CONTACT: Wayne Ranick (412) 562-2444, wranick@usw.org
(Pittsburgh) – James D. English, retired Secretary-Treasurer of the United Steelworkers (USW), has been appointed by Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis to the 2012 Advisory Council on Employee Welfare and Pension Plans (the ERISA 
Advisory Council.) Mr. English is one of five appointees to the 15-member council that advises on policies and regulations affecting employee benefit plans governed by the Employment Retirement Income Security Act. The council will be able to call on his extensive experience in representing employees in pension and other retirement matters
“There is nobody more qualified than Jim when it comes to addressing how best to secure health and retirement benefits for American workers,” said USW International President Leo W. Gerard. “His appointment is great news for our members and millions of American workers.”
Mr. English is treasurer of the BlueGreen Alliance and Blue Green Alliance Foundation, a joint initiative of labor and environmental groups, which seeks to increase environmentally friendly jobs in the U.S. He recently retired after 41 years with the United Steelworkers, where he most recently served as secretary-treasurer overseeing investments and financial operations. He also has served as a trustee for both single and multi-employer pension plans. In addition, Mr. English is Vice President of Hekima Place, a Pittsburgh-based charitable organization that operates a home in Kenya for girls orphaned by AIDS.
By law, members of the council serve for staggered three-year terms. Mr. English’s appointment will be for a term ending on December 31, 2014. Employee organizations, employers and the general public are represented by three members for each category. Additionally, there is one representative each from the fields of insurance, corporate trust, actuarial counseling, investment counseling, investment management and accounting.
The ERISA Advisory Council is a Federal Advisory Committee established by the Employment Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 and subject to the Federal Advisory Committee Act (FACA). Section 512(b) of ERISA provides that the duty of the council is to advise the Labor Secretary and make recommendations relating to the secretarial functions of the Act.
The USW represents 850,000 workers in North America employed in many industries that include metals, rubber, chemicals, paper, oil refining and the service and public sectors. For more information: http://www.usw.org/
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