I sent an e-mail to U.S. Bank CEO Andy Cecere in late '18, documenting a toxic culture within the company in which two managers brazenly committed wrongdoing against me, including defamation and retaliation, and three internal "investigators" reflexively advocated for them under the guise of a neutral review. As a result, I implored Cecere to order an exhaustive external review.
Exactly two weeks later, I was fired from the company without reason - while ill, while on paid sick leave. I was not allowed to retrieve my possessions and not all of them were returned.
Compounding these stunningly unethical actions, USB then refused to return my earned and unused vacation time, which amounted to almost $2200. They claimed, falsely, that I was not in "good standing." In truth, I was consistently an exemplary employee and they fired me in direct retaliation for exposing the wide-ranging wrongdoing. The company's wildly conflicting responses, and inaction, sturdily support my position:
- Two working days following my abrupt termination, I requested in writing that operations manager Ryan Jewison provide a reason for my termination with specifics.
- USB failed to provide a written response to me within 10 working days, thus violating statute 181.933 which requires a “truthful" and prompt reason for my termination.
- One day later, in a phone conversation that I recorded by legal right, Jewison claimed that I was terminated for a COMPLETELY different reason than that given by USB to the Minnesota Unemployment office. Both reasons were absurd and hurtful – and the unemployment office properly ruled that I committed no misconduct and was eligible for benefits. The company did not appeal.
U.S. Bank not only builds its brand on "doing the right thing," it has sought over the past 5 years to use this empty mantra to distinguish itself from other scandal-ridden banks.
The truth and the reality could not be more different.
