Santa Clara, CA: A wrongful termination class action lawsuit has been filed against Wells Fargo by two employees who allege, on behalf of themselves and other employees similarly situated, that by trying to meet the aggressive sales quotas set by Wells Fargo without engaging in fraud cause them to be fired, demoted, or resign.
"Wells Fargo fired or demoted employees who failed to meet unrealistic quotas while at the same time providing promotions to employees who met these quotas by opening fraudulent accounts," the lawsuit states.
According to the complaint, Wells Fargo managers pressured workers to meet quotas of 10 accounts per day, required progress reports several times daily and reprimanded workers who fell short. Polonsky and Zaghi, who filed the class action, allege they filed applications matching customer requests and were counseled, demoted and later terminated.
The plaintiffs asserts that while the top executives benefited from the activity, the blame landed on thousands of $12-per-hour employees who tried to meet the quotas and were often required to work off the clock to do so.
The plaintiffs are seeking $2.6 billion in damages. The lawsuit is filed on behalf of people who worked for Wells Fargo in California over the past 10 years, including current employees, focuses on those who followed the rules and were penalized for not meeting sales quotas.
The lawsuit accuses Wells Fargo of wrongful termination, unlawful business practices and failure to pay wages, overtime, and penalties under California law.
