- Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, and Rep. Melanie Stansbury, D-N.M., applauded workers at a New Mexico branch of Wells Fargo bank for unionizing.
- Workers at the bank's Albuquerque branch voted 5 to 3 on Wednesday to unionize under the Communications Workers of America.
- The vote made Wells Fargo the first major U.S. lender with a unionized workforce.
- Wells Fargo was part of an industry-wide investigation into discriminatory mortgage lending last year.
WASHINGTON — Democratic lawmakers on Thursday praised workers at a New Mexico branch of Wells Fargo for becoming the first branch of the nation's fourth-largest bank to unionize.
"Your success brings the fight for the Dignity of Work directly to Wall Street's front door," said Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, chairman of the Senate Banking Committee.
"I look forward to watching your movement grow from branch to branch across the country," Brown said in his statement.
Get a weekly recap of the latest San Francisco Bay Area housing news. Sign up for NBC Bay Area’s Housing Deconstructed newsletter.
Workers at the bank's Albuquerque branch voted 5 to 3 on Wednesday to unionize under the Communications Workers of America's Wells Fargo Workers United.
The vote made Wells Fargo the first major U.S. lender with a unionized workforce.
"This is the first union at a big bank in the country! #UnionStrong," Rep. Melanie Stansbury, a New Mexico Democrat, wrote in a post on the social media site X, formerly known as Twitter.
Money Report
The organizing move follows successful negotiations by the United Auto Workers, SAG-AFTRA and the Writers Guild of America after weeks of strikes earlier this year.
But workers at an Alaska Wells Fargo branch last week withdrew a petition to form a union.
Wells Fargo was among the banks eyed in an industry-wide investigation into discriminatory mortgage lending in 2022.
Don't miss these stories from CNBC PRO:
- Official Wall Street outlook: Here's where strategists see the stock market going in 2024
- Here's where to invest $50,000 heading into 2024, according to market pros
- Morgan Stanley prefers 'boring' non-AI tech stocks for 2024. Here are its top global picks
- Bank of America reveals its 4 top biotech picks for 2024 — and gives one 166% upside
- CD rates are dropping. Here's where to find the highest payouts