CALEDONIA, Mich.–An employee of Lake Michigan Credit Union who helped to organize a labor union at one of its branches has been terminated. While that employee said he was not provided a reason, the credit union said in a statement he was made aware of the reason and he is free to share those reasons if he chooses.
As CUToday.info reported here, employees at LMCU’s branch on South Division Avenue had said they felt “underappreciated and undercompensated” and voted in January in favor of unionizing with the Communications Workers of America. The employee who was fired, Ivan Diaz, a member service rep, said at the time the union would give the workers a “seat at the table.”
According to Diaz, who was also recently was elected as a Kent County commissioner representing District 20, he arrived at work on Feb. 1 and had assisted one member before the branch manager and a member of LMCU’s executive leadership team came into his office and informed him he was terminated, the Grand Rapids Business Journal reported.
Diaz told the publication the reason provided for his termination was “a violation of policy.” After inquiring further, Diaz said he was given some documents but did not have the chance to review them in the moment, the report continued.
‘Asked for My Keys’
“When I asked what policy I had violated, they handed me a couple of pages and it looked sort of like a timeline,” Diaz was quoted by the Grand Rapids Business Journal as saying. “I didn’t get a chance to read through them much because they were still talking to me and asking me for my keys. … But I haven’t had any disciplinary action recently. I’m pretty sure I have little to nothing in my file when it comes to disciplinary actions.”
Diaz said he told the credit union’s leadership to expect to hear from the union and was escorted from the building.
Credit Union Response
In a statement to the Grand Rapids Business Journal, the $11.9-billion Lake Michigan Credit Union said, “We deny Mr. Diaz’s allegations. Mr. Diaz is aware of the reasons for his dismissal, as detailed in his termination letter, and is able to share them if he elects to do so, but Lake Michigan Credit Union respects the privacy of our employees and does not comment on individual employee personnel matters. LMCU is committed to complying with all state and federal laws, including the National Labor Relations Act as well as all banking laws and regulations. Our members entrust us to protect their investments, and we expect every one of our employees to uphold the highest standards of compliance with all state and federal laws.”
Diaz told the publication an assistant branch manager at LMCU’s South Division location was let go recently because “her values did not align with the company’s values,” and she would not be able to work well with the branch manager anymore.
Diaz said he will now go through the legal process. The Business Journal also noted that Nick Weiner, organizing director of the Committee for Better Banks (CBB), said in a social media post the organization will support Diaz and hold LMCU management accountable for violating Diaz’s rights.
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