Wells Fargo employees vote in favor of unionization

(Reuters) -Wells Fargo employees at its Albuquerque, New Mexico branch voted to join a union on Wednesday, opening up a new frontier in the labor campaign against corporate America.

Wells Fargo employees voted 5 to 3 in favor of joining the Communications Workers of America’s Wells Fargo Workers United (WFWU), the union said.

The vote stands “as a testament to workers in the financial services industry who know we need a collective voice to improve the industry we are integral to,” said Sabrina Perez, a Senior Premier Banker at Wells Fargo’s Albuquerque branch.

Wells Fargo did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.

The landmark vote makes the San Francisco-based lender the first big U.S. bank with a union, marking a rare win for such efforts in an industry that has largely been immune to them.

Such campaigns have led to tense showdowns between employees and corporate behemoths recently. Lucrative deals clinched by unions like the United Auto Workers, which secured record pay hikes for employees, has bolstered support for unionization.

The results of the vote were first reported by Bloomberg News.

Workers at the bank’s branch in Bethel, Alaska are set to vote on the unionization campaign on Thursday. Employees at the Daytona Beach, Florida branch have also filed for union elections.