LIUNA Member Tells Others Union Plus Job Loss Grants Help

[Omaha Steve]

http://www.unionplus.org/union-member-stories/job-loss-grant/thomas-muller?email-testimonial

Being out of work can be painful. The financial stress and uncertainty can weigh a union family down. “I spent eight months out of work, searching and applying and worrying about my bills,” says Thomas Muller of Denver, CO, and Laborers’ International Union of North America (LIUNA) Local 720. “When you don’t have the money coming in, you find yourself asking ‘What am I going to do?’”

But as a union member who carries the LIUNA Union Plus Credit Card, Muller found out that help was available. He applied for a Job Loss Grant and received a $250, one-time credit against his bill: just when he needed it most.



“I feel fortunate to have the support of Union Plus and my fellow union members,” Muller says.

Muller is like millions of proud, hard working men and women in America who are struggling to find work these days. “I’ve been a LIUNA member for 12 years. I’ve built highways, I’ve helped build high rises, I’ve done demolition work, I’ve helped lay pipelines,” Muller says. For men and women like Muller, missing work for eight months doesn’t just hurt financially — it just plain hurts.

It even hurts to talk about being out of work. But Muller hopes that by telling his story, his union brothers and sisters will find out that help may be available for them.

Right now he is still waiting for the economy to pick up. But until it does he’s happy to be working again. He did a stint with the U.S. Census Bureau, and right now he’s doing political work for the union: making calls, knocking on doors, sharing information, and engaging in a discussion about union programs, ideas and initiatives.

“Meeting my fellow union members face to face is very effective and it feels good,” he says. “It makes me believe that, working together, we can find a way to change this situation.” And Muller is happy to offer up a solution of his own. “We just need more work!” he says.

Union Plus Job Loss Grants are part of the Union SAFE program: a $3 million initiative which assists union members during these tough economic times. To qualify for a Union Plus Job Loss Grant, like the one Thomas Muller received:

* You must be a union member or have been a union member at the time of job loss.
* You must be a Union Plus Credit Card holder for at least one year.
* Your account must be in good standing — in other words, your payments must be up-to-date.
* You have been involuntarily laid off from your job within the last six months.
* You have been continuously unemployed for 90 days or more due to an involuntary layoff.

The Union Plus Job Loss Grant Program is just one way that Union Plus is helping union members cope during difficult times. If you have had a LIUNA Union Plus Mortgage, Credit Card or Insurance policy for at least a year and are facing financial difficulty, the Union SAFE program may offer assistance. Unemployment, disability, and hospital care grants are available to Union Plus program participants.

Even if you do not participate in a Union Plus program, help may still be available through education grants, free home and credit counseling, and a free medical bill negotiation service. Visit UnionPlus.org/UnionSAFE for more information.

To learn about the more than 50 Union Plus programs available to LIUNA members including discounts on AT&T wireless service, college test preparation, Goodyear tires, movie tickets and much more, visit UnionPlus.org.