|
Members of the group, Committee for Better Banks (CBB), were
scheduled to meet with Wells Fargo representatives on Wednesday,
but the meeting was canceled after the two sides could not agree
on terms. The company said CBB members who were not Wells Fargo
employees would not be allowed to attend.
Wells Fargo is not unionized. CBB-backed whistleblowers helped
reveal the sales practice scandal in 2016 that resulted in hefty
fines and penalties for the bank.
Nick Wiener, a CBB organizer, said the group was clear about its
intention to bring CBB organizers to the meeting from the
outset, and that the group had received a verbal green light
from a representative of Wells Fargo management.
Wells Fargo said it only committed to an internal meeting with
team members who happened to be a part of CBB.
"We value opportunities to engage and meet with our team
members," said Wells Fargo spokesman Mark Folk. "We were
disappointed that the meeting did not occur, and we remain
available to meet with the team members in the future."
CBB said it is critical to have non-Wells Fargo CBB members
present so that employees could voice their opinions without
fear of retaliation.
"Given Wells Fargo’s track record of firing and blackballing
employees who spoke out against the unethical and fraudulent
banking practices they were pressured to perform, it’s simply
unacceptable that your team is placing restrictions on who
should attend a meeting," said the letter, which was sent on
Wednesday and signed by Christopher Shelton, president of
Communications Workers of America, which supports CBB.
The bank has taken several steps aimed at rebuilding the trust
of employees, customers and investors, including eliminating
product sales goals for retail workers, raising wages, and
hiring back nearly 2,000 employees who quit or were fired. Sloan
has also been hosting town halls to hear employee concerns.
The effort comes as the bank faces investor pressure to cut
costs.
Wells Fargo, the largest bank employer in the United States with
roughly 265,000 employees as of October, recently announced
plans to reduce its workforce by 5 percent to 10 percent.
(Reporting by Imani Moise, additional reporting by Ross Kerber;
editing by Bill Berkrot)
[© 2018 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.] Copyright 2018 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Thompson Reuters is solely responsible for this content.
 |
|
