DETROIT -- UAW Vice President Cindy Estrada will join other community and labor leaders Thursday at a news conference calling on JP Morgan Chase to stop all foreclosures and modify mortgages to keep people in their homes.

"We've already got three victories under our belts in the last month," said Estrada, who directs the union's Public Sector Department, among others. "In all three cases, it took direct action to pressure the banks into agreements that kept people in their homes. We must keep the momentum building."

The March 8 news conference and rally will be held at 4 p.m. at the home of Alma Counts, 19145 Marlowe in Detroit (north of Seven Mile Road, west of M-10).

Event sponsors include the UAW, Metro-Detroit AFL-CIO, People Before Banks, Occupy Detroit, Moratorium Now! and Jobs with Justice.

Counts, 82, is partially paralyzed and lives on a fixed income. After facing foreclosure on her home in 2008 stemming from a predatory loan by Washington Mutual Bank (WAMU), she entered into a loan modification agreement with WAMU in March 2009. She made her modified payments regularly until JP Morgan Chase took over her account and doubled the monthly mortgage cost - well beyond what she could afford. Chase Bank is now threatening her with foreclosure.

Counts' situation is being repeated in thousands of homes across Michigan and nationwide. At the news conference, organizers will cite other examples of abuse by Chase, including:

• A Sterling Heights homeowner who entered into a special medical hardship payment agreement and made their payments but had their house sold at a Sheriff's sale.                                                                                                        
• A Northville widow whose husband died of pre-existing medical conditions during the course of litigation while she fought to save his home from Chase foreclosure. 
• A Southfield homeowner who was working and had heart surgery and a pacemaker installed; they made payments on a loan modification based on medical hardship and a decrease in income, but were foreclosed on by Chase. 
• A Bloomfield family in permanent loan modification who made 10 payments when the home suddenly was put into foreclosure.

Despite a federal Consent Order in which Chase pledged to eliminate fraudulent foreclosure practices and implement a program of "special forbearances and modifications," the bank continues to deny loan modifications and throw families out of their homes.

Also at Thursday's event, there will be information about a noon demonstration on Tuesday, March 13, at JP Morgan Chase headquarters in Detroit at 611 Woodward Ave. Supporters will demand that the bank stop all foreclosures and evictions in Michigan and modify mortgages to keep people in their homes. The Detroit rally is part of a "National Day of Action" against JP Morgan Chase.

On Saturday, March 17, from 11 a.m. until 1 p.m., there will be an organizing meeting and free legal clinic for those fighting foreclosures held at UAW Local 600, 10550 Dix Ave., Dearborn.