Wells Fargo Workers in Florida Win Union Election

Bankers & Tellers at Wells Fargo Branch in Daytona Beach, Florida Join New Mexico Colleagues as Members of CWA’s Wells Fargo Workers United

DAYTONA BEACH, FL – Workers at a Wells Fargo branch in Daytona Beach, Florida voted to form a union on Thursday, becoming the second-ever Wells Fargo branch to successfully unionize. In an in-person election, bankers and tellers chose to join the Communications Workers of America’s Wells Fargo Workers United (WFWU) and take the next step towards securing a meaningful voice on the job to improve conditions for them and their customers. 

The victory in Florida comes just weeks after Wells Fargo workers in New Mexico became the first to win a union election late last year and adds to the unprecedented momentum in their fight for a seat at the table. Beyond Florida, additional branch workers have already filed for elections with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), including in Wilmington, Delaware. Workers across branches and call centers are organizing with WFWU and the Committee for Better Banks in response to understaffing, a lack of compensation and the importance of having a collective voice. 

“We’re incredibly proud to be the second branch of Wells Fargo workers to form a union and take this much-needed step to make the bank better for all of us. Now with a true seat at the table, we look forward to negotiating improvements to staffing, workloads, pay inequities, and many other issues,” said Corinne Jefferson, a Personal Banker at Wells Fargo’s Daytona Beach branch on International Speedway.

Since Wells Fargo bankers and tellers filed for their first union elections in November, they have been actively pushing back against Wells Fargo’s anti-union attacks, which includes the bank sending out anti-union materials to workers across the country and flying union-busting representatives to branches in a feeble attempt to intimidate workers. 

Meanwhile, at Wells Fargo call centers, workers have been raising the alarm on the bank’s illegal anti-union activity by filing Unfair Labor Practice charges (ULPs) with the NLRB. Last month, workers at a call center in Hillsboro, Oregon reached a settlement with Wells Fargo that requires the bank to inform workers of their right to organize via facility-wide emails and in-person posted notices. The settlement comes after the NLRB found the bank illegally restricted worker organizing by tearing down fliers and implying workers would be reprimanded if they continued to post fliers, and amid growing concern within the bank about a “union resurgence.” 

In December, at the annual Senate Banking Committee hearing, Sen. Brown raised concerns about union-busting at the bank, asking Wells Fargo CEO Charlie Scharf whether the bank would remain neutral to the union campaign, to which Scharf gave an empty answer, stating that the bank wants to communicate directly with workers. In response, Brown responded, “It was an opportunity to show the American public truly a new day at Wells Fargo, and I'm sorry you failed to show that real change is afoot at your bank.” 

“Wells Fargo Workers United is just getting started. We’re incredibly proud of the Daytona Beach Wells Fargo workers for joining their colleagues in Albuquerque in a successful union vote,” said Committee for Better Banks Organizing Director Nick Weiner. “Rather than engaging in a rampant anti-union campaign, Wells Fargo must listen to the workers who are the bank’s eyes and ears, and respect their right to organize.” 

Wells Fargo workers have fought for years to hold Wells Fargo accountable to promises it has made, including around diversity and inclusion and access to banking services. Organizing workers have collaborated with shareholders to pressure Wells Fargo into conducting a racial equity audit and met with members of Congress and officials at the Federal Reserve and Department of Treasury to provide insight into Wells Fargo operations and policies. 

The worker organizing effort at Wells Fargo is the first of its kind at a major bank in the United States. In their organizing campaign, Wells Fargo workers are showing the banking industry and the entire country what is possible when workers come together and use their collective voice. They join workers at smaller banks and credit unions, including Beneficial State Bank, Lake Michigan Federal Credit Union and Genesee Co-op Federal Credit Union who have organized their workplaces and made in-roads in one of the least organized sectors in the American economy. 
 

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About Wells Fargo Workers United 

Committee for Better Banks’ Wells Fargo Workers United is the only public effort by Wells Fargo employees to organize a union. With a union, workers are seeking to address chronic understaffing, unfair sales pressure, and unreasonable workloads to improve their working conditions and allow them to better support Wells Fargo customers. Since the union’s launch in 2021, Wells Fargo workers across virtually every state Wells Fargo operates in are organizing with WFWU, collaborating with shareholders, members of Congress, and officials at the Federal Reserve and the Department of Treasury to drive accountability at the country’s fourth largest bank.

About the Committee for Better Banks:

The Committee for Better Banks, the only independent voice for frontline bank employees, comprises bank workers, community and consumer advocacy groups, and labor organizations, coming together to improve conditions in the banking industry. Committee for Better Banks members include current and former employees of banks and credit unions across the country, including Wells Fargo, US Bank, Santander, Bank of The West, and Bank of America.