Wells Fargo is already sitting on heat for damaging the environment. Activists in this area speak more fluently that I do. You'd think that the bank is learning that justice is not an alternative - it is the ONLY way. However, my perception is that the bank advisers can not look anywhere other than at the money. This needs to change.
ACTIVISM FOR WELLS FARGO IN UTAH
"This is the letter SURJ SLC, and several other groups interested in racial justice, sent to Wells Fargo President Timothy J. Sloan last week, regarding the dismissal of Victoria Sethunya.
November 17, 2017
Mr. Sloan:
This letter is in response to the termination of former Wells Fargo employee, Victoria Sethunya on November 9, 2017. Ms. Sethunya was fired from the Wells Fargo call center located in Salt Lake City, Utah. We are writing to express concern related to the manner in which Ms. Sethunya was terminated, and the lack of transparency and accountability shown to Ms. Sethunya by Wells Fargo prior to, and subsequent to, her dismissal. We are also deeply concerned regarding the race dynamics that appear to play a part in Ms. Sethunya's termination.
It is our understanding that shortly after an incident, which Ms. Sethunya reported to her manager, she was asked to sign a document stating she had violated Wells Fargo policy. During the incident in question, Ms. Sethunya, who is an African Woman of Color, was approached by a coworker who had been staring at her hair. The coworker proceeded with a line of questioning Ms. Sethunya found invasive and offensive. The coworker's questions included asking Ms. Sethunya if her hair “poofed up” as soon as she exited the shower, and why her hairstyle was different from day to day. Ms. Sethunya told her coworker, in no uncertain terms, that she found the questions inappropriate and shortly thereafter, spoke with a manager regarding the incident.
A short time after this incident, and prior to any sort of resolution being reached, Ms. Sethunya was asked to sign a document stating she had violated Wells Fargo policy. When Ms. Sethunya asked for further details related to the violation, she was not given a clear answer or provided with details of a specific incident, but rather advised the policy violation involved her “implying” or “suggesting” a certain behavior to a customer. Ms. Sethunya asked for further clarification as far as exactly when the violation had occurred and what exactly had been implied or suggested. She was once again met with vague statements and no specific details. She stated she would not sign the document until she knew the exact nature of the violation.
According to Ms. Sethunya, this type of generalization and lack of straight or adequate answers had been an ongoing issue at Wells Fargo in the past when she had sought clarification of policies and procedures. She reached out to Human Resources regarding her frustration and confusion related to the exact nature of the policy violation. She was, however, unable to find a resolution or further information regarding either incident through Human Resources, because upon returning to work on November 9, she was not only terminated, but escorted from the building by security personnel. The only reason given for her termination was that it was “performance” related.
We, the undersigned, strongly believe race dynamics within Wells Fargo played a role in Ms. Sethunya's termination. It is a sad truth that race-related issues and white supremacy infect nearly all of America's institutions. Oftentimes these issues are rampant in workplaces where employees and supervisors are not even conscious of the presence of such deep and pervasive issues. As we are certain you are well aware, “diversity” is a current watchword in businesses across the country. Yet, it is not uncommon for such businesses who claim they are seeking racially diverse employees to actually be seeking employees of color who will unquestionably comply with the company's institutional hierarchy, not gain authority, and conform absolutely to the company's culture and practices.
Considering these factors, we would strongly urge you to 1) provide Ms. Sethunya with a complete and candid reason for her termination and 2) reverse the decision to let her go and reinstate her immediately.
Lastly, we would ask that the systematic race dynamics mentioned above be considered by Ms. Sethunya's supervisors and coworkers, and that if they seem familiar and it becomes clear that institutional racism, both conscious and unconscious, may have played a role in her termination, steps are taken to resolve the issues and make Wells Fargo a positive and comfortable working environment for all employees.
Sincerely,
Showing Up for Racial Justice Salt Lake City
People’s Power Assembly Utah
Black Lives Matter Utah
Joan Gregory, Co-Chair Anti Racism Committee, First Unitarian Church of Salt Lake City
Showing Up for Racial Justice South Salt Lake
League Allies Utah
United Front Civil Rights Organization"
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