The Carpenters' District Council of Greater St. Louis and Vicinity has been in the area for more than 128 years. It was in St. Louis that Peter J. McGuire first organized a city-wide carpenters’ alliance. It was from this river city that McGuire issued the call for a national carpenters’ union in the first edition of The Carpenter, which remains the national publication of the UBC to this day. From its inception in 1882, the St. Louis Carpenters’ District Council has carried forward the traditions of Peter J. McGuire in fighting for the dignity of carpenters and joiners. Though the council has seen dark days when its coffers were empty and its membership small, it has survived and prospered to become one of the preeminent local affiliates of any union anywhere in the world.

Yes, the St. Louis Carpenters’ District Council has fought for the working class in the councils of labor and in the community. Some of the old-timers still remember the store begun by the council to feed unemployed carpenters and their families during the depression. We have recently found ourselves in the worst recession since the depression and have implemented another food bank to help support our members during this economic downturn. And many recall the leadership role that the Carpenters’ District Council played in organizing the home building industry in the St. Louis community.

Always, the council has worked for its members, negotiating fair wages and comprehensive benefit packages. The St. Louis District Council some 50 years ago invested $138,000 in downtown redevelopment to create jobs for its members. And when St. Louis was threatened by press accounts that said this city was to be avoided when companies were considering expansion, the council helped found PRIDE, a construction industry labor-management organization which has over the past thirty-eight years dramatically improved the image of St. Louis and brought hundreds of thousands of dollars of new construction to the area.

Before the inception of PRIDE and thereinafter, the Carpenters’ District Council has always been in the forefront of leading labor and investing in the community. To date the Carpenters’ District Council has invested $250 million into the community to further promote man hours for our membership.

To be a St. Louis carpenter means being a proud part of one of the oldest and best labor unions in the nation. Nowhere is the history of any union more plentiful with membership service than here in St. Louis. It is a heritage to be proud of and one which deserves to be preserved for the consideration of future generations.

As times have changed throughout our existence, we have evolved to meet the needs of our members and the consumers who hire our Union Carpenters. We strive to keep our members and contractors’ best interest in mind. Our Carpenters go through more than four years of hands-on training at our state-of-the-art training center. Our District Council covers Missouri, Kansas and Southern Illinois.

It is our mission to never lose sight of trying to create the most man hours for our carpenters. We also strive to provide each of our contractors with a productive, quality driven, drug free workforce. We constantly are on the lookout for any training or technology that will give our evolving workforce the edge, the competitive edge to be successful. We keep these goals fresh in our minds, as we know that our contractors, subcontractors, vendors, consumers and community have grown to expect this.

We proudly play a role in giving back to our community. Each year, hundreds of schools, organizations, and agencies are beneficiaries of our charitable activities. The Carpenters’ Union builds our community.

Our current Executive Secretary-Treasurer is Terry Nelson. Terry Nelson is an aggressive, innovative, and progressive leader. He has served as the resourceful Executive Secretary-Treasurer of the Carpenters' since his election in 1993. The Carpenters' District Council of Greater St. Louis and Vicinity consists of 57 Local Unions covering Missouri, Kansas and Southern Illinois. Terry’s enthusiasm is contagious and has won the admiration and respect of workers and business associates alike. Terry constantly works with the Union’s Executive Board and Fund Trustees to create improvements and generate MAN HOURS for the Members. He is also a major leader and contributor to the community as evidenced by the various committees on which he serves.