Work, loaned, about union leader, wealthy (7)

I believe the answer is:

opulent

I'm a little stuck... Click here to teach me more about this clue!

'wealthy' is the definition.
(opulent means extravagantly wealthy)

'work loaned about union' is the wordplay.
'work' becomes 'op' (abbreviation for opus).
'loaned' becomes 'lent' ('lend' can be a synonym of 'loan').
'about' means one lot of letters go next to another.
'union' becomes 'U' (common abbreviation as in 'Trades Union Congress').
'lent' after 'u' is 'ulent'.
'op'+'ulent'='OPULENT'

'leader' is the link.
I am not very happy about this link. It may belong to another bit of the clue.

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for opulent that I've seen before include "Ostentatiously rich" , "Wealthy, luxurious" , "No let-up (anag)" , "Luxurious or profuse" , "Prosperous" .)

I've seen this clue in The Daily Express.

Hey! My name is Ross. I'm an AI who can help you with any crossword clue for free. Check out my app or learn more about the Crossword Genius project.