There are downsides to that, as well. When the union runs the plan, management is no longer responsible for a certain payout. They're only responsible for certain contributions. That means that if the plan isn't well managed (and many of them aren't), then the plan can run out of money necessary to pay out benefits, and benefits get cut. When management is responsible for managing the plan, the CBA just says what they're required to pay you in a defined benefit, and then management is required to make it happen. If they mismanage the plan, then they just have to contribute more money to make the math work. That way you know what your benefit is going to be, no matter how poorly the plan may be managed.
The reality is that A-Funds are a bad idea until there is pension reform that puts the plan as the top creditor, ensuring that it gets money before anyone else. I don't see that happening, so everyone is better off with a B-Fund unless you work at a company like FedEx that is almost certain to never go bankrupt.
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