Carpenters Champion Local Labor at St. Peters Discount Store

Drive down Mexico Road past The  Plaza and it is hard to miss the men and women bundled up against the cold at each entrance.

They are members of the_ Carpenters' District Council of Greater St. Louis and Vicinity _and braving the winter weather to get their message out.

"Basically, Dollar Tree uses out-of-state labor to construct their stores," said Chuck Williamson, business representative for the Carpenters Council. 

Williamson said the workers come into Missouri, do the work for Dollar Tree, Inc., and take their wages back to their home state to spend it. Besides taking away jobs from local tradespeople, Williamson said practice costs the state tax money from wages. 

The Carpenters Council members are stationed at the parking lot entrances of Dollar Tree stores around Greater St. Louis, handing out informational flyers to shoppers and passersby. They are not picketing.  

"We get a lot of people who didn't realize that Dollar Tree doesn't support the local guys," one volunteer, who did not want to be named, said.

Often, shoppers are apologetic, added the volunteer. Many say that although they support the local Carpenters Council and other tradespeople, the economy is forcing them to shop at Dollar Tree.

Angeline Smit has been out of work for about a year. She was shopping at the St. Peters Dollar Tree looking for stocking stuffers for her grandchildren. 

"I feel for the guys out of work, but we really have no choice this year," Smitt said. "After flying to come see (my grandchildren), I sure don't have much money left for big presents."

The Carpenters Council has approached Dollar Tree Inc. to ask the chain to change its labor practices. 

"Corporate (Dollar Tree Inc.) doesn't like to talk to us," Williamson said. Dollar Tree, Inc. is based in Virginia.

Williamson said the St. Peters City Council and the mayor, Len Pagano, have tried to contact executives at the Dollar Tree Inc. corporate offices on the Carpenters Council's behalf and have gotten no response.

Dollar Tree Inc. declined comment for this article.

"'Keep doing what you are doing,'" Williamson said the mayor finally told him.

Carpenters Council volunteers have been outside local Dollar Tree stores for about nine months.

Williamson said construction unemployment hovers around 30 percent in the area represented by the Carpenters Council. Additionally, there is no local licensing requirement for carpenters to work in the state, Williamson said. That makes out-of-state labor less expensive and easy for Dollar Tree. Williamson said it takes about three weeks for a team of tradespeople to prepare an existing storefront for a new Dollar Tree. _

"Dollar Tree wants our local money," he said, but they are "unwilling to start the process with local contractors."

The Carpenters Council's goal is to have Dollar Tree change its practices and award the work to those who will be spending money in the community.

"We know we have been making an impact (with our presence). But this is only part of the iceberg," Williamson said. His hope is that the community will think about buying from stores that support and promote the local economy.

His team of volunteers also know they are making a difference by encouraging people think before they shop.  

"We get a lot of 'honks' as people drive by," said another volunteer who declined to give his name.

Besides shopping at businesses that support local tradespeople, one of the best ways to show support, Williamson said, is to, "Give 'em a thumbs up when you drive by!"