CWA is actively organizing tech and banking workers across the industry, and they've already delivered results. At California's Beneficial State Bank, CWA members won the first union contract in 40 years in 2021, securing higher wages, increased retirement contributions, and just-cause protections against unfair discipline. Right now, workers at 29 Wells Fargo branches and counting have voted to join Wells Fargo Workers United, a CWA division, proving that major banks can be unionized. CWA brings over 367,000 members strong across telecom, media, tech, airlines, and now banking—giving you a powerful voice backed by an established national infrastructure. Unlike dealing with management alone, CWA has the expertise and resources to fight for your interests at the bargaining table.
CWA directly addresses the working conditions that matter most to you: pay equity and flexibility. The union has made work-life balance and remote work policies key organizing priorities, especially after seeing how forced return-to-office mandates have hurt tech talent and worker wellbeing. The reality at major banks is that workers are falling behind—long-term employees seeing new hires brought in at higher pay rates, software developers without proper desk setups under hybrid arrangements, and wages that aren't keeping up with inflation. CWA fights for transparent, fair pay scales with regular raises and the flexibility to work remotely, protecting you from arbitrary management decisions. With a union contract, you get guaranteed grievance procedures, just-cause protections, and the collective bargaining power to actually negotiate better terms instead than accepting whatever management dictates. The banking industry is heavily unionized everywhere else in the world—it's time the U.S. caught up, and CWA is leading the way.
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I don't care if I get fired at this point, I'm close to retirement and really just want to eek another year or two out. I would seriously be interested in organizing and wouldn't mind taking the baton. The respect for the worker here has completely collapsed during my time here. U.S. Bank used to be a preferred place to work with great benefits, pay, job stability, and long term vision from leadership. Current "management" (they aren't worthy of being called leaders) seems to have thrown all that out the window in the quest for a quick buck. Sad to see decades of progress destroyed in a year.
https://cwa-union.org/join-union/how-organize
Here’s a brief summary of where to start.
Talk to your co-workers. This is the first step. Do many of you share the same concerns? Determine your top five or so issues. Is there a common theme such as lack of respect and dignity; no input with management; unfair, arbitrary treatment or favoritism. Are wages and benefits lower at your workplace than what workers are getting in similar jobs in your industry? Write them up on a list.
When talking among yourself about a union, be sure to talk only while you are on breaks, away from work areas, or off company property. Organizing a union is legal and a protected right under the law, but you need to avoid tipping off management as long as possible. If your employer finds out, especially when you are in the beginning stages of identifying key workplace issues and building union support, your road to success will be much more difficult.
Building a committee. After determining support for a union exists around key workplace issues, build a committee of co-workers that is representative of your workplace. Building a strong inside organizing committee is critical to building the majority support that you will need to establish your union.
Ideally, the number of workers on your committee should be at least 10 percent of the workforce. During this stage, CWA will give you tips on building majority union support.
Build majority support. After building your committee and identifying key issues, you need to talk openly with your co-workers, discussing issues, and building union support. This begins the “public” phase of your campaign. Through one-on-one discussions with workers in your workplace, evaluate the support that exists for a union around your key issues. Remember, that even though this is the “public” part of your campaign, restrict your discussions about a union to breaks in non-working locations (lunchrooms, bathrooms), or away from company property.
An excellent way to build support for your union is to get workers to sign a public petition supporting the union that states your key issues and goals. But hold off on going “public” with your petition until you have a majority of workers’ signatures.
Most employers will launch their campaigns against your union at this stage, if they are not tipped off earlier. When they learn of your campaign, they try to increase fear and conflict in the workplace (see examples below) and blame it on the “union” as if it is some outside organization. Remember, you are the union.
How you choose to go union. How you and your co-workers decide whether you want a union depends on where you work.
At most private employers, workers make the choice through elections overseen by the National Labor Relations Board. Your get your union if a majority of the workers voting in the election vote for the union.
At some CWA employers, workers make the choice through a process called majority sign up. This is a much shorter way to get a union because the procedure is agreed to in advance between CWA and the employer. And these employers agree to remain neutral.
In the public sector, how you choose a union depends where you live. Some states and localities permit workers to make the choice through majority sign up. Others require a traditional union election, where majority vote decides the question.
Airline workers have their own election process that can make it more difficult to form a union. In airline elections, the number of workers voting for the union must constitute the majority of all eligible workers – including even those who choose not to vote.
The employer’s campaign. In most cases, employers will use a variety of tactics to prevent you from organizing a union, many designed to create conflict, divide union supporters, and create an atmosphere of fear. Here are just some of the most widely used (and many illegal) tactics:
Predicting layoffs or plant/office closings if you vote for union representation;
Scaring employees with warnings of strikes or violence;
Intimidating union supporters with unspoken threats of firings and or disciplinary action;
Labeling the union that you and your co-workers are attempting to organize as an “outside” organization or “third party” that will come in and make decisions for you and your co-workers.
Making inaccurate and misleading statements about the union or union dues;
Asking for another chance to improve working conditions:
What employers don’t want to talk about during their anti-union campaign are your concerns – those key workplace issues that you and your organizing committee identified as reasons why you want a union.
Strong majority support for a union is the best defense to successfully withstanding the employer’s campaign.
Contact Us
If you and your coworkers are interested in forming a union, CWA will assist you in building majority support. Before contacting CWA, make sure that you have already begun talking with your co-workers about forming a union, identifying key workplace issues, and building an inside organizing committee.
Click here to send us an e-mail message, providing contact information and identifying where you work and some of your workplace issues. A CWA organizer or representative in your area will contact you. He or she will set up a confidential meeting with you and some of your co-workers to discuss the possibility of a union in your workplace. You can also call us at 202-434-1100.
How do we get started?