Carpenters union’s tip leads to felony wage-theft charges

Ramsey County Attorney John Choi and law-enforcement leaders credited the local Carpenters union with playing a key role in their investigation of wage-theft allegations on a public housing site in St. Paul, which resulted in criminal charges filed Sept. 3. Choi’s office charged Jose Herrera, Carrie Gutbrod-Herrera and Joseph Herrera, owners of Bayvista Incorporated, with […]

Bloomington workers say banjo maker wants to bust their union by moving to Oregon

Union members called the relocation plan retaliatory, saying ownership gave them no indication that it intended to move until they requested recognition of their union.

Wilfs’ company turned deaf ear to warnings of wage theft at Viking Lakes development

Tradespeople who worked on the Viking Lakes luxury apartments in Eagan went public last week with accusations of wage theft on the project, owned and developed by the same family that owns the NFL’s Minnesota Vikings. Worker advocacy groups, including the North Central States Regional Council of Carpenters (NCSRCC), pinned responsibility for the alleged labor […]

Union carpenters spotlight tax fraud in construction industry

Payroll fraud drains $136 million from state coffers each year in Minnesota alone, according to one recent study.

Report: Union construction sites draw fewer safety violations

In Minnesota, OSHA inspectors found 40% fewer violations per inspection on union worksites than they did on nonunion sites.

To open more eyes to apprenticeship, Carpenters open training center doors

Latesha Hayes’ career path came full circle this morning. A fourth-year apprentice with the Carpenters union, Hayes was one of six tradeswomen who led 33 eighth-grade girls from Roseville on a tour of the union’s St. Paul training center. The students put on hard hats and safety glasses, worked with tools of the trade and […]

Carpenters say prominent developer turns blind eye to abuse allegations

What might have been a routine redevelopment deal instead prompted members of the Roseville City Council last month to weigh their oversight responsibilities when it comes to developers reaping tax benefits from the northern suburb. During a final round of public comment on an arrangement between the city and Reuter Walton Companies, two carpenters stepped […]

Carpenters union’s free workshops a hit with kids

Jim Hendricks clapped his hand five times, and the room bustling with more than 30 busy children Saturday morning fell silent. Everyone turned to face Hendricks, a business representative for the Carpenters union, awaiting his instructions. Holding up two pre-cut pieces of wood, Hendricks demonstrated the method for fashioning them into the sides of a […]

Carpenters pile on TruStone for undermining area labor standards in Burnsville

  Already embroiled in a dispute with its own employees’ union, TruStone Financial got an earful today from local Carpenters, who called out the credit union for working with a contractor that does not meet area standards for wages and benefits. Members of the North Central States Regional Council of Carpenters erected a banner reading […]

Carpenters plan hiring fair, open house April 8

Interested in a career in the construction industry? The North Central States Regional Council of Carpenters will host a contractor hiring fair and open house April 8 from 3:30 to 6:30 p.m. at the union’s headquarters and training center in St. Paul. The free, public event will feature contractors looking to hire new construction workers, […]