Comerica Locks out the Workers

By: Varous activists

 

The bank that coined the phrase, “we listen, we understand, we make it work” seemed to forget that public relations slogan during the large CAW labor protest at 500 Woodward Avenue, in Detroit, MI.  Numerous coalitions were there to demand justice for workers who just want to be paid what they are owed and Comerica controls the purse strings.  They feel that workers being paid is more important that Comerica executive bonuses.  Participants signed a letter to the company’s executives asking Comerica to live up to the so called “code of ethics” that is posted on Comerica’s website.  The code of ethics seems like a great public relations spin tool but the workers with children to feed were more interested in Comerica showing action; not just empty public relations gimmicks.  As one of the participants read from Comerica’s code of ethics, looks of disgust and frustration fell over participants faces.  There appeared to be a huge disconnect between corporate marketing propaganda and the daily reality that the workers were facing.
At one point a protester challenged the CEO, Ralph Babb and the Michigan President Tom Ogden to respond to the workers concerns.   Comerica executives were challenged to answer the following questions:

• Do they think it was fair that Comerica was rewarded $2.25 billion in TARP money approximately 30 days after the Michigan attorney general Mike Cox forced Comerica Securities to pay fines and restitution of over $1.5 billion to shareholders?
• Is it fair that the banking industry has received $23.7 million in subsidies, bailouts and backdoor corporate welfare while homeowner forclosure rates are at 15% and property values have collapsed?
• Is it fair that the citizens labor under disasterous debt burdens while the banking industry has been given subsidies that could have paid off personal mortgage debt three times over?
• Is if fair that US banks are speculating with the TARP money, including foreign exchange trading that is driving the US dollar lower?
• Is if fair that Comerica CEO Ralph Babb got a raise in 2008?
• Is it fair that Comerica stock holders have lost money over the past 5 years while Comerica executives have gotten extremely wealthy?
• Is it fair that Comerica Bank has so much taxpayer TARP money and at the same time ranks in the top ten banks for loans to company insiders?
• Is it fair that these loans to corporate insiders are not fully transparent?
• Is it fair that Comerica has refused to give an account of exactly where the $2.25 billiion in TARP money went and why?
• Is if fair that Comerica executives seem to hide in their plush offices and refuse to answer the public’s questions?  Perhaps the next protest should be at the home of a Comerica executive like Michigan President, Tom Ogden in Grosse Pointe?   Perhaps neighbors should have a chance to see exactly what serous issues Comerica executives are dodging?

No Comerica executives were willing to address these questions.  To the contrary, a goon from Comerica’s security staff came outside to harrass the protesters and interfere with the protest.  A Comerica security goon constantly interfered with the groups right to free speech and free assembly.  At the same time various Comerica employees watched the protesters from the lobby of the building.  Many protesters commented on the arrogant smirks from the “Comerica suits” that watched the workers appeal for fairness.  After letter to Comerica management had been signed by all the attendees the CAW made an attempt to deliver it to someone in the lobby.  To our surprise, Comerica had locked the doors and therefore could not receive the signed letter.  Even Comerica customers and employees were unable to get into the front door after Comerica locked them out at approximately 12:45 pm.  Participants thought this as an act of wholesale cowardice and arrogance.   The signed letter had to be left at Comerica’s front door while the various journalists continued to take notes.  This is what $2.25 billion of your tax dollars now sits.  What will Comerica plan as an encore at future protests?

 

Workers Demand Severance Pay – Picketing Scheduled at Comerica Bank on 11/24/2009

By Brian Pfiefer

Supporters of 80 Canadian workers will picket outside Comerica bank,
500 Woodward Avenue in Detroit, Michigan on Tuesday, November 24 at
noon.

Canadian workers of Adraco and Aramco a division of Catalina
Precision, have been denied their severance, termination, and vacation
pay by the Catalina’s creditors Comerica Bank.

The two plants based in Windsor, Ontario employed 80 members of CAW
Local 195 and a number of non-union office and supervisors, all of
whom are left out in the cold.

“Ontario labor standards afford the right to severance and termination
pay in circumstance such as these, however the inaction of the Ontario
Government to enforce the provision of the legislation is a disgrace,”
said the President of CAW Local 195.

Workers are owed $2.4 million Canadian.

“We are targeting Comerica because they are the ones holding the purse
strings for Catalina. Comerica is the major creditor, looking to sell
off or auction off the assets in both of these facilities in order to
attempt to recoup any debt Catalina owes them. Yet the workers both
union and salary staff have not received a penny from this employer or
Comerica,” concluded the CAW president.

Comerica received $2.3 billion in bailout funds from the federal
government in 2008 through the TARP (Troubled Assets Relief Program).

According to reports in newspapers, The Windsor Star and LeMonde,
Catalina’s principle officers, Katherine Zickfeld and Gregory Willis,
were recently convicted and sentenced to five years in jail and 20
million Euro fine by a court in France for embezzlement  and fraud,
leaving 300 French workers unemployed.

Customer Reports Comerica to FDIC and Arizona Banking Commision

Ripoff Report

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COMERICA BANK
PHOENIX, Arizona
United States of America

Submitted: Thursday, September 17, 2009

ehtical citizen

Tempe, Arizona
USA

Comerica Bank which was headquartered in Michigan and then relocated to Texas. As a previous resident from Michigan, my family relocated to Phoenix Arizona so we wanted to be a loyal customer of Comerica Bank so we therfore relied on their advice and professional expertise to inform us how to better apply our money.
Unfortunately we put all of our funds in their bank to show loyalty and to form a relationship and partnership so both parties would benefit. We started a small business in synthetic turf so we used a CD as collateral and they gave us an unsecured line of credit tied to a property we owned in Michigan. To my dismay the Vice President of small banking is a complete lier and a very poor manager as he has no clue how to be a manager or run a business. This Vice President of small business is so unprofessional that he had 4-6 loan officers come and go as soon as they saw he was a complete deceitful jerk. At that very moment we began to move our assets to Chase Bank and they were more than willing to take over our persoan and business accounts. When our last CD matured on a Saturday the Vice President of Comerica Bank took the CD and froze the account without any notice to us. He knew exactly what he was doing and lied to my wife and myself along with lying to Chase Bank during a conference call on the following Monday. This Vice President of small banking for Comerica Bank in downtown Phoenix, AZ actually lied to my face about my wife as he is chauvinistic slob that knew he was dead wrong in his actions. So now 10 months later we are out over $100,000 in interest and we never defaulted on the unsecured line of credit. I told this Vice President of small banking to undo what he did so Chase can finalize our new relationship and he said he would not doa that. This is what the banks and society has come to, screw the honest person to gain something for themselves. I am the customer and it is his responsibillity to visit his customers place of business to make sure they are happy but he was too damn lazy and above everyone else to even think of performing his job in an ethical fashion. This Vice President of small banking at Comerica Bank should be embarrassed and fired as a result of his actions. The Arizona Banking Commission and the FDIC will be notified and if justice is served they will be fined. The undo stress, emotions, financial crisis they have put our personal and business in will not go away until justice is served to Comerica Bank.

Government makes another BAD decision and teams up with Comerica Bank so they can rip off the poorest, sickest, and disabled people in America! Corpus Christi, Texas

Comerica Bank – USDirectExpress Team – Is this bad or what?

Source: Ripoff Report

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Comerica Bank – USDirectExpress

Phone:  8772129991
Fax:

www.usdirectexpress.com
Internet, Internet
United States of America

Submitted: Tuesday, August 11, 2009

Modified: Wednesday, August 12, 2009

sickofincompetence

Corpus Christi, Texas
USA

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USDirectExpress is a TOTAL failure of the poor, sick and disabled by none other than the US Government!!  They chose Comerica Bank to run the disability debit Mastercard!  There are more incompetent assholes working for USDirectExpress than working for the Government!!  I sent this email to the director of the program today:

On 6/30/2009 my USDirectExpress card was stolen and my entire benefit of $674 was taken.  I have done every single thing USDirectExpress has asked, filled out paperwork, filed charges against thief, sent you the police report and I have been patient!  I still do not have a single penny of July’s benefit and my water is off, I am hungry, I am being evicted, my dog has no food and I do not have a penny to pay a taxi to get to my doctor or get my prescriptions!!!

It has been 6 weeks! This is the ONLY income I have! I am disabled and I have urine running down my leg from a severe kidney infection! I cannot get the medical attention I need or FOOD and I cannot get my utilities back on without my money! Every time I call it is still pending, still pending, still pending! This is RIDICULOUS! You need to get some competent people to run this debit card program! I NEED my damn money!

The answer was, we have not received your paperwork and the Police have not sent the Police report!  You have got to be f***ing kidding me!! Magically they didn’t receive my paperwork OR the Police paperwork!  Sounds like the mail clerk needs to lay off the crack pipe! I have called there at least 12 times to ask if there was anything else they needed.  Each time I was told that everything was in and it is being researched, don’t worry your temporary credits will be on there in no time!! Getting more and more frustrated I called and asked to speak to a supervisor 3 times I was told flat NO it is not necessary, everything is fine and 3 other times I was told a supervisor would call me within 24-48 hours-that didn;t happen!   This is absolutely not the first scam Comerica bank has played with my account.  They allowed an internet scam company to withdrawal $49.95 from my account. They dicked around and made excuses, told me to call the company, dicked around some more, made a couple more excuses THEN announced it was too late for me to dispute the charge!!   These people are the lowest life form stealing, sleezing and cheating the poorest, sickest, and neediest of Americans! I agree with other complaintants BOYCOTT THAT SUCK A** COMERICA BANK and take your money elsewhere!  Opt for the check to receive your disability benefits, then USDirectExpress can’t steal your money!