Wells Fargo will close every one of its roughly 4,000 U.S. branch locations for a full 24 hours on Labor Day, and it is far from the only major bank going dark for the federal holiday.
The bank's holiday calendar confirms that no in-person transactions will be posted on September 7, the first Monday in September. Customers who show up expecting to do business at a teller window will find locked doors from coast to coast. Bank of America, Chase, and CitiBank will also close branches for the day, The Sun reported.
The closures follow the standard federal holiday calendar. Federal office buildings will also shut down. For bank customers, the practical upshot is simple: plan ahead or use a screen.
Wells Fargo is directing customers to its online accounts, mobile app, and ATMs during the shutdown. The bank's ATM and Branch Locator tool can help customers find the nearest machine if they need cash or a deposit.
Wells Fargo also advised customers to double-check hours at their specific branch around holidays. In a statement, the bank noted:
"It's always a good idea to check the hours of your specific branch as some locations may have reduced hours around the holidays."
That guidance suggests some branches may adjust schedules in the days surrounding the holiday, not just on the day itself. Customers with time-sensitive transactions, wire transfers, notarized documents, safe-deposit-box access, would be wise to handle them before the weekend.
Labor Day traces back to 1882, when workers held the first celebration in New York. Labor activists of the era pushed for a federal holiday recognizing the contributions of American workers to the country's economic strength.
The U.S. Department of Labor describes the holiday as "an annual celebration of the social and economic achievements of American workers." The department adds that it "is rooted in the late nineteenth century, when labor activists pushed for a federal holiday to recognize the many contributions workers have made to America's strength, prosperity, and well-being."
Then-President Grover Cleveland signed the legislation making Labor Day a federal holiday in 1894. It has been observed on the first Monday of every September since.
For most Americans, the day means a backyard grill and the unofficial end of summer. For the banking industry, it means a full pause, no posted transactions, no open lobbies, no staffed drive-throughs at any of the nation's largest retail banks.
A holiday built to honor working Americans still manages, 130 years later, to remind everyone how much of daily life depends on the people behind the counter.