For USW Member, Lessons from the Picket Line - and Help from Union Plus

During the difficult year-long lockout from the Rotek plant in Aurora, Ohio, Richard Wise and his fellow members of United Steelworkers (USW) Local 8565 held strong. “They asked for more than we felt we could give,” Wise said. And while solidarity is an important lesson of any strike or lockout, it’s not the only thing Wise has learned on the picket line. One day, for example, his friend leaned over and asked him, “Did you know that Union Plus has an assistance benefit for members who are eligible Union Plus Credit Card holders and are locked out or on strike?”

Union Plus provides a range of unique assistance programs1 to help eligible USW Credit Cardholders who are facing hardship. Strike Grants1 of $300 are available to Union Plus Credit Card holders who have had the card for three months or more and who meet the eligibility requirements.

rwiseWise says he and his fellow USW members were willing to make reasonable compromises with the company. But when the company asked for certain wage, holiday, and insurance concessions all at once, these USW members felt it was simply too much. “We took a stand,” Wise said.

Wise weathered the last year pretty well. “I’m better off than some,” he says, “because my house is paid for and I’ve put my kids through. My wife went back to work, and with unemployment benefits from the state of Ohio and the one-time Union Plus Strike Grant, we were able to make ends meet.”

“My concern is for the younger workers,” he says. “They are the ones we’re standing strong for, to show them we will stay together and they can’t just run roughshod over us.”

Wise would definitely advise those new union workers to carry a Union Plus Credit Card like he does. “I’ve had it for over 10 years now,” he says. “It can provide a one-time strike grant for eligible cardholders who are on strike or locked out.”

Do you carry a Union Plus Credit Card? They feature Disability, Job Loss, Strike, and Hospital Grants for eligible cardholders, plus, a competitive rate and all customer service calls are answered in the U.S. You can learn more by visiting USWCard.com.

Wise was glad to see the lockout end and returned back to work.

Richard retired two months ago. He’s built a good life for his family, and now there are those two classic Corvettes he has a chance to work on. He says he owes his security to 40 years of hard work as a union member. “I’d never have made it to where we are without the union.”

If you know a USW member who is on strike or lockout, tell them about the Union Plus Strike Grant available to eligible cardholders.

Also available to eligible USW members is the Union Plus Mortgage program, which provides a range of assistance programs, including interest-free loans and grants to help you make mortgage payments when you're disabled, or become unemployed. Over the life of the Union Plus mortgage assistance program, more than $10.1 million in assistance has been provided to union members. 

At UnionPlus.org you can learn more about these programs, as well as the Union Plus benefits and services that are available to union members and retirees. These include legal services, credit counseling, health savings programs, and the Save My Home Hotline.

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1Certain restrictions, limitations, and qualifications apply to these grants. Additional information and eligibility criteria can be obtained at UnionPlus.org/Assistance.

Credit approval required. Terms & Conditions apply. Union Plus Credit Cards issued by Capital One, N.A.

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