Grace Period' of such a Participant under this Plan. Effective June 1, 2004, the preceding sentence includes contributions that are contributed directly to either the Southern California IBEW-NECA Defined Contribution Plan or the Orange County IBEW-NECA Defined Contribution Plan through the terms of a collective bargaining agreement, Non-Bargaining Participation Agreement or a reciprocity authorization.

Reciprocity contributions shall be received from Participating Pension Funds pursuant to appropriate authorizations by the Employee under the Electrical Industry Pension Reciprocity Agreement. Contributions which a Participating Pension Fund is willing to transfer may be received for a period not to exceed 18 months prior to Employee's authorization.

Reciprocity contributions shall be transmitted to Participating Pension Funds on a prospective basis pursuant to an Employee's authorization under the Electrical Industry Pension Reciprocity Agreement. If a Participating Pension Fund is willing to accept a transfer of contributions received prior to the employee's authorization for transfer such contributions shall be transferred for a period not to exceed 18 months prior to the employee's authorization for transfer.

The provisions of this Article 15 shall be effective for reciprocal contributions received by the Pension Trust Fund on and after June 1, 2005. The preceding provisions of this Section are effective on the stated effective date. Hourly contributions received by the Southern California IBEW-NECA Defined Contribution Plan via reciprocity for hours worked prior to February, 1996 shall also qualify as Vesting Hours under the Pension Plan.

15.6 All provisions of this Article are subject to the limitations and restrictions of Article 17 which govern benefits first commencing on and after October 28, 2009.