Retired USW Member Discovers Union Plus Mortgage Veteran’s Grant
When retired USW member and Army veteran Jim Blank discovered Union Plus recently, he was pleasantly surprised to learn he could still benefit from its programs. He received a $1,000 Veteran’s Grant when he purchased a house for his daughter through the Union Plus Mortgage Program.
Retired United Steelworkers (USW) District 2 member Jim Blank served in the U.S. Army from 1961 to 1964, and was based in Frankfurt, Germany.
“It was a good responsibility,” recalls Blank, who lives in his hometown of Munising, Michigan, a small town in the state’s Upper Peninsula. “It was satisfying serving my country.”
Upon honorable discharge, Blank moved to Lansing, Michigan to work on the assembly line at a motor wheel factory. However, Blank soon wanted to move back home, so he took a position with the Kimberly-Clark paper mill in Munising.
“It was a great job over the years,” says Blank. “We had great benefits. The USW did a great job for us. After 30 years, I decided to retire.”
Blank didn’t learn about Union Plus until his daughter asked for his help in getting a mortgage: she wanted to use his USW membership to apply for a Union Plus Mortgage through Wells Fargo Home Mortgage.
“The representative at Wells Fargo saw that I was a retired union member and a veteran and suggested that I apply for the Union Plus Mortgage Veteran’s Grant1.,” remembers Blank. “Sure enough, I got a check in the mail.”
If you have served in the military and are an active or retired member of a union and you have financed your primary residence through the Union Plus Mortgage Program, you may qualify for the Veteran’s Grant. It provides a one-time grant of up to $1,000 to offset the cost of the home.
“I can’t believe I learned about Union Plus so late,” says Blank. “If you’re a veteran, you should definitely look into the Veteran’s Grant.”
To learn more about the Union Plus Mortgage Program and the Veteran’s Grant, please visit unionplus.org/mortgage.
1.The Union Plus® Mortgage Assistance Program and Veteran’s Grant are provided and administered through the AFL-CIO Mutual Benefit Plan (“The Plan”), which is not affiliated with Wells Fargo Bank, N.A. Additional information about this program and eligibility criteria can be obtained at unionplus.org/assistance.
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