Richard Eggers was a man who once worked as customer service representative for the Wells Fargo bank. However, he was fired due to an arrest, which just so happened to be several decades old. Some time ago, Eggers had been arrested because he put a cardboard dime inside of a laundry machine, which is something most people would consider a practical joke instead of a serious offense. Even so, he was fired by the bank during the month of July due to this prior arrest. Wells Fargo recently offered to give Eggers his job back but he chose to turn down the offer instead. Eggers, who is 68 years old, has said, “If Wells Fargo had agreed to our requests, I would have returned to work.” He also said, “But this isn’t just about me — I’m eligible for Social Security — this is also about the thousands of working families with children which have been hurt by the same rules.”

Attorneys have made estimates that thousands of lower level bank employees ended up losing their job with the bank because of the rule that was set about prior arrests. The particular rule states that individuals cannot be employed with the bank if they have ever been convicted for displaying dishonest behavior. Earlier on in the week, Wells Fargo made it clear that they were looking to rehire Eggers earlier on in the month and allow him to take back the same position with the same salary he was earning before. The banking sector cleared him to return back to work by the end of September, specifically on the 26^th. A large number of individuals who have recently been fired from the bank are looking to push these waivers so that they can receive their jobs back.

The attorney who is representing Eggers, Leonard Bates, says that Eggers felt it was important for fired employees from Wells Fargo to receive more respect. Eggers had a few requests that he was hoping Wells Fargo would agree to go along with. In the meantime, Well Fargo claims that they had to terminate thee individuals due to the rule and the fact that if the bank was in violation, they would have to pay a large fee for each day that they were in violation.

A spokesperson for the Wells Fargo bank, Angela Kaipust, has said, “It was our hope that Richard Eggers would accept our offer to return to work as a team member for Wells Fargo.” She also said, “Unfortunately, in rejecting our offer to return to work and demanding a number of unreasonable conditions, Mr. Eggers and his lawyer have not recognized our responsibility to apply the law equitably and fairly for all of our team members.”