Employees of Verity Credit Union in Seattle are working with the Communications Workers of America to form a labor union.
Eligible frontline staffers across the $841.4 million-asset Verity hope that through collective bargaining, they can address issues stemming from what they say are a lack of
Despite still being scarce within the financial services industry,
As often happens, the employees at Verity are facing some pushback from the company's management.
While the group was distributing campaign flyers in break rooms throughout the credit union's headquarters in July, senior leadership allegedly instructed that leaflets be posted only on bulletin boards in those common areas and required that employees consult with upper management prior to any future placements, according to an internal Aug. 11 letter that union organizers addressed to Verity executives.
In response, the cohort sent executives a letter outlining the potential violation and filed an
The credit union declined to formally comment in response to inquiries from American Banker.
The unionization effort began with Matthew FitzGerald, a tier two call center representative who learned in June that a new coworker was being paid more for the same role and responsibilities. FitzGerald said he had been working at Verity for close to six years.
"We literally hold ourselves to the standard of 'people helping people' and 'union' is literally in our name, so it's very frustrating for the employees who are experiencing this," FitzGerald said.
The group chose to work with CWA, which advocates on behalf of those working in the communications sector, health care, education and more. Classes provided by CWA's Committee for Better Banks helped educate the credit union employees on their rights to organize and gather support for the cause.
Out of roughly 100 eligible employees, FitzGerald has between 35 to 40 confirmed employees who support a possible NLRB election, but is aiming for at least 70 to reduce the likelihood of a failed vote.
Tensions between employees seeking to unionize and their employers aren't unique to Verity. Members of
The ongoing effort at Wells Fargo is one of the largest examples of employee organizing in recent years.
Other examples include the staff at the $38 million-asset
Overall awareness of these campaigns both within the financial services industry and beyond, coupled with a positive shift in public perception of unions, fueled the unionization trend, explained Nick Weiner, co-director of the CBB.
"A lot of people may have wanted to organize a union, but felt they didn't know that there was such a [possibility] and how to start one … so they never did anything about it," Weiner said. "There is, in general, more support for unions now than there has been in decades."
The union organizers plan to work together with credit union leadership despite the tense dynamic and collectively negotiate for workplace improvements.
"Our whole goal of starting this union has been to make Verity a better place to work. … If you're going to say that 'people come before the bottom line' is a part of your values, I think it's important that your actions back that up," said Jessica Ufland, a tier two call center representative at Verity.
