Union Prime

Tired of once-a-week communication from the Union? Got a boss that's requiring a lot more of your time than you would like? Want extra time and quicker access to your Union representatives than most employees?

NTEU Chapter 280 announces Union Prime, a special subscription service offering:

• FREE hotline access direct to the Chapter President, 24-hours a day, 7-days a week
• ADVANCE notice of personnel changes before non-Prime union members
• FREE Same-Day release-date delivery on all Union paraphernalia 
• FREE streaming video of your Chapter 280 officials 24 hours a day so you are the first to know of important developments
• GUARANTEED arbitration of stupid cases that we would never arbitrate in a million years for normal members
• FREE once a year dunk-tank benefit where you get to send your manager to the bottom of a tank of ice-cold water
• FREE streaming music of Union-oriented theme music to keep your union spirits up
• 2-Day access to Administrator Pruitt and his top deputies*
• 2 FREE waivers of disciplinary action from management for actions that would normally get you in deep trouble
• Prime Reading: You can borrow Union books, magazines, and more from the Union Prime Reading catalog and read them on your tablet, e-reader, or reading apps for iOS and Android.
• Don't need your discipline waivers and other benefits?  Earn rewards for future purchases.

Union Prime is only $99 per month more than the standard NTEU dues. NTEU Chapter 280 will roll out new benefits for Union Prime members throughout the year.

*not available in some offices like the Office of Research and Development

Consumer's Checkbook Health Guide Access & Discounts

NTEU members get free access to the Consumers’ Checkbook’s online guide to Health Plans for Federal Employees and Annuitants. This user-friendly, interactive guide allows FEHBP participants and prospective enrollees to rank and compare plans, as well as gauge plan features and flexibility based on doctor selection and other factors. It also provides information and plan comparisons for the Federal Employees Dental and Vision Insurance Program. Currently only 2017 plans are available. 2018 plans go live in the guide on November 13, 2017, the first day of federal benefits open season.

Also, NTEU members are eligible for a 30-percent discounted subscription to Consumers’ CHECKBOOK magazine, which rates local service providers for quality and price in seven local markets. They rate the best doctors, dentists, auto repair shops, plumbers, veterinarians, carpet cleaners, roofers and much more.

If you're already a member, thank you! If you're not, click here to join now and get your discounts!

Open Season Ends December 12

To see how much time you have left, click!

Don't forget that "open season" for federal employees ends at midnight on Monday, December 12, 2016. Open season is the time when you can change your health, dental, and vision plans and create a healthcare flexible spending account without a qualifying life event. OPM has a countdown clock, along with more information on open season here.

NTEU members get FREE access to the awesome Washington Consumers' Checkbook Guide to Health Plans, which lets you see how the plans compare on price and features. If you want Guide access and have not yet joined, please contact NTEU Executive Vice President Amer Al-Mudallal directly at 202-566-2789 to process your membership form. Since Guide access is provided through NTEU's national website, and membership-form processing normally takes some time, we'll need to handle your form specially to ensure you get full access to the NTEU website before the deadline.

If you've already joined but still do not have access, please contact NTEU's national membership coordinator Margaret Allen at 202-572-5500, provide her your name and full social security number, and let her know that you need access soon to the NTEU website members-only materials.

In addition to the Guide to Health Plans, members also save money through a bunch of discounts provided by NTEU. If you take full advantage of these discounts, you can effectively offset the entire cost of your yearly membership.  Click here to see a complete list of member benefits in this PDF.

Federal Benefits "Open Season" & Free Consumer's Checkbook Plan Comparison

How to get your free Washington Consumer's Checkbook's Guide to Health Plans for Federal Employees.

Once a year the federal government lets its employees make changes to their health, dental, and vision plans and flexible spending accounts without having what's known as a qualifying life event, such as a marriage, birth, death, or other qualifying event. This once-a-year time to change is known as "open season" in fed-speak.

This year's open season runs from November 14 to December 12, 2016.

But how do you decide which health plan is right for you? As a benefit of being an NTEU member, NTEU provides free access to the Washington Consumer's Checkbook's Guide to Health Plans for Federal Employees, which normally costs $10 per person. This excellent, easy-to-use guide takes you through a few simple steps to find the best health plan for you and your family. Find every plan available to you ranked by estimated out-of-pocket costs and more.

Not a member of NTEU, visit our Join page and sign up now to get your free health benefits guide starting November 14. The image, above, is NTEU's publication on this free access (click it to download a PDF document).