Still planning your summer outings and vacations? Or maybe you’re thinking about some travel later in the year or next?
Your union card is the key to getting discounts on hotels, car rentals, travel tours, amusement parks, and more. These discounts are available to IAFF members through Union Plus, a non-profit created by the AFL-CIO to provide excellent consumer benefits, discounts, and financial services.
The best part? The perks are all inclusive to current and active retired union members and their families.
The benefits go beyond travel. Union Plus partners with Wells Fargo to provide more affordable mortgage loans and refinancing assistance.
Missoula, MT Local 271 member Loy Bink told Union Plus he used the service when he first bought his home in 2016 and then again, years later, when he refinanced. He said the lending process for the original loan and the refinance went smoothly, adding the mortgage loan officer “took care of everything.”
“It was mostly online and over the phone. I just had to show up and sign some paperwork. It was very easy,” he said. “I was very happy with it, and I had no desire to go anywhere else.”
And if IAFF members encounter difficulties paying their mortgage due to a medical crisis or involuntary job loss, they may be eligible for the Union Plus one-time $1,000 hardship grant.
The IAFF Foundation also offers its own disaster relief program to provide immediate financial relief for urgent home repairs in the aftermath of a natural disaster.
In cases of severe or widespread damage, members may need to find other sources of assistance. The Union Plus Disaster Relief Grant Program is one option.
In March 2023, a tornado tore through Little Rock, Arkansas, packing 165 miles per hour winds. It destroyed everything in its path, including Local 134 member Dameon Johnson’s home.
“I was off work that day and had gone to the grocery store,” Johnson said. “When I got home, my house and all of my belongings were gone. The assistance from Union Plus didn’t pay for everything, but it helped a lot.”
“I was off work that day and had gone to the grocery store. When I got home, my house and all of my belongings were gone. The assistance from Union Plus didn’t pay for everything, but it helped a lot.”
Local 134 member Dameon Johnson
Union Plus benefits also extend to education. Many IAFF members, their spouses, and children take advantage of Union Plus scholarships every year. Last year, 11 IAFF families were awarded academic scholarships to begin or continue their post-secondary education.
If you are an IAFF member, you are automatically a Union Plus member. To access the benefits, visit the Union Plus website and enter your information.
