Wells Fargo workers in Wilmington, DE, have filed for a union election, following the lead of employees at a Wells branch in Albuquerque. The workers in NM became the first employees at a major US bank to unionize in decades.
The employees of the Wilmington’s Fairfax branch filed their intent to unionize with the National Labor Relations Board to join the Communications Workers of America (CWA) as members of the Wells Fargo Workers United (WFWU).
In a statement on the filing, Scott Keehn, senior premier banker at Wells’ Fairfax branch said, “Well Fargo workers’ historic union vote in Albuquerque created a ripple effect of worker solidarity nationwide, and we are excited to join them, becoming the first Well Fargo workers in Delaware to petition for a seat at the table at one of the largest banks in the country.”
In Albuquerque, the workers voted 5-3 to join CWA-WFWU in December. Union representatives told reporters that they had chosen to unionize to address understaffing, salaries, and lack of career mobility.
Wells branches in Daytona Beach, Fla, and Atwater, Calif have also filed for elections.
In May, Wells Fargo shareholders voted on a proposed Freedom of Association policy brought forth by the AFL-CIO that would have ensured better protections for workers seeking to unionize. Although the proposal failed to pass, Arizona-based Wells employee and WFWU member Trevor Brown told the publication Banking Dive that putting forth the proposal with the shareholders was a “huge first step to being able to show that we actually exist and that we want to form a union and be recognized.”
