Wells Fargo employees at a branch in northern Delaware have filed a petition for a union vote.
Banking Dive reported workers at the Fairfax branch near the Delaware headquarters made the filing with the National Labor Relations Board.
They cited issues with staffing and working conditions as the reason to seek representation through the Communications Workers of America. The CWA earlier reported that Wells Fargo workers in Albuquerque, NM had voted to unionize and will negotiate a contract
The CWA also represents newsroom workers at the News Journal in the New Castle area and was able to negotiate a contract.
Few Unionization efforts have been reported since the 1980s. At that time, organizing efforts were aimed at the thousands of workers at banks that came to the state under the Financial Center Development Act. The job mix changed over the years to more specialized positions and pay scales have been well above $15 an hour at most banks. Banks have struggled to find retail employees, despite branch closings.
Wells Fargo has been dealing with a host of issues that included a scandal over setting up new accounts without the consent of customers under what was described as an aggressive sales-driven culture The actions led to fines and growth restrictions at one of the nation’s largest banks. The practice was said to have been most common on the West Coast.
About a year ago, a Wells Fargo manager took his own life by jumping from the company’s headquaters building near the Fairfax office, the Wall Street Journal and other non-Delaware outlets reported. Friends told the Journal, he was working long hours on a high-stress project. They also wondered why executives did not attend services.
