Seeking to become the 25th branch in the company to form a union, employees at Flagstaff鈥檚 North Fourth Street Wells Fargo location filed for a union election earlier this month.
In a letter addressed to Charles Scharf, the CEO of Wells Fargo, the employees asked for the union to be recognized voluntarily, adding that a petition had been filed with the National Labor Board to conduct an election. Dated Jan. 15, the letter stated the petition would be withdrawn if the union was recognized within seven days.
According to the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), a notice of election was filed on Jan. 23 for a Feb. 13 election.
鈥淚t is imperative that our leadership understands our commitment to improving Wells Fargo -- not only for our staff but also for the customers we serve,鈥� the letter said. 鈥淲e have witnessed firsthand the challenges posed by inadequate staffing, insufficient compensation, unclear policies that can lead to nepotism, inconsistent training across positions.鈥�
Wells Fargo Workers United, affiliated with the Communications Workers of America (CWA) and its Committee for Better Banks, launched in 2022 and added its first unionized location in December 2023 as a branch in Albuquerque became the first location to vote to organize. A branch in Daytona Beach, Florida, followed just weeks later in January 2024, with another 22 branches across 14 states voting to unionize throughout 2024.
Moreover, members of Wells Fargo's conduct management department voted to join the union in November. The conduct management department was created following Wells Fargo鈥檚 2016 cross-selling scandal, when bank employees opened millions of accounts without customers knowledge in an effort to reach sales goals.
While the east Flagstaff branch could become the 25th to unionize among Wells Fargo鈥檚 approximately 4,300 locations, two other locations ended up voting against the formation of a union, and another withdrew its petition to file prior to voting. Employees at the Bethel, Alaska, branch withdrew on the same day the Albuquerque branch voted to form its union in December 2023 and branches in Atwater, California, and Belleview, Florida, voted against in January 2024 and April 2024, respectively.
In response to the unionization efforts by employees at Flagstaff's North Fourth Street branch, Wells Fargo stated it is proud of the investments it is making into its employees and of the progress it has made to offer a positive place to work.
鈥淲e respect our employees鈥� rights to vote for or against union representation and appreciate their careful consideration of such a decision. We believe our employees are best supported by continuing their current partnership with company leadership. We鈥檙e proud of the competitive compensation, comprehensive benefits, and attractive career development opportunities we provide our employees,鈥� a Wells Fargo spokesperson told the Arizona Daily Sun.
Meggan Halverson, a CWA organizer and former Wells Fargo employee of 10 years, detailed the reasons Wells Fargo branches cited for unionizing over the past 13 months. With pay stagnating at Wells Fargo as it failed to keep up with rising cost of living and inflation, Halverson said workers in the company have said they feel Wells Fargo is reducing staff through attrition by 鈥渕aking it less and less tolerable for workers鈥� while understaffing locations.
鈥淪taffing is a huge issue. A lot of branches are grossly understaffed, and this is because of Wells Fargo鈥檚 internal initiatives to cut staff, make it leaner, increase the bottom line and shareholder profits,鈥� Halverson said.
While Wells Fargo is the first major bank in the United States to see its workforce organize unions, Halverson noted workers in other companies have begun to consider similar efforts. Most notably, JPMorgan Chase鈥檚 mandate to return to work five days a week has led to conversations with the CWA.
鈥淲e don鈥檛 want to stop at Wells Fargo. We want all bank workers to have representation. A lot of people think of bank workers and it being like a white-collar job,鈥� Halverson said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 really not that. A lot of these workers are not paid very well. They have really, really high-stress environments that they work in.鈥�
Jhovan Limones, a Wells Fargo employee for three years, said he sought out forming a union at the Flagstaff branch after relocating from Tucson this past fall.
Though his previous branch was not unionized, Limones said it became clear the Flagstaff location was in need of an organized effort to secure a better working environment and added that in his opinion, 鈥淭he weekend is an illusion, and Monday is always imminent鈥� as the location operates from Monday to Friday.
Preparations to unionize began in early December as workers at the Flagstaff branch were informed of the possibility of a vote. Though the union election date has not been finalized, Limones said his coworkers have been receptive to the formation of a union and about 80% of employees are expected to vote in support once the election is scheduled. In order to form the union officially, a majority of a branch鈥檚 employees must vote in support.
The NLRB must then certify the results of the election before Wells Fargo and union representation can begin negotiations on a contract to cover the employees. Either party involved in an election also has seven days to file an objection to the vote count with the NLRB鈥檚 regional director.
Though the NLRB鈥檚 board now consists of just two members -- one short of a quorum for the five-member board -- following the firing of Gwynne Wilcox by President Donald Trump on Jan. 27, the certification of an election result is not expected to be impacted.
Editor's note: This story has been updated to clarify the unionization of the聽conduct management department and the relationship between the CWA and聽the Committee for Better Banks.