Union Protests Non-Union Contractor on Roseville's VitamIn Shoppe

A Twin Cities union this week has taken its protest of a local drywall company to a new Roseville store.

The  North Central States Regional Council of Carpenters has had a handful of protesters bannering the new Vitamin Shoppe, 2480 Fairview Ave., for hiring a non-union subcontractor Friedges Drywall Inc. to do drywall work at the new retail store, which recently opened for business.

New Market-based "Friedges Drywall does not meet area labor standards for all their carpenter craft workers, including fully paying family health benefirts and person," the Carpenters labor group said in a flyer.  "Shame on The Vitamin Shoppe for contributing to the erosion of areas standards for carpenters."

The union added that The Vitamin Shoppe "should not be allowed to insulate themselves behind 'independent' contractors." (The Vitamin Shoppe is located Rosedale Commons, which is just north of Rosedale Center.)

Officials at The Vitamin Shoppe could not be reached for comment.

But Todd Friedges, a co-owner of the family business that bears his name, on Friday defended his company and counter-charged that the union has been battling for years to try and force his firm out of business. 

Although Friedges doesn't offer fully family health insurance, the company does provide health insurance for its workers under a plan that is better than the union's, Friedges contended. He added the company pays its workers hourly wages similar to the carpenters' union.

Friedges said his company, founded in 1976, was once a union contractor but went non-union at least 15 years ago. Ever since- and particularly a couple years ago- the union has protested numerous projects where Friedges Drywall has done work, Todd Friedges said. That's included bannering Minnetonka High School when it was being built in 2009.

"Their (union's) goal is to break us," Friedges said "They are trying to get owners and general contractors not to use us. But we are still going."

As for treating workers, Friedges said his workforce of about 10 to 20 employees is long tenured, with many averaging 20 to 22 years service with his company.

"If we mistreated people, why would would they keep working for us?" Friedges asked rhertorically. "Our employees aren't chained here."