The process of forming a union starts with employees sending a petition to the NLRB.

An NLRB-supervised election is required to officially consider forming a union after a company is notified about it. The company is obligated to engage in collective bargaining if the majority of workers vote “yes” to forming a union.

The Wells Fargo branch in Apex became the first in the Carolinas to unionize, after an election there April 10.

Some of the positions in the six-person local include tellers and the branch operations coordinator, according to a filing with the NLRB. Employees there claim they are understaffed, according to a March letter sent to management about organizing.

Wells Fargo employees who joined the union also feel they are not getting paid enough, Weiner said, adding that return-to-office mandates are aggravating workers too.

Most employees are expected to be in the office three days a week and have the option to work remotely for the other two, a Wells Fargo spokeswoman said. Branch workers operate under a different schedule.

Under-staffing and stress to meet high expectations for sales are other worries, Weiner said.

Weiner said the Committee for Better Banks also has been contacted by workers from Charlotte-based banks Truist and Bank of America wanting to unionize, but there are no plans to try to organize workers there now.

Wells Fargo workers like Haynes are working on a strategy to go public with their Charlotte campaign. Literature is being passed out inside offices but a petition has not been sent to NLRB as of yet.

Unions rare at banks

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