Deadline Nears for Union Plus Scholarship Applications

Even though the New Year has just arrived, it’s not too early for parents and college-bound students to enter the hunt for scholarships, grants and low-interest student loans. In fact, it is almost necessary today, as the cost of college in the last year rose above the rate of inflation for the 21st consecutive year! College is indeed a gateway to success, but it is often an expensive one.

Throughout the year, the Union offers help for students and parents looking for ways to finance college costs. The effort in 2014 begins in this edition, with Peter Ward’s column reviewing ways for parents and students to pay for college, and with this: the announcement that the deadline is nearing for applications for this year’s Union Plus Credit Card scholarships, a program that has awarded almost $4 million in grants in the last 20 years.

The deadline for submitting applications for this year’s Union Plus scholarships is Friday, January 31, 2014. It is a program that is open to all Hotel Trades Council and Local 6 members, as well as their spouses and their children, and it offers cash grants of $500 to $4,000 to help defray the costs of attending four-year colleges and universities. Community college and trade school students are also eligible for scholarships, ranging from $500 to $1,000. In addition, graduate school students are also eligible for Union Plus scholarships.

The cash awards available through Union Plus are for study beginning in the fall of 2014. Students may reapply each year, and in fact our own Union has had several repeat winners in the past. Most important of all, applicants do NOT have to be Union Plus credit card holders to be eligible for the awards, nor do they have to be participants in any other Union Plus program.

A total of 41 children of Local 6 and/or Hotel Trades Council members have won Union Plus Credit Card scholarships in the program’s 20-year history. Many of these previous Union Plus scholarship winners from the Hotel Trades Council and Local 6 also won Vito J. Pitta scholarships. We mention this as a further reminder to members that the Union Plus Scholarship Program should not be confused with the Vito J. Pitta Scholarship Program or the Hotel Trades Council Division A Scholarship Program; information on the latter two programs will be published in upcoming editions of Hotel Voice.

The Union Plus scholarship program is a competition, and applicants are judged according to a number of factors, including academic ability, social awareness, financial need and appreciation of labor. Again, the Union Plus scholarship program is open to all members of the Hotel Trades Council and Local 6, as well as their spouses and children, and applicants do NOT have to be Union Plus credit card holders to be eligible for these grants.

Applicants will have to submit one letter of reference from a teacher or other adult who knows them. They will also have to submit an essay of approximately 500 words outlining their career goals, aspirations and community service. They must also describe their relationship with the union (or the labor movement) and how it has affected their lives. The essays should explain why the applicants believe they are a good choice for a union scholarship. In an important change instituted two years ago, applications for the 2014 Union Plus scholarships must be submitted online. Applicants must use the online application form and they must submit the completed application online, along with its necessary accompanying letter of reference and personal essay.

The essay portion of the application process should not be a problem, as most applicants are already familiar with the benefits and services of their or their parents’ union membership. As an example, Rachel Resnik, who won Union Plus scholarships in both 2009 and 2010, explained how she looked to the Union for many of the lessons she had learned in life. Included in those lessons were the value of medical benefits, to help her family deal with health issues, and the importance of fighting for justice, which she learned while walking on picket lines as a young girl.

Rachel and the other students selected for Union Plus awards represent a wide sampling of demographics, union affiliations, goals and accomplishments. Representatives from the American Association of Community Colleges, the American Association of State Colleges and Universities, the National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities, and the United Negro College Fund judge the applications. The students are from diverse backgrounds and, as a whole, they received top SAT scores, were well-rounded in their studies and extracurricular activities, and they understood the value of working families and union membership.

As we have reported before, appreciation of labor has always been one of the factors used in determining the winners; and it is always encouraging to hear what the children of members have to say about their parents’ union membership.

While the essay is an important component of the Union Plus application process, it is not the only one. Again, all members of our Union, as well as their spouses and dependents, have an opportunity to win the same kind of Union Plus scholarships as the 41 previous Hotel Trades Council and Local 6 winners.
Once again, the Union Plus scholarship program should not be confused with the Vito J. Pitta scholarships or the Division A scholarships. Request forms for applications for the Vito J. Pitta Scholarship will be published later this month in Hotel Voice and request forms for Hotel Trades Council Division A scholarship applications will be published after that.

Also, please remember that it is NOT necessary to have a Union Plus credit card or to participate in any other Union Plus benefit or service in order to apply for Union Plus scholarships.

We urge interested members or children or spouses of members who have not yet applied for this year’s Union Plus Credit Card Scholarship awards to do so immediately.
Remember, in a change instituted two years ago, applications for Union Plus scholarships can only be filled out and submitted online. To do so, go to UnionPlus.org and look for the Legal and Education section on the menu at the top of the page. Scroll down to scholarships and follow the prompts to the application. You may also go to UnionPlus.org and type “Union Plus Scholarship” in the search box.

Remember, applications can only be submitted online and the deadline for submitting them is Friday, January 31, 2014.

We wish the best of luck to all applicants!