Foley v. International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local Union 98 Pension Fund

# Foley v. International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local Union 98 Pension Fund ## What Happened Foley had a dispute with his union pension fund over whether he qualified for a break-in-service exception—a rule that lets workers keep their pension credits even if they temporarily leave their job. The pension fund trustees rejected his claim using stricter standards than they applied to other workers in similar situations. ## What the Court Decided The court ruled in Foley's favor, finding that the pension fund violated federal pension law (ERISA) by treating him unfairly. The trustees couldn't apply tougher requirements to him than to other participants. The court ordered the fund to restore his pension credits. ## Why This Matters for Workers This case protects workers' pension rights. It establishes that pension funds must treat all workers equally when deciding eligibility questions. If a fund accepts one worker's exception claim, they can't arbitrarily reject another worker's identical claim. This decision ensures workers receive fair treatment and don't lose earned pension benefits due to inconsistent rules.