Union Plus Offers Prepaid Card
Jon Ross of Union Privilege lets us know about the new Union Plus prepaid debit card. And check out the great coverage on the card by the New York Times here.
Union Plus, the consumer benefits arm of the AFL-CIO, is helping union members make the most of their savings while avoiding hidden fees with the new Union Plus prepaid Visa card.
For union members with a checking or savings account, the Union Plus prepaid card does not charge insufficient funds or overdraft fees. It also offers a savings account featuring an annual percentage yield (APY) of 5.10 percent on account balances, compared with 0.15 percent nationally.
Union members without a bank account can use the card anywhere debit cards are accepted to buy gas, rent a car, shop online or make any purchase. Since the prepaid card is not a credit card, there’s no credit check and a bank or checking account is not needed to apply.
Sign Up Today for Skills Classes at National Labor College
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Time is running out to get into classes to build your union skills and learn how to be an effective union organizer and contract negotiator. The Bonnie Ladin Union Skills Program at the National Labor College (NLC) offers a series of online courses to provide tools for building a stronger union movement. The first five union skill courses set for September are filling up, so click here to enroll today.
The skills courses that begin next month include Organizing I, Contract Negotiations in the Private Sector, Grievance Mediation, Arbitration Preparation and Presentation Level I and Secretary-Treasurers LM-2 Requirements. Click here for the complete Bonnie Ladin Union Skills calendar, online registration, complete course descriptions, tuition information and more.
Get Latest Consumer Deals at Union Plus Collective Bargains Blog
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The collective bargaining power of unions is responsible for helping working men and women gain a decent quality of life. Union Plus, part of Union Privilege, the consumer benefits arm of the AFL-CIO, uses the same collective negotiating strength of more than 13 million union members to negotiate solid values for consumer programs available from nationally known providers.
Today, Union Plus launched its new Collective Bargains blog at UnionPlus.org/blog. The new blog enables union members to get the latest deals and consumer advice from Union Plus. You’ll find topics like “What’s up now?” and “Moving scams to avoid.”
Just in time for Father’s day, June 19, there’s a blog on “Union-Made Grills and Father’s Day Gift Ideas.”
You also can read about fellow union members and their experiences with Union Plus on the blog. Featured today is Gary Rothman of Laguna Niguel, Calif., a member of Office and Professional Employees (OPEIU) Local 277, who received a $500 grant for his son’s college fund.
The blog also enables you to stay on top of union issues. For example, you can check out the new Green Labor Journal from the blog now and much more.
Check out Union Plus’ new Collective Bargains blog today here.
Register Now for Online Courses at National Labor College
Lara Manzione, vice president for marketing and communications at the National Labor College, reminds union members there’s still time to register for college courses.
If graduation season is making you wish you had completed your college degree, now is the time to do something about it. The National Labor College (NLC) is the labor movement’s own institution dedicated to educating union members and families. The college is currently registering students for the fall. If you apply before June 1, 2011, the application fee ($60 value) is waived. The tuition is highly discounted for union members (about $250 per credit) and many union classes or apprenticeships are eligible for automatic credit. Union Privilege also sponsors a number of scholarships to help with tuition.
Courses are taught online so you can schedule time for school when it’s convenient for you. So, whether you need one more class to get your degree or two years’ worth, now is the time to look into the National Labor College’s bachelor’s degree programs in Labor Studies, Business Administration, Construction Management and Emergency Readiness and Response at www.nlc.edu/new-students/degree.
Union Plus Helping Prepare Next Generation of Union Leaders
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The future of the union movement will be in the hands of a very diverse group of up-and-coming young union members. Union Plus, part of Union Privilege, the consumer benefits arm of the AFL-CIO, is making sure the next generation of union leaders is well prepared.
For the the past four years, Union Plus has given annual Union Leaders of the Future Awards to young women and people of color. Honorees are paired with experienced leaders from the union movement who make a year-long commitment to provide advice, guidance and encouragement. Since 2007, more than $130,000 has been committed to the program.
This year, 10 young leaders (see in photo above) received the $3,000 awards. The honorees, who represent four unions and a wide range of backgrounds and personal experiences, will have the opportunity to increase the diversity of the next generation of union leadership.
Read the rest of this entry »
Union Plus Offers Discounts on College Test Prep Courses
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Getting into college can be stressful and expensive for students and their families. Now a new discount program from Union Plus enables union members and their children to afford the preparation needed to get an edge on college admissions.
Union Plus has joined with The Princeton Review to provide union members and their families “college readiness educational services” to prepare college-bound students for the SAT and ACT tests and graduate school hopefuls for law, medical, business and other exams.
With the new Union Plus college test preparation discount, union members can save 15 percent to 60 percent on college preparation classes provided by The Princeton Review. The courses will be delivered by The Princeton Review’s instructors and available to students via in-person or LiveOnline classes as well as individually self-paced online courses.
Vote for Your Favorite Union Plus Scholarship Video
Each year, hundreds of college students from union families get a boost toward financing their education through the Union Plus Scholarship Program. Now you can check out some of the scholarship winners in a new Union Plus Scholarship Video Contest. Among the entries are an Actor’s Equity member and an 18-year-old who’s “100 percent union made” with both parents belonging to a union. There’s also a young woman who wants corporations to understand the difference between “management” and leadership.
Check out the videos and vote for your favorite here.
Since 1991, the Union Plus Scholarship Program has provided more than $2.8 million to help fulfill the educational dreams of 1,813 students who represent millions of working families across the nation. This year some 133 students won $200,000 in scholarships. The winners represent 41 unions and will be attending colleges, universities, trade and technical schools across the country.
Taking a Break at the Convention
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When delegates to the AFL-CIO Convention take a break from the serious business on the floor, they’ve had a wide choice of interesting things to do and see in the lobby outside the hall.
The hall outside the David L. Lawrence Convention Center offers balconies overlooking the impressive skyline above the Allegheny River, which runs alongside the David Lawrence Convention Center. Inside, our Union Shop has set up a booth with union-made buttons, T-shirts and books, and the lines of delegates and guests often has been long, as many delegates take advantage of the opportunity to buy a worker-related book or labor pin to take back home after the convention.
Another exhibit that’s drawing a lot of interest is the Union Plus “Tell Your Union Story” booth, where union members are videotaped as they tell how and why they got involved with union activities and what a union means to them. The booth is sponsored by Union Privilege, which provides consumer benefits to members and retirees of participating unions. “We want to help tell the union story,” says Jon Ross, vice president of Union Privilege.
So many people don’t know the union story. We want to help spread the word. Every union member has a story about why they became a union activist or how unions help their community. We wanted to capture that.
Union Plus Story Booth: Union Members Tell Their Stories
One exhibit that’s drawing a lot of interest at the AFL-CIO Convention is the Union Plus “Tell Your Union Story” booth, where union members are videotaped telling how or why they got involved with union activities or what a union means to them.
The booth is sponsored by Union Privilege, which provides consumer benefits to members and retirees of participating unions.
“We want to help tell the union story,” says Jon Ross, vice president of Union Privilege.
So many people don’t know the union story. We want to help spread the word. Every union member has a story about why they became a union activist or how unions help their community. We wanted to capture that.
We serve union members all the time and the booth is another service.
Union Plus Awards Scholarships to 133 Winners
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The Union Plus Scholarship Program awarded $200,000 in scholarships to 133 students this year. The winners represent 41 unions and will be attending colleges, universities, trade and technical schools across the country.
Since 1991, the Union Plus Scholarship Program has provided more than $2.8 million to help fulfill the educational dreams of 1,813 students who represent millions of working families across the nation.
All members of unions participating in the Union Plus programs (as well as their spouses and dependent children) are eligible to apply for scholarships. In addition to demonstrating academic ability, applicants submit essays describing their career goals, detailing their relationship with the union movement and making the case for why they deserve a union scholarship.
This year’s scholarship recipients demonstrated strong commitments to community service and social programs. Many are members of families whose union ties go back for generations. Click here for information on eligibility and to apply for next year’s scholarships.
