About Us

Who We Are

The Minnesota Lath and Plaster Bureau has promoted the industry since 1953. It is widely recognized as an education and technical spokesman for the industry. It provides information to architects, the construction community and the public on a variety of matters relating to the plastering trades.

The Minnesota Lath and Plaster Bureau holds a Directors meeting on a quarterly basis. The Board of Directors is comprised of lathing and plastering contractor employers, signatory to union collective bargaining agreements entered into by the Minnesota Drywall and Plaster Association (MDPA). Directors are appointed by MDPA and hold voting rights for a term of one year until successors are elected. The entire direction and management of the affairs of the Bureau is vested in the Board of Directors. Union officials representing Lather’s Union Locals, Plastering Union Locals and Plaster Tender Locals, also serve in an advisory capacity.

Operative Plasterers’ and Cement Masons Union Local 265

The Union Plasterers are highly regarded for their proud tradition, superior training, skilled craftsmanship and job safety. Founded in 1864, the Plasterers and Cement Masons International founded the first Building Trades Union, pioneering the way for workers’ rights.  Plasterers Union Local 265 jurisdiction covers the Minnesota counties of; Wright, Hennepin, Carver, Sibley, McLeod, Mille Lacs, Kanabec, Anoka, Sherburne, Isanti, Ramsey, Dakota, Washington, Chisago and part of Pine County.

Lather’s Union Local 190

Lath as a base for plaster has existed since primitive man first made his home from sticks and mud. In 1839, Peter Naylor introduced metal lath as “an improved mode of protecting walls and ceilings against the effects of fire.” Since then, metal lath and plaster have gained unparalleled acceptance because of the versatility, durability, economy, simplicity of construction, architectural beauty and unequaled fireproofing qualities. As a result, the craft of lathing has become one of the most skilled of the building construction trades.

The Wood, Wire and metal Lathers International Union was founded in 1899. In recent years Lather’s 190 has been absorbed by the North Central States Regional Council of Carpenters and Joiners.

Laborers’ International Union of North America

From setting scaffolding to mixing plaster in the proper proportions and then getting it to the plasterer, the laborer is a key component to a quality plaster installation.

The Twin Cities is served by Laborers’ Local 132 in St. Paul and Laborers’ Local 563 in Minneapolis. Construction & General Laborers’ Local #132 received its Charter from the Laborers’ International Union of North America (LIUNA) in 1915. Local #563 received its charter in 1926.

The Minnesota/ North Dakota Laborers Employers Cooperation and Education Trust (LECET) is one of 31 regional funds created to facilitate and promote the positive relationships between the construction craft laborers and their construction contractor employers. This innovative program has a simple but powerful mission: to generate business opportunities for union contractors and job opportunities for members of the Laborers’ International Union of North America. It looks down the road, sees where the construction industry is going, then musters the resources of one of LIUNA’s three cooperative labor-management funds to position laborers and their signatory contractors to make the most of the future.

In 1989, the non-profit Construction Laborer’s Training Fund began offering continuing education programs through the Laborers Training Center (LTC ). Since 1999, the LTC ‘s apprenticeship program has been part of the mandatory, state-regulated requirements for Construction Craft Laborers. The Laborers Training Center provides construction industry vocational training through a full range of classes and apprenticeship programs at its Lino Lakes, Minnesota, facility. The LTC offers continuing education programs for its 9500 participating union members who need to maintain their certifications, develop their skills, and stay abreast of new trends and technologies.

MNLPB History

The Minnesota Lathing and Plastering Bureau was born out of the construction boom after World War II. At that time the plastering industry was on all cylinders in the 1950’s when the need was realized to keep the industry rolling in a positive direction. Minnesota State Building Trades representative Dave Roe and Plastering Contractor Lloyd Peterson were the visionaries who established the Bureau in November 1953 as a means of promoting the industry.

By 1957 the Bureau hired its first Executive Director. Clint Fladland established the original office on Raymond Avenue in St. Paul and markedly raised the exposure of the industry through newspaper advertising, placards on busses and benches and even a Saturday morning television chat on the merits of plaster. In its hay day it should be remembered that plastering was essential in home construction so promotion tended to the public side of that perception. As time went by, the investment in promotion moved to the commercial side with time being spent influencing architects and specifiers on the virtues of plaster. Clint Fladland’s affable approach made him a favorite among construction industry professionals who speak highly of his efforts even today.

Not only did the Bureau reach out to the public to promote the industry, it also became widely respected as a clearinghouse for technical information. Former USG Representative Bill Plourde was hired and had a considerable hand in developing technical specifications and documents that are the basis for much of the technical information still archived by the Bureau. Along the way Bob Heide an experienced estimator with Conroy Brothers was hired as a technical assistant to Clint Fladland. In 1990, the Board of Directors hired Bruce Pottle, a former lumber salesman as Clint’s assistant and eventual successor. While Clint remained on in a consultant role, Bruce eventually took charge of the operation and put his own mark on the Bureau. Bruce moved the office from Raymond Avenue to its location at Transfer Road in St. Paul. Bruce was well known for his participation in Construction Specifiers Institute, his influence in Producers Council Midwest where he served as President and also for his leadership in ASTM Committee C-11, where he chaired the committee on Portland Cement Plaster. Bruce’s widespread contribution to the industry was no more apparent than when his picture graced the March 1999 cover of Walls and Ceilings magazine after he had succumbed to cancer.

Recently retired (2019) Executive Director, Steven Pedracine came from a varied background as a former teacher and as a technical representative for a major Exterior Insulation Finish System manufacturer. Just days into the job, Steve went from the frying pan into the fire, when a plastering mainstay, stucco was singled out as the reason for a spate of moisture intrusion issues on single family homes. Realizing the severity of the situation, Steve wrote and illustrated a handbook that highlights the principles of good construction practice as it relates to stucco. That handbook, Stucco in Residential Construction is currently in its third printing (2007). On a part time basis, Steve is now busy honing and improving the Bureau technical library, he is also an active member of the ASTM C-11 committee on plaster.