September 11 – How Union Privilege Can Help

To: All Union Presidents

From: Leslie Tolf

Date: September 13, 2001

Subject: September 11 – How Union Privilege Can Help

cc: Union Privilege Liaisons

Like many of you, I am deeply shocked and saddened by Tuesday?s tragic events. Unions and their members have taken action to do everything they can to help in rescue efforts and in providing assistance to impacted members and their families.

At Union Privilege, we are working with our program providers to ensure that members who are impacted by this unprecedented tragedy and who participate in a Union Plus program are provided all the help and assistance they need.

Program providers will work with affected members on a case-by-case basis to meet their needs and customer service representatives will treat them with the utmost understanding.

These are the steps that are being taken to help impacted program participants with their immediate needs as well as taking into account longer term impacts created by the delay in mail delivery, closed work places, bank closures and the like:

Credit Card – For credit card holders, steps that Household will take include:

· Liberalized credit line increases to help those members that need access to additional funds.

· Skip payments so that members don?t need to worry about making a credit card payment.

· Fee waivers for fees that include over limit and late charges.

· No collections calls to affected states (CT, DC, MA, MD, NJ, NY, RI, VA).

· Payments received late will be backdated so that no late fees will be assessed.

· Informational e-mail to registered cardholders to inform them about assistance available to impacted members.

· E-mail to registered cardholders on supporting disaster relief funds.

· Additional considerations will be addressed on a case-by-case basis. 

Cardholders can call 1-800-622-2580. Please be aware that members can review their accounts and make payments online at www.unionpluscard.com 24 hours a day.

We will also be inserting an appeal into the October credit card billing statements of some 1.6 million members to donate to the September 11 Relief Fund sponsored by Labor?s Charity, the Union Community Fund. Household, a major Union Community Fund contributor, will support this insert.

Loan – For loan holders, steps that Household will take include:

· Skip payments so that members don?t need to worry about making a loan payment.

· Late fee waivers.

· No collections calls to affected states (CT, DC, MA, MD, NJ, NY, RI, VA).

· Payments received late will be backdated so that no late fees will be assessed.

· Additional considerations will be addressed on a case-by-case basis. 

Loan holders can call 1-800-343-7097.

Mortgage and Real Estate – For mortgage holders, steps that Chase Manhattan Mortgage will take include:

· Exercise flexibility with regard to late fees and other matters related to loan payments.

· Suspending all collection efforts nationwide.

· Additional considerations will be addressed on a case-by-case basis.

And, Union Privilege?s Mortgage Assistance Program will offer interest-free loans to help members make their mortgage payments. An expedited process is being put in place to assist these members.

Mortgage holders can call 1-800-848-6466.

Life and Accidental Death Insurance – For life and accidental death insurance policy holders, steps that ULLICO will take include:

· Extend grace periods for 90 days after their premium due date.

· Additional considerations will be addressed on a case-by-case basis.  

Insurance policy holders can call 1-800-899-2782.

Education Loan – For education loan holders, steps that Sallie Mae will take include:

· Hardship deferral plans to allow skip payments or debt forgiveness.

· Additional considerations will be addressed on a case-by-case basis.  

Education loan holders can call 1-877-881-1022.

Car Rental – The Union Plus Car Rental Program providers are also instituting the following policies:

· Avis has waived their regular one-way drop fees until further notice. Members who rented cars at an Avis corporate location prior to 11 a.m. on Sept. 11, 2001, may return the car to any Avis location in the U.S. without any additional intercity (or “drop off”) fees and on the rate that was originally contracted.

· Subject to availability, all of Avis’ corporate locations are offering rentals at their normal intercity rates to major U.S. locations, again without any additional drop off fee applied.

· These Avis policy changes will remain in effect until the FAA reopens air travel in the United States.

· Budget is allowing renters with open contracts to return their cars to any U.S. Budget Corporate location and participating licensee location by 11:59 P.M. on Friday, September 14, 2001, without any additional drop fees or rate adjustments.

· Budget is offering one-way rentals to any location in the United States at normal one-way rates to assist stranded travelers.

For Avis call 1-800-698-5855. For Budget call 1-800-455-2848.

We will continue to work to address the needs of members. As more help to program participants becomes available we will let you know. We will also be posting this information on our web site at www.unionprivilege.org.

A press release is also included that can be used to alert members impacted by the terrorist attacks about the assistance that is available to them.

cc: Union Privilege Liaisons