Alcatel-Lucent to expand lump-sum offer to 32,000 more participants

Alcatel-Lucent, Murray Hill, New Jersey, announced Friday it plans to extend an offer of an immediate lump-sum payment to about 32,000 retirees and former employees in its U.S. Inactive Occupational Pension Plan.

The company said in its fourth-quarter 2014 earnings release that the offer, to take place in the fourth quarter of 2015, will run concurrently with a previously announced offer for retirees in its U.S. Management Pension Plan.

It brings the total number of retirees and former employees who have yet to retire who will receive the offer to about 74,000, Marco Malfavon, company spokesman, said in an e-mailed reply to questions.

“Payments are expected to be made from existing U.S. plan assets and we do not expect to make any contributions to U.S. plan assets in connection with either offer,” Mr. Malfavon said.

As of Dec. 31, 2013, the U.S. pension funds had $30.1 billion in assets and $26.2 billion in projected benefit obligations, for a funding ratio of 115%, according to the company’s most recent 20-F filing.

Rob Kozlowski writes for Pensions & Investments, a sister publication of Business Insurance.