Union campaign at Wells Fargo intensifies amid bullying allegations

After Wells Fargo was mired in a 2013 scandal over employees who opened millions of fake bank accounts, the bank created a new centralized unit to review customer complaints and allegations of workplace abuse employees.

Today, however, that team is reeling from its own unrest, with its members accusing bank officials of aggressively trying to block an organizing drive and firing employees in retaliation for their organizing efforts.

Wells Fargo officials openly disagree with unionization efforts but deny that the layoffs of 11 employees in the bank’s conduct management department are a response to the ongoing unrest, saying they were part planned organizational changes.

The discontent comes amid a broader campaign launched last year to unionize employees at the San Francisco-based bank. So far, tellers and other employees at about 20 Wells Fargo branches have voted to join Wells Fargo Workers United, the first-ever union at a major U.S. bank.

In interviews, current and terminated members of the conduct management department said conflicts with management arose after it announced in early September its intention to hold a vote on whether the 48 members of the leadership department would join the union. In response, bank officials sent employees a barrage of emails disparaging the idea and continued to oppose it in meetings between top managers and staff, according to employee interviews and emails reviewed by the Times.

“Personally, I don’t believe this union can help us move forward as a team,” one manager wrote in an email. “I don’t think this union can guarantee anything to any of you.”

In another email, another manager said unionizing would not help workers improve their pay and benefits.

“The CWA probably promised you that things would only get better if you voted for them, but ask yourself, if that were true, why wouldn’t every worker in the United States be in a union? “wrote a third manager in an email.

Kieran Cuadras, 42, who started working at Wells Fargo as a cashier in the Sacramento area in 2002, said senior managers would “hijack” work calls to explain to workers why they shouldn’t unionize. In a video meeting, workers were told they needed to turn on their cameras to hear from a labor consultant hired by Wells Fargo, Cuadras said.

On October 1, Cuadras received a message asking her to join a call, during which she was fired. “It was heartbreaking. I sat there and sobbed.

“They fired people a few days before the vote. Wells Fargo is not supposed to taint the electoral process. How can this not be considered intimidation, days before the vote? Cuadras said.

After their dismissals, the 11 employees filed a complaint against Wells Fargo with the National Labor Relations Board, alleging unfair labor practices.

The union vote, which began last week, will conclude at the end of the month.

Wells Fargo assured laid-off workers that they could still vote in union elections, but then walked back that assertion and challenged their vote, said Nick Weiner, organizing director of the New York-based Committee for Better Banks. . group affiliated with the Communications Workers of America, the parent organization of Wells Fargo Workers United.

“Wells Fargo did everything they could to try to convince them to vote no,” Weiner said.

Wells Fargo spokeswoman Rachel Wall said layoffs were common.

“We regularly review and adjust staffing levels to align with market conditions and the needs of our businesses. This decision was made earlier this year and has nothing to do with the union,” she said in an emailed statement.

Wall said the bank disapproves of the union and maintains its efforts to inform employees of its position, but that it respects employee rights and will negotiate in good faith with employees who choose to be represented by a union.

“We respect our employees’ right to vote for or against union representation and appreciate their careful consideration of this decision,” Wall said. “We believe our employees are best served by working directly with Wells Fargo and our leaders, and, as part of our rights, we will continue to discuss these issues with our employees so that each employee can make an informed decision.” »

Bank employee unions are unusual. According to an analysis of 2023 data by the U.S. Department of Labor, only 1.2% of banking and finance workers are unionized, representing one of the lowest rates of union representation of any industry.

Workers said uncertainty over job security, a lack of transparency over administrative decisions and concerns about the bank’s internal controls over misconduct pushed them to try to unionize. Particularly shocking was the announcement that workers who had worked remotely for years would have to move to different states to work in person or reapply for employment, they said.

According to employees, the bank transferred some conduct management department responsibilities to employees based in India and changed its policies and procedures in a way that reduced the type and number of complaints the department investigated.

“Management has not listened to our concerns about changes in our procedures and definitions that would allow misconduct to go undetected,” said Heather Rolfes, a complaint review service attorney who was fired.

Wells Fargo’s behavior management service was created in the wake of the scandal that erupted in 2016 when the Times reported that bank employees opened millions of fake deposit and checking accounts and often transferred funds from consumers’ accounts without their knowledge or consent. Regulators ultimately fined Wells Fargo and forced the bank to review its processes to improve compliance.

The workers point out that the changes to their department come as government watchdogs have begun to relax strict compliance measures imposed on Wells Fargo in the wake of the scandal, signaling that the bank is nearing the end of more than a decade of heightened regulatory oversight.

Roslynn Berkeland, 32, who has worked at Wells Fargo for nine years, including three years in her current role in the driver management department, said the layoffs left a team less experienced and “completely overwhelmed.” On Tuesday, she said she was assigned 16 cases that day, double the number of cases she would usually handle.

“I’m really worried about the accuracy and the risk we’re taking,” Berkeland said. “I don’t know who to ask anymore.”

In response to questions about concerns that the bank had eroded its ability to properly investigate matters of misconduct, the Wells Fargo spokesperson said the company’s changes were intended to address inefficiencies in the process and that its global sites were equipped to handle sensitive information.

“We have taken great care to continue to optimize our processes so that concerns are properly routed up front and reviewed in a timely manner by those best positioned to address or resolve the issue,” Wall said.