Wells Fargo

Employees
Walk Off Job
- July 7, 2014
Tuesday, July 8, 2014
By ALAN SMITHEE
creatingspace@toast.net
In a move they insist is not
simply a holdout for better
wages, the workers of Wells
Fargo, as one man put it, are
calling for a moment of
reflection on our core human
values. They cite the
companys record-breaking
profits set against their
stagnant wages. Employees
say the profit the company
earns is going to a group of
fat cats who do not even
contribute investor capital
and havent contributed
money towards the banks
expansion in decades.
We finally got fed up
with working harder and
harder for a company that
is motivated to pay us less
and less said a fiery young
woman who asked to be
identifiedas Mary. It was her
grand-mothers name she
tells me. She goes on: last
month they fired my best
friend because she
completed 38 loans instead
of 40. I just made the cutoff
andinturnwas awardeda0%
percent raise.
Others in the crowd were
just as outspoken. A thirty-
something-year-old man
named Kevin complained of
howhewas givenatinyshare
of his companys profit while
last year speculators like
Warren Buffet raked in more
than a billion dollars for just
himself. Kevin handed me
the incredulously lop-sided
chart shown here:
The company puts out
all this literature on how
thecustomer andthecom-
munities we serve are the
most important thing to
Wells Fargo. But weknow
better.
Making my way
through the crowds I
couldnt help but eaves-
drop on stories of what it
was like to work at the
bank.
People are overworked
and stressed. Managers
are often angry, never sat-
isfied and are bent on en-
larging the ego.
Corporations, someone
laments, are becoming
more like a totalitarian
state; workers have no
voice, nopower. If [corpo-
rations] can make money
by laying off tenthousand
workers, everyone in the
front office is a winner.
Jamie who was sitting
with her partner of nine
years toldme that she did-
nt know if she would
have enough money in re-
serves to be able to walk
off her job. But they be-
came a one-car house-
hold, are growing their
own food, andshe is even
receiving calls at a neigh-
bors house. Her family
and friends have also
pledged their support.
You gotta be creative ,
said one man volubly. "I
cut my cable," he said
and for me thats a big
deal. I watch a lot of
sports: baseball, basket-
ball
Like the occupy move-
ment before it, these
protestors did not speak
with the aid of mega-
phones or speaker sys-
tems. Nor did they have a
set of demands awaiting
the journalists with cam-
eras in tote. They knew
that unlike the occupy
movement their actions
could not be ignored.
And they may be right
as legislators in CA, NY &
RI are already looking at
their laws on Articles of
Incorporation, asking if
abuses have occured. The
president has also
weighedin, speaking two
weeks ago on our forefa-
thers' original intent with
'the corporate charter.'
At theendof our conver-
sation Mary told me what
the dream was really all
about. She told me this
country of ours, as well as
the world, contain the
wealth and ingenuity for
all of us to live at a higher
standard of living and to
do it in a 20-26 hour work
week. It means more time
doing the activities you
love, she said, with the
people you love.
Looking again at the
top-heavy bar chart
above, I mayjust becomea
believer too.
Further Reading:
Sorry, But There's No 'Law Of Capitalism' That You Have To Pay Employees As Little As
Possible, a BUSINESS INSIDER article by Henry Blodget, March 29, 2014.
"Why Wal-Mart can afford to give its workers a 50% raise, a FORTUNE article by Stephen
Gandel, November 12, 2013.
Wells Fargo annual report - 2013
"Our Hidden History of Corporations in the United States", found at 'ReclaimDemocracy.org'
The Great Turning: From Empire to Earth Community, by David C. Korten
Owning Our Future: The Emerging Ownership Revolution, by Marjorie Kelly
Soundtrack for the Revolution:
'Half Light II (No Celebration)' Arcade Fire
'WeAreMany.org' Podcast
'The Permaculture Podcast' Scott Mann
'Moyers and Company' Podcast
Additional Soundtrack:
Hay Hai Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeroes, ytube
5.20.10
Every Part of You Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic
Zeroes, ytube 1.20.12
'The Interdependence Project: 21st Century Buddhism'
Podcast
Eyes Wide Open Hothouse Flowers, studio & ytube 10.29.12
*employee profit sharing comes with strings attached
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