Member Stories

Susan White originally decided to join the union because the job was located in close proximity to her home and the pay was good. For 13 years, she worked as a United Automobile, Aerospace and Agricultural Implement Workers of America (UAW) member in an automotive assembly plant near Statesville, NC.

“I was an assembly setup press operator, assembly line operator, inspector, tagger, labeler, boxer – a jack of all trades really. At the plant, we assembled car parts,” she explained.

White entered the Union Plus 30th Anniversary American Dream Sweepstakes after learning about it through a Union Plus e-newsletter. She was elated when she found out she had been randomly drawn as a $500 winner.

The Union Plus member benefits program is celebrating three decades of serving union members with an American dream-themed sweepstakes sponsored by the Union Plus Credit Card Program.* Each week, 12 winners were randomly drawn to receive a $500 Mastercard® gift card prize. And, one winner, Frank Valone, an AFSCME retiree, was drawn to win the $30,000 grand prize.

White has participated in the Union Plus Credit Card Program for the past two decades and considers it one of her most valued Union Plus benefits, as it has enabled her to establish good credit.

When asked how she would describe the American dream, she spoke about home ownership and the benefits of union membership.

“The American dream right now is being able to survive and keep my house,” she said. “Unions fight for fair wages and benefits for members. They keep our wages going up, save our benefits, and keep our health insurance costs at a minimum. They do a very good job at those things.”

White plans to put her $500 toward the basics. “I’m going to use the money for my essentials right now because that’s where it’s most needed,” she said.

To read the stories of the Union Plus American Dream Sweepstakes winners, visit unionplus.org/winners.

Recently retired International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) Local 96 member Bill McMilleon of Pekin, IL, boasts a union career dating back to 1969.

“I was a union electrician in the construction field and I worked on projects like schools, hospitals, and power stations. During the past 22 years, I worked as an electrician in a steel mill. My duties varied with each individual job. Some jobs were a few weeks long, while others lasted several months,” he said. “Through my years with the union, I worked in the same role in both Massachusetts and Illinois.”

McMilleon was ecstatic to learn that he was drawn as a $500 winner in the Union Plus 30th Anniversary American Dream Sweepstakes.

The Union Plus member benefits program celebrated three decades of serving union members with an American dream-themed sweepstakes sponsored by the Union Plus Credit Card Program.* Each week, 12 winners were randomly drawn to receive a $500 Mastercard® gift card prize. And, one winner, Frank Valone, an AFSCME retiree, was drawn to win the $30,000 grand prize. Read his story here.

When asked how he would describe the American dream, McMilleon said it is reflective of the life he is currently living.

“The dream is about being able to own a house and support your family. I think unions help members reach those goals by providing fair working opportunities,” he said.

With $500 extra in his pocket, McMilleon wants to put the money toward his beloved hobby of woodworking.

“I’m probably going to use it to buy a new table saw. I like to make furniture and various things for my grandkids.”

To read the stories of the Union Plus American Dream Sweepstakes winners, visit unionplus.org/winners.

In 1978, Peggy Kienle of Pottstown, PA, began her career as a telephone operator and Communications Workers of America (CWA) member.

“The company I worked for created an entirely new department to set up toll free 800 service for customers, which I was part of. I started out as a telephone operator connecting long distance calls,” she said.

Kienle was overjoyed to learn that she was randomly selected as a $500 winner in the Union Plus 30th Anniversary American Dream Sweepstakes.

The Union Plus member benefits program celebrated three decades of serving union members with an American dream-themed sweepstakes sponsored by the Union Plus Credit Card Program.* Each week, 12 winners were randomly drawn to receive a $500 Mastercard® gift card prize. At the end of the sweepstakes period, one winner, Frank Valone, an AFSCME retiree, was drawn as the winner of the $30,000 grand prize. Read his story here.

Kienle is a fan of many of Union Plus’ discounts and benefits, and her favorite is the Union Plus Credit Card Program, which she has been enrolled in for over two decades.

When asked for her definition of the American dream, the sweepstakes theme, Kienle said it boils down to the basics.

“It’s about having a roof over your head, enough food, and a decent paying job that helps you support your family. For most of my life, I believe I’ve lived the American dream. The unions help fight for a decent wage and benefits for union members,” she explained.

Kienle used the money she won to shop for gifts, among other things.

“I used it to buy an Amazon.com gift card for each of my grandkids, and to cover the cost of gifts and shipping those gifts to each of my three children. I have $10.18 left and I think I may spend those last dollars at the grocery store.”

To read the stories of the Union Plus American Dream Sweepstakes winners, visit unionplus.org/winners.

Sergio Hurtado joined the United Food & Commercial Workers (UFCW) in the past year, working as a zoning inspector in Rockville, MD. A typical day on the job for him involves investigating land-use complaints and ensuring building activities comply with zoning for their areas. Recently, Hurtado learned that he was randomly selected as a $500 winner in the Union Plus 30th Anniversary American Dream Sweepstakes.

The Union Plus member benefits program is celebrating three decades of serving union members with an American dream-themed sweepstakes sponsored by the Union Plus Credit Card Program.* Each week, 12 winners were randomly drawn to receive a $500 Mastercard® gift card prize. And, one winner, Frank Valone, an AFSCME retiree, was drawn to win the $30,000 grand prize.

Hurtado said he learned about the sweepstakes by reading one of the Union Plus e-newsletters. When he was informed he had won, it was difficult for him to believe.

When asked about the American dream theme of the sweepstakes, he described what it means to him.

“The American dream is about working in an area, which is fulfilling to you. It’s about having more time for family and being able to provide for them comfortably. That’s pretty much what it is, for me anyways,” he explained. “It applies to union members’ work as well. There are always times when employees might be treated unfairly and it’s important to have the representation and support, which unions provide.”

Now that Hurtado is $500 richer, he said he is starting to think of a few ways to spend the winnings. “I probably won’t buy anything too big. I’ll probably just pay some bills and buy some presents for my family members,” he said.

To read the stories of the Union Plus American Dream Sweepstakes winners, visit unionplus.org/winners.

At the age of 87, Florence Gardy doesn’t skip a beat when talking about her 29-year career as a registration coordinator at a local university and her union membership with the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME). During her working years, she assisted students with enrolling in their classes each semester. It was a job she thoroughly enjoyed.

Now, Gardy, of Harpursville, NY, is talking about being selected as one of the lucky $500 winners in the Union Plus 30th Anniversary American Dream Sweepstakes.

The Union Plus member benefits program celebrated three decades of serving union members with an American dream-themed sweepstakes sponsored by the Union Plus Credit Card Program.* Each week, 12 winners were randomly drawn to receive a $500 Mastercard® gift card prize. At the end of the sweepstakes period, one winner, Frank Valone, a fellow AFSCME retiree, was drawn as the winner of the $30,000 grand prize.

Gardy participates in the Union Plus Credit Card Program and has carried an AFSCME Advantage Credit Card since the 1980s.

“The customer service is great. One time, someone stole my card number, and a customer service representative was working on my situation immediately. That reason alone makes me a fan of the credit card program,” she explained.

Now with $500 in her pocket, Gardy said she has extremely specific plans for how she will spend it.

“I’m going to give a percentage of it to my church, and then I’m going to buy me the best KitchenAid® stand mixer in the color red. I don’t care what anyone has to say about it!”

To read the stories of the Union Plus American Dream Sweepstakes winners, visit unionplus.org/winners.

David Fairhurst, of Brooklyn, NY, has always been an aficionado of the arts. As both an Actors’ Equity Association (AEA) and a Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) member, his professional background includes both television acting and theater.

“For myself, and most actors, the day-to-day consisted of looking for work mostly —sending out headshots, going to auditions, researching upcoming projects. When you’re an actor, you actually spend most of the time not acting, but looking for work,” he explained. “I had some small roles in TV shows, like Law & Order. I also did a lot of theater as well.”

Fairhurst recently learned that he was randomly drawn as a $500 winner in the Union Plus 30th Anniversary American Dream Sweepstakes.

The Union Plus member benefits program celebrated three decades of serving union members with an American Dream-themed sweepstakes sponsored by the Union Plus Credit Card Program.* Each week, 12 winners were randomly drawn to receive a $500 Mastercard® gift card prize. And, one winner, Frank Valone, an AFSCME retiree, was drawn to win a $30,000 grand prize. Read Frank’s story.

When asked to describe what the “American dream” means to him, which was the theme of the sweepstakes, Fairhurst spoke to the value of work passion and the protection that unions offer.

“I think the American dream is being able to make a living doing work that you love, that is respected - and hopefully making more money than your parents did!” he laughed.

“I think unions certainly have a long history of helping members achieve the American dream. It’s very easy to exploit actors because they’re mostly young, very ambitious, and desperate to work - even for free. But you can’t make a living that way. There needs to be some standards and basic salary requirements. Without the AEA and SAG-AFTRA, it would be impossible to be an actor. That’s what’s great about them.”

Fairhurst told Union Plus that the $500 he won is, “more than likely going to end up being spent on gifts for family and friends.”

To read more Union Plus American Dream Sweepstakes winners’ stories, visit unionplus.org/winners.

Carrie Biggs-Adams, a San Francisco-based business representative who bargains contracts for her local union, has been part of the CWA for the past 41 years.

“Our local represents people in California and Oregon at various television stations. I sit at the negotiating table and represent people’s issues – trying to get better wages, working conditions, and economic justices for union members. We fix these issues one negotiation at a time,” she explained. “Right now I’m bargaining with a public broadcasters and a Spanish language television station.

But bargaining union contracts was not always part of Biggs-Adams career aspirations.

“I started out working as a television engineer and we went on strike six weeks after I went to work there. I was the eighth woman in a thousand men in that particular bargaining unit. Since those days, I’ve worked for 15 years on the national staff with the CWA as part of NABET,” she said.

No stranger to bargain hunting, Biggs-Adams was thrilled to learn about the savings programs available to union members through Union Plus, specifically the 25% Flowers & Gifts discount.

“I’ve been ordering floral arrangements through this program for at least 10 years and I order flowers about once per month for friends and family,” she said. “Just last week my two brothers and all of my cousins asked me to order a birthday arrangement for my aunt who is turning 97. We agreed that yellow should be the color!”

Biggs-Adams said she feels the savings are great for what she needs and she feels appreciated to receive a discount for her union affiliation.

“I love getting the discount and how the website works. I’m always able to find the perfect plant and arrangement that I’m searching for,” she told Union Plus. “I know that when I order flowers, whether they’re Easter flowers or birthday flowers, they’re going to get there on time.”

Order beautiful flower arrangements and gift baskets through Teleflora and make someone’s day. Flowers are perfect for birthdays and holidays, and is a lovely way to say, "Get well," "Thank you!” or “Congrats.” Union members can save 25% on all Teleflora flowers and GiftTree gift baskets.

Order online or call 888-667-7779 and use promo code BLUP25  to place your order today.

"I did what I could to keep some money coming in during hard times,” he says. “And I got help when I needed it with Union Plus mortgage assistance.”

Hudson had chosen the Union Plus Mortgage program when he refinanced his house. At that point the special assistance programs that Union Plus offers weren’t a high priority. “I had some coworkers who had been laid off but I’d always stayed pretty busy,” he says. “I’ve never missed a mortgage payment and I certainly never plan to.”

But the long recession affected both residential construction and bank construction—and that meant less work even for highly-trained IBEW technicians like Hudson. After months of being laid off, and struggling to keep the bills paid, he remembered the benefits of his union mortgage and contacted Union Plus for assistance.

“I’d never planned to use the program, but I was glad Union Plus was there for me when I needed them,” he says.

Choosing a union mortgage means more than just getting a great rate. It also means you have access to Union Plus mortgage assistance, which could help you keep your home in the event of a strike, lockout, layoff or disability.

After reading more about the program online, Hudson applied and quickly received $2,500 in interest-free assistance, which he started repaying at $75 month. Then when work picked up again as the economy improved, he paid the rest off in one big chunk. “I’ve just worked 30 days without a day off,” he laughs. “I figured I’d get the money paid back so help will be there for other union members who need it.”

Hudson doesn’t hesitate when he’s asked the best thing about being in the IBEW. “It’s the pay and benefits,” he says. But Union Plus programs are nice to have, whether it’s mortgage assistance or even saving money on flowers.

“Union Plus has a lot to offer. I’ve used that discount on flowers at least 10 times,” he laughs.

The Union Plus Mortgage program provides more than $43.6 billion in mortgages to help more than 280,000 union members and their families buy or refinance a home. It is packed with unique benefits tailored to meet the needs of active or retired union members, as well as their parents and children, who want to buy or refinance a home. 

One of the many other benefits of the Union Plus Mortgage program include a hardship assistance. Union Plus Mortgage Assistance helps members and their families who are unemployed, recently disabled, on strike, or locked out make their mortgage payments with interest-free loans and grants. Mortgage Assistance has provided more than $11 million to help members keep their loans current and stay in their homes.

“It was Union Plus calling, wondering if I’d checked my email,” he said. “They waited while I did, and when I read I had won, the worst week of my life suddenly took a turn for the good. I felt hopeful, and I was so grateful. I’ll never think of Friday the 13^th the same way again.”

Valone’s $30,000 grand prize marked the end of the American Dream Sweepstakes sponsored by the Union Plus Credit Card Program, which celebrated three decades of the Union Plus member benefits program.

Prior to his retirement in 2002, Valone was a 15-year senior plant utilities engineer at the Roswell Park Cancer Center. Founded in 1898 and headquartered in Buffalo, NY, the Center is America’s first facility dedicated to cancer research. Valone savored his role because his team served as the Center’s catalyst, making sure it received the power it needed to operate 24 hours a day.

“The union was a true fraternity,” he said. “They negotiated contracts and provided benefits that I feel were well earned and deserved. We worked hard, giving the facility what it needed to succeed, and the union worked hard for us.”

Valone, a loyal Union Plus Credit Card holder for 25 years, exclusively uses it for his first love — travel.

“My wife, Michele, and I took a cross-country vacation this summer to Oregon and Washington to visit my son using our Union Plus Credit Card,” he said. “We saw Mt. Rushmore in South Dakota along the way, and I hope to get back and see the Crazy Horse Memorial.”

Valone entered the sweepstakes because it gave him a chance to dream, but he never imagined winning.

“It’s been tremendous,” he said. “My wife and I want to use this money to travel more – maybe to Maine or to Pennsylvania to ride steam trains, but it’s also great to know that while I have good insurance, this money could come in handy with my healthcare expenses.”

For Valone, father of four and grandfather of six, health is his sole focus, and he is amid intense treatment for his cancer at the very facility he helped power across his career. His prognosis is good and his sweepstakes win has buoyed him.

“I’ve enjoyed this win very much,” he said. “Even though I have this battle in front me, it gives me some assurance that things are going to be okay.”

Valone’s story caps the Union Plus 30th Anniversary American Dream Sweepstakes.

To read the stories of all the winners, visit UnionPlus.org/Winners. 

If you’ve traversed a railroad bridge or tunnel in Nevada or Wyoming, Rex Cutler could probably name it. The lifetime Brotherhood of Maintenance of Way Employees (BMWED) Local 1227 member did the heavy lifting on the cornerstones of rail infrastructure in both states. Now in retirement and thanks to Union Plus, he’s fully prepared to hit the open road along with his wife, Dawn.

Rex and Dawn are proud owners of a 40-foot trailer that’s meant to fulfill their wanderlust. However, they felt like there was one hitch in their plan – they needed more horsepower underneath the hood than their previous vehicle could muster.

“With that trailer, we intend to camp a lot more. We made up our minds that to do it right, we needed a more powerful vehicle,” said Dawn Cutler, the family’s chief car buying officer.

Doing it right meant the Ogden, Utah, couple sought a perfect deal on a full-bed diesel truck, hopefully in maroon. Rex and Dawn began the process by visiting the same dealership where they had purchased every car since 1989.

“We went in and tried to negotiate a good price based in our loyalty to the dealership,” said Cutler. “Unfortunately, there just wasn’t a deal there. We walked out. I told Rex that I’d search online and that’s when I remembered the Union Plus Auto Buying Service.”

Dawn confirmed they were eligible for the Union Plus Auto Buying Service, which saves BMWED members an average of more than $3,106 off MSRP on new vehicles. For used vehicle purchases, Union Plus offers up to $1,000 in discounts and often can provide free CarFax reports throughout the buying process. Additionally, the Cutlers were eligible for a $100 rebate since they were purchasing a new, union-made vehicle*.

“Originally, when we signed up for the service, I didn’t even know we were eligible for the rebate,” said Cutler. “It had all gone so smoothly. Suddenly we had a variety of competing prices to choose from. We got a great deal. Then lo and behold, a little while later, a check arrived. We were shocked. It’s such an excellent service.”

The Cutlers put their new ride right to work, pulling their trailer to the Idaho wilderness, and exploring the scenic wonders of southern Utah. They’ve found that having a huskier engine and more capacity enables them to travel with ease.

The Union Plus Auto Buying Service is available in the United States for active and retired union members, and their families. This program connects Union Plus buyers with certified dealers who offer upfront, online pricing, and Guaranteed Savings. It also provides insight into what others paid for the same car so you have the confidence that you’re getting a great deal.

*Between 7/1/16 and 9/30/16, the average estimated savings off MSRP presented by TrueCar Certified Dealers to users of TrueCar powered websites, based on users who configured virtual vehicles and who TrueCar identified as purchasing a new vehicle of the same make and model listed on the certificate from a Certified Dealer as of 10/31/2016, was $3,106. Your actual savings may vary based on multiple factors including the vehicle you select, region, dealer, and applicable vehicle specific manufacturer incentives which are subject to change. The Manufacturer's Suggested Retail Price ("MSRP") is determined by the manufacturer, and may not reflect the price at which vehicles are generally sold in the dealer's trade area as not all vehicles are sold at MSRP. Each dealer sets its own pricing. Your actual purchase price is negotiated between you and the dealer. TrueCar does not sell or lease motor vehicles.

TrueCar operates this information website ("Service") featuring pricing, performance, technical, and safety data available for new and used vehicles. The Service is not available in all locations.

**Guaranteed Savings not available in all states. In these states, a Target Price is shown, which is a market-based example of what you can reasonably expect to pay for your vehicle as configured. Your configured vehicle may not be available or in-stock at the Certified Dealer.

TrueCar does not broker, sell or lease motor vehicles. Each Certified Dealer sets its own pricing, and will confirm actual vehicle availability from in-stock inventory, including options and color choices.