In determining whether there is a collective bargaining agreement between employee representatives and 1 or more employers, the term "employee representatives" shall not include any organization more than one-half of the members of which are employees who are owners, officers, or executives of the employer. An agreement shall not be treated as a collective bargaining agreement unless it is a bona fide agreement between bona fide employee representatives and 1 or more employers.
A-1: (a) Many of the requirements and rules applicable to deferred compensation and welfare benefit plans are different for plans maintained pursuant to a collective bargaining agreement. Prior to the TRA of 1984, the Internal Revenue Code provided no clear definition of an employee representative or whether there is a collective bargaining agreement between such employee representative and one or more employers.
(b) Section 526(c) of the TRA of 1984 added a new condition under a new section 7701(a)(46) that must be satisfied in order for a plan to be considered to be a plan maintained pursuant to a collective bargaining agreement between employee representatives and one or more employers for purposes of the Code after March 31, 1984. If more than one-half of the membership of an organization is comprised of owners, officers, and executives of employers covered by the plan, then such organization is not an employee representative for purposes of determining whether a plan is to be treated as maintained pursuant to a collective bargaining agreement between employee representatives and one or more employers. Whether an individual is an owner, officer or executive is to be determined separately with respect to each employer. Additionally, section 7701(a)(46) provides that the Internal Revenue Service shall make the determination for purposes of the Code as to whether there is a collective bargaining agreement between employee representatives and one or more employers.
(b) Specific Code provisions generally require other conditions than that in section 7701(a)(46) to be satisfied in order for a plan to be considered to be collectively-bargained. For example, in order for a plan to be described in section 413(a), the Secretary of Labor must find that the plan is maintained pursuant to a collective bargaining agreement between employee representatives and one or more employers.
(c) Even if (1) the finding in the example in the preceding paragraph (b) is made by the Secretary of Labor, (2) the union has been recognized as exempt under section 501(c)(5), and (3) the percentage condition in section 7701(a)(46) is satisfied, the Internal Revenue Service has the authority, pursuant to section 7701(a)(46), to determine whether there is a collective bargaining agreement under the Code.