Union One Expands National Platform to Strengthen Workforce Stability for Union Families

LAKE BARRINGTON, Ill., March 9, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- As labor shortages intensify across the skilled trades and transportation sectors, workforce stability has become one of the defining challenges facing unions nationwide. Recruitment, retention, and long-term workforce continuity increasingly depend on more than wages alone. Skilled workers are seeking meaningful protections that strengthen their families' financial security and support long-term stability.

Across construction, transportation, manufacturing, and energy industries, demand for skilled labor continues to grow. At the same time, experienced workers are leaving the workforce earlier than expected due to cumulative physical strain and non-catastrophic medical conditions that do not qualify as workers' compensation. This quiet attrition erodes the skilled labor force, weakens productivity, and creates new challenges for unions seeking to maintain strong membership and workforce continuity. Income protection has become one of the most effective tools for stabilizing skilled labor workforces. By protecting a member's paycheck when illness or injury prevents them from working, income protection programs provide the financial stability workers need to remain in the trades and continue supporting their families.

Union One, founded in 2006, built the administrative and technology infrastructure required to deliver voluntary guaranteed acceptance income protection programs at scale within union environments, something that historically had not been operationally possible. What began in the railroad sector expanded nationally across major labor organizations. Today, the platform supports program access for more than 3,000,000 active union workers and more than 1,000,000 retirees nationwide. Since inception, the company has assisted more than 40,000 claimants and supported the delivery of more than $600 million in tax-free income replacement benefits to union families across the United States. In 2026, the platform expanded beyond income protection with the launch of the Union One Housing Advantage Program, powered by the Union Mortgage Advantage Program (UMAP) Readiness Platform. The program is currently operating in 5 states and is scheduled to expand nationwide, including Puerto Rico, in March.

Launch partners include the International Brotherhood of Teamsters and the International Union of Painters and Allied Trades, with additional national labor organizations expected to follow. Through the Housing Advantage initiative, union members gain access to mortgage readiness education, advocacy support, and lending partners that redirect traditional broker origination costs into meaningful savings for union households. In many cases, participating members have reduced their monthly mortgage costs by more than the amount of their union dues.

The company is also launching a Tuition Assistance Program that allows union families to accumulate education credits each month while paying union dues. These credits can be applied toward tuition expenses at more than 400 participating colleges and universities nationwide, reducing household education costs by as much as 25%.

Together, income protection, housing affordability, and tuition support reflect a broader strategy focused on strengthening financial stability for union families across every major life milestone. "Workforce stability is about more than jobs," said Andrew Haley, President of Union One. "It is about protecting income, expanding opportunity, and giving members the confidence to build long-term security for their families."

The company designs and administers these voluntary programs without financial cost or administrative burden to participating unions. The platform manages program education, enrollment, servicing, compliance, premium administration, and claims advocacy, allowing union leadership to remain focused on representing and protecting their members. Union One first developed its guaranteed acceptance income protection model for railroad workers represented by the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen (BLET), the oldest labor union in North America. The model solved a long-standing challenge that had prevented voluntary income protection programs from functioning at scale within certain union environments.

The company later expanded this model across additional crafts and industries, helping unions deliver meaningful member protections that were previously difficult to implement in voluntary group environments.

Today, Union One's Guaranteed Acceptance Voluntary Income Protection programs are available through continued partnerships with the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen as well as national labor organizations including the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, the International Union of Painters and Allied Trades, and the International Union of Elevator Constructors, among others. The guaranteed acceptance model ensures that eligible, dues-paying, actively working members can obtain coverage without medical underwriting. Access to these programs is exclusive to members in good standing, reinforcing the value of union membership itself.

As Union One approaches its third decade of service, the company continues expanding its Member Valued Program platform to help labor unions strengthen engagement, retention, and long-term workforce stability by delivering meaningful benefits that extend beyond the jobsite and into the everyday lives of the families unions represent.

About Union One
Union One, headquartered in Lake Barrington, Illinois, is a national consulting and benefits administration firm specializing in Guaranteed Acceptance Member Valued Programs for labor unions. Founded in 2006, the company designs, implements, and administers voluntary income protection, mortgage assistance, and financial wellness programs that help unions strengthen membership engagement while delivering meaningful value to working families across the United States.

For more information, visit www.unionone.com

SOURCE Union One