PRESS RELEASE: Wells Fargo Workers in Chicago Win Union Election

Wells Fargo Workers in Chicago Win Union Election

Bankers & Tellers in Schaumburg, Illinois, Become 19th Branch to Join CWA’s Wells Fargo Workers United

CHICAGO, Ill. – Workers at a Wells Fargo branch in Schaumburg, Ill., voted to form a union on Thursday, becoming the nineteenth Wells Fargo branch to successfully form a union with the Communications Workers of America. At an in-person election at the Schaumburg branch (210 S. Roselle Rd.), bankers and tellers chose to join Wells Fargo Workers United-Communications Workers of America (WFWU-CWA) to take the next step toward securing a meaningful voice on the job to improve conditions for themselves and their customers. 

“We are proud to join the 18 other Wells Fargo branches across 12 states to fight for a voice on the job and a seat at the table as part of WFWU-CWA. Wells Fargo workers’ historic union vote in Albuquerque last year created a real sea of solidarity across the financial services industry and at one of America’s largest banks,” said Bill Rizos, Senior Premier Banker at the Schaumburg branch. “With a union, we will have the power to negotiate fair working conditions that allow us to better serve our customers and our communities. Even as Wells Fargo engages in illegal anti-union behavior across its branches, we will not allow this attempted intimidation to stop us from fighting to have our voices heard at the bank across all sectors.”

Last month, seven Schaumburg bankers and tellers signed a letter and delivered it to Wells Fargo CEO Charlie Scharf and management, informing them of the union election filing and expressing concerns with understaffing, a lack of compensation, and the importance of having a collective voice. When the branch retaliated, workers filed an Unfair Labor Practice charge (ULP) with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) last week to raise the alarm on the bank’s anti-union activity. 

The victory in Schaumburg adds to the unprecedented momentum in organizing the financial services industry, where Wells Fargo workers in New Mexico became the first to win a union election late last year. Beyond Illinois, workers at 18 branches have successfully unionized at the following locations:

• Barnegat, N.J. (WFWU-CWA Local 1000)
• Seaside Park, N.J. (WFWU-CWA Local 1000)
• Spring Hill, Fla. (WFWU-CWA Local 3105)
• Fort Myers, Fla. (WFWU-CWA Local 3108)
• Havertown, Pa. (WFWU-CWA Local 13000)
• Fort Worth, Texas (WFWU-CWA Local 6215)
• Sierra Vista, Ariz. (WFWU-CWA Local 7026)
• National City, Calif. (WFWU-CWA Local 9412)
• Bradenton, Fla. (WFWU-CWA Local 3108)
• Apex, N.C. (WFWU-CWA Local 3611)
• Cedar Hill, Texas (WFWU-CWA Local 6215)
• Egg Harbor City, N.J. (WFWU-CWA Local 1000)
• Apopka, Fla. (WFWU-CWA Local 3108)
• Prospect, Conn. (WFWU-CWA Local 1298)
• Virginia Beach, Va. (WFWU-CWA Local 2201)
• Wilmington, Del. (WFWU-CWA Local 13101)
• Daytona Beach, Fla. (WFWU-CWA Local 3102)
• Albuquerque, N.M. (WFWU-CWA Local 7011)

Even as Wells Fargo executives attempted to push back against the union effort late last year, workers across Wells Fargo divisions and geographies are seeking to reform the banking industry from the bottom-up in order to create a better financial system for workers and customers alike.

“This is just the beginning of transforming the financial services industry into what it really needs right now: collective action and better working conditions for its workforce. The momentum that we have gotten since our first union election in November continues to pick up speed, with other elections quickly happening down the road,” said Committee for Better Banks Organizing Director Nick Weiner. “Wells Fargo, we’re just getting started. It’s time to listen to the workers who are the backbone of the bank, respect their right to organize, negotiate a contract in good faith, and make the company a better place for both its workers and customers.”

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 and Genesee Co-op Federal Credit Union, who have organized their workplaces and made inroads in one of the least organized sectors in the American economy.

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About Wells Fargo Workers United-CWA

The Committee for Better Banks’ Wells Fargo Workers United-CWA 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-CWA, 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, U.S. Bank, Santander, Bank of The West, and Bank of America.