Local 122's negotiated group life benefit provides basic death benefit coverage for active members — in a range from the low tens of thousands up into the mid-hundred-thousands depending on rank, tier, and CBA vintage. Your Summary Plan Description has your actual number — and Justin is happy to pull it with you on a free 15-minute call.
That's real value. But three structural gaps exist in virtually every union group plan — including this one.
For most Local 122 retirees, group life benefits step down substantially at 65 and end entirely at a specified age beyond that. The exact schedule is in your Summary Plan Description.
If you transfer, change contractors, or leave the trade for any reason, Local 122 group coverage doesn't travel with you. You typically have a narrow conversion window with higher-than-market rates.
Most working families need 8–10× annual income in total death benefit. Local 122's group plan provides 1–2× — it fills the floor but leaves the room empty.
Local 122 — the Jacksonville Association of Fire Fighters — represents the career firefighters and paramedics of the Jacksonville Fire and Rescue Department (JFRD). Because Duval County operates under a consolidated city-county government, JFRD's jurisdiction covers almost the full footprint of the county — roughly 875 square miles and nearly a million residents. That's one of the largest response areas of any consolidated metropolitan fire department in the Southeast.
Practically, this means a Local 122 member's group life benefit is tied to JFRD's negotiated CBA through the City of Jacksonville — and the terms shift when the CBA is renegotiated. Unlike a smaller city department, JFRD also staffs a dedicated marine unit, heavy-rescue, airport-rescue firefighting at JAX, and hazmat teams serving one of the largest port complexes on the East Coast. Each of those specialized roles carries its own risk profile, which matters when you're thinking about coverage sizing.
Jacksonville's median home value sits near $300,000 — low by Florida standards but rising fast. A typical JFRD firefighter-paramedic with a young family, a $300,000 mortgage, and two kids in the K–12 years needs more coverage than any group plan provides. Local 122's group life is a floor, not a ceiling — and the ceiling is where your family actually lives.
Free 15-minute call. He'll pull your group summary, calculate your real need, and show you what filling the gap costs at your age. No exam, no pressure.