Daytona Wells Fargo unionization effort could spread statewide

Employees at a Wells Fargo branch in Daytona Beach are looking to unionize in a move that, if successful, could lead to further unionization efforts across the state.

The employees filed for a union election Wednesday and sent a letter to Wells Fargo CEO Charlie Scharf and management informing them of the decision. A press release from the Committee for Better Banks says that in the letter employees shared “concerns with understaffing, a lack of compensation and the importance of having a collective voice.”

The petition to the National Labor Relations Board says the five employees working at 1302 W. International Speedway Blvd. hope to join the Communications Workers of America’s Wells Fargo Workers United.

A spokesperson for the committee, a group working with Wells Fargo employees on the unionization effort, says in an email that a date for the vote has not been set.

The spokesperson went on to say that he “can't speak on other branch organizing right now, but there's unprecedented momentum happening nationwide.”

But the intentions to keep expanding are clear in the press release. In it, the committee says that “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.”

A Wells Fargo spokesperson says in an email that the bank “strongly believes everyone's individual voice should be heard and that working directly together is the best way to continue to make progress in supporting our employees.”

"While there is always more to be done, we’re proud of the work we have accomplished, most recently being ranked No. 2 on LinkedIn’s 2023 list of Top Companies to Grow One’s Career.”

The Daytona branch’s move comes just shy of a month after Wells Fargo branches in Alaska and New Mexico launched their own bids to unionize.

And it comes five days after Bloomberg News reported that the San Francisco-based bank had settled with workers at an Oregon call center who claimed managers removed pro-union materials from common areas and stopped workers from posting materials in their workspaces.

That, Bloomberg reported, was the second time this year the bank settled an employee complaint with the National Labor Relations Board citing unfair labor practices. The other complaint was filed by a call center in Salt Lake City.

According to its most recent quarterly earnings report issued in October, Wells Fargo has 4,355 branches nationwide. A breakdown was not available for Florida, but an online search shows the bank has more than 100 branches along the Gulf Coast.

In the earnings report, Wells Fargo reported revenue for the quarter was up 7% to $20.9 billion when compared with the same period last year.