Theresa A. Christian-Business Communications
Individual Project
I chose to write this paper on the organization that I am employed with, the Service Employees Pension Fund of Upstate New York (SEPF/fund). I focused my paper on the main office which is located in Syracuse, NY. I am employed at the Albany location. This gave me the opportunity to look at the office as an outsider seeing as I only make a trip to Syracuse a couple times a year. Interviewing with the fund manager also helped me to get an idea of how she feels about the fund and how she believes others view it.
The SEPF was founded in 1965; it was created to provide a 6 year retirement benefit. It now provides a monthly lifetime benefit for members that meet the eligibility requirements. The plan also offers disability benefits for members that are eligible. The plan is sponsored by the Service Employees International Union. The board of trustees is made up of three union and three employer representatives. The members of this plan do not contribute any of their own money. The employers are responsible for contributing a negotiated dollar amount based on the hours worked by their employees enrolled in this plan. That money is held in a trust fund and invested; this money is what the fund uses to pay out monthly benefits. The plan serves just over 7,000 members within New York State. There are two offices, one located in Syracuse, NY which is the main office and a smaller office located in Albany, NY. The staff in the Syracuse office is the fund manager, bookkeeper, computer tech., benefit fund specialist and receptionist. The Albany office where I am located is staffed by two benefit coordinators. The staff is comprised of both men and woman varying in age and race. A d ...