Journeyman electrician under IBEW Local 1426 in Grand Forks, ND earn $35.35/hr in base wages, or $58.39/hr as a total package with fringe benefits, effective Jun 2023. This sheet is more than 2 years old, so confirm the current rate with the hall before quoting it.
IBEW Local 1426 runs its own dispatch and out-of-work list. Gulfstream is a private recruiter and does not control hall referral.
The Local 1426 pay scale is $35.35 per hour for journeymen in Grand Forks, ND, or about $70,700 a year at 2,080 hours. The total package, including employer-paid fringe benefits, is $58.39 per hour. That is the last wage sheet we can source for this local — confirm the current rate with the hall.
| Local 1426 journeyman hourly wage | $35.35 / hour |
|---|---|
| Total package (wage + fringe benefits) | $58.39 / hour |
| Annualized at 2,080 hours (base wage) | $70,700 / year |
| First-period apprentice (≈45–50% of scale) | $15.91–$17.68 / hour |
| Wage sheet effective | 6/3/23 |
| Classification | Journeyman Inside Wireman |
A Local 1426 apprentice in Grand Forks, ND starts at roughly $15.91 an hour — about 45% of the $35.35 journeyman scale — and steps up each period, reaching around $26.51 an hour by the fourth year and full scale on turning out. These are the standard percentage steps of scale, not a wage sheet Local 1426 has published; confirm the exact schedule with the JATC.
| 1st period (year 1) | 45% of scale | $15.91 / hour | $31,815 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2nd period (year 2) | 55% of scale | $19.44 / hour | $38,885 |
| 3rd period (year 3) | 65% of scale | $22.98 / hour | $45,955 |
| 4th period (year 4) | 75% of scale | $26.51 / hour | $53,025 |
| 5th period (year 5) | 85% of scale | $30.05 / hour | $60,095 |
| Journeyman (turned out) | 100% of scale | $35.35 / hour | $70,700 |
International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 1426, headquartered in Grand Forks, represents the skilled electrical workforce across North Dakota and northwestern Minnesota. This local is vital to the region's infrastructure, providing labor for commercial builds, heavy industrial projects, and critical utility maintenance. Given the harsh climate and the geographic spread of the Red River Valley, the work requires a specific technical proficiency in power systems and high-voltage applications. Members are deployed to various sectors, including healthcare facilities, university campuses, and the significant agricultural processing plants that drive the regional economy.
The market served by Local 1426 is characterized by a mix of stable institutional maintenance and large-scale industrial expansion. Because the jurisdiction covers both urban centers like Grand Forks and Fargo and remote rural areas, the union plays a crucial role in maintaining labor standards and safety protocols. Signatory contractors rely on this local to supply manpower that is trained under the National Joint Apprenticeship and Training Committee (NJATC) standards. For tradespeople, the local provides a structured career path with mobility across North Dakota, ensuring that large-scale energy and infrastructure projects remain adequately staffed with qualified wiremen and technicians.
["Based on the scale effective June 3, 2023, the Journeyman Wireman hourly rate is $35.35, contributing to a comprehensive total package of $58.39 per hour. The $23.04 difference between the check and the total package covers essential benefits including health coverage and retirement security. Apprentices enter the program at a percentage of the journeyman rate, typically starting around 40% to 50% for first-year students. As they complete their classroom hours and reach specific on-the-job training milestones—usually every 1,000 to 2,000 hours—their pay increases in stepped increments. By the fifth and final year of the apprenticeship, workers often earn 80% to 90% of the full scale. These figures represent the union standard, and interested parties should verify the most recent adjustments through the Grand Forks business office to account for any annual cost-of-living increases."]
["The jurisdiction for IBEW Local 1426 is expansive, covering several counties in Eastern North Dakota and Western Minnesota, centered around the Grand Forks and Fargo metropolitan corridors. The charter includes inside wireman work, which encompasses the installation and maintenance of electrical systems within commercial and industrial buildings, as well as specialized utility work. Members may be required to travel across this broad geographic footprint to service remote substations or agricultural facilities. Work performed under the Inside Agreement includes power distribution, lighting, and low-voltage systems, ensuring that all electrical infrastructure within the chartered territory meets the rigorous standards of the National Electrical Code and local building regulations."]
["The contractor landscape for Local 1426 consists of a diverse mix of regional electrical primes and specialized service contractors. These firms range from large-scale industrial partners capable of managing power plant outages and refinery upgrades to commercial contractors focused on retail, healthcare, and educational facilities. There is also a significant presence of contractors specializing in automation and control systems for the region's agricultural processing industry. Hiring typically follows the referral hall model, where contractors request manpower based on project volume. This provides members with exposure to a variety of work environments, from new construction sites to long-term maintenance contracts at established industrial facilities."]
Inside Wiremen, the primary focus of this local's building trades agreement, install and maintain electrical systems within property lines and buildings. Outside Linemen, often covered under separate utility agreements, work on the high-voltage transmission and distribution lines that bring power from the plant to the customer. Local 1426 represents a broad membership, but the wage scales listed here specifically reflect the Inside Wireman classification.
Yes, as a member of the IBEW, Local 1426 participates in the reciprocal transfer of fringe benefits. Traveling wiremen must sign the appropriate out-of-work book at the Grand Forks or Fargo hall. Their benefits, including pension and health contributions, are typically routed back to their home local's funds via the ERTS system, ensuring no lapse in coverage while working in North Dakota.
North Dakota requires electricians to be licensed by the State Electrical Board. Local 1426 apprentices are registered with the state, and the JATC curriculum is specifically designed to prepare students for the Journeyman Electrician exam. Because North Dakota has reciprocity agreements with several other states, members often find their credentials highly portable, though they must always maintain their standing with the state board.
The North Dakota climate requires contractors to plan for extreme weather. While outdoor industrial work may slow or require specialized enclosures, much of the commercial and institutional work continues year-round inside conditioned spaces. The union and its signatory contractors utilize specific safety protocols and cold-weather gear to ensure that projects remain on schedule despite the challenging winter temperatures common in the Red River Valley.
IBEW Local 1426 is seated in Grand Forks, North Dakota (ND). We hold published wage sheets for 2 locals across North Dakota — compare nearby scales before you take a call.
We are a mechanical, plumbing and electrical construction recruiting firm serving Grand Forks and the rest of North Dakota, including contractors signatory to IBEW Local 1426. Our office is in South Corona, California and we place union-scale tradespeople and field leadership nationwide.
Gulfstream Strategic Placements, 4160 Temescal Canyon Road, Suite 401, Corona, CA 92883. Phone (951) 208-7780. Email hello@gulfstreamsp.com. Monday–Friday, 7:00 AM–5:00 PM Pacific.View our verified Google Business Profile
Journeyman scales as last published by each local. Rates change every contract cycle — confirm with the hall.
The Local 1426 pay scale is $35.35 per hour for journeymen in Grand Forks, ND, or about $70,700 a year at 2,080 hours. The total package, including employer-paid fringe benefits, is $58.39 per hour. That is the last wage sheet we can source for this local — confirm the current rate with the hall.
Journeyman electrician under the IBEW Local 1426 agreement make $35.35 an hour in base wages, or $58.39 an hour counting the fringe package, per the wage sheet effective 6/3/23. Overtime, shift premiums, and travel or subsistence pay are added on top under the local's CBA.
$35.35 per hour base wage and $58.39 per hour total package for a journeyman in Grand Forks, ND, effective 6/3/23. Annualized at 2,080 hours that is roughly $70,700 before overtime.
A Local 1426 apprentice in Grand Forks, ND starts at roughly $15.91 an hour — about 45% of the $35.35 journeyman scale — and steps up each period, reaching around $26.51 an hour by the fourth year and full scale on turning out. These are the standard percentage steps of scale, not a wage sheet Local 1426 has published; confirm the exact schedule with the JATC.
About $15.91 an hour, or roughly $31,815 a year at 2,080 hours, based on the standard 45% first-period step of the $35.35 journeyman rate effective 6/3/23. Apprentices also earn benefit contributions and paid classroom progression; the JATC sets the exact percentage.
Around $22.98 an hour at the standard 65% third-period step, moving to about $26.51 an hour in the fourth period and $35.35 an hour at full journeyman scale. Confirm the published step schedule with the Local 1426 training center.
The current IBEW Local 1426 journeyman rate is $35.35/hour, with a total package of $58.39/hour including fringe benefits, effective 6/3/23. At 2,080 hours that works out to roughly $70,700 per year in base wages before overtime. Rates change with each CBA cycle — confirm with the Local 1426 business office before relying on the figure.
The $35.35/hour figure is the base journeyman wage that lands on the paycheck. The $58.39/hour total package adds employer-paid fringes — health and welfare, pension, annuity, apprenticeship training, and industry funds. Contractors bid work off the total package, so that is the number that matters when comparing electricians labor costs across locals.
Apprentices under the IBEW Local 1426 agreement are paid a graduated percentage of the journeyman rate, typically starting near 40–50% in the first period and stepping up each six-month or annual period until reaching 100% at turnout. Against the current $35.35/hour journeyman rate, a first-period apprentice would be in the $15.91–$17.68/hour range. The exact percentage schedule is set by the local's JATC.
IBEW Local 1426 is headquartered in Grand Forks, ND and dispatches electricians manpower throughout its chartered jurisdiction. Work performed inside that territory falls under the local's collective bargaining agreement and wage schedule, even when the contractor is based elsewhere and travels in.
Most locals require applicants to be at least 18, legally able to work in the U.S., hold a high school diploma or GED, pass a basic math/aptitude assessment and a drug screen, and be physically able to perform electricians work. Some Local 1426 programs give preference to applicants inside the jurisdiction or to veterans. Eligibility rules are set by the local's Joint Apprenticeship and Training Committee (JATC), so confirm the current criteria with the hall before applying.
Apprenticeship applications go through the IBEW Local 1426 JATC, not through a contractor or a recruiter. Applications typically open in defined intake windows each year: you submit the application with proof of age, education, and residency, sit for an aptitude test, and then interview. Ranked applicants are placed on an eligibility list and indentured as signatory contractors call for apprentices. Gulfstream Strategic Placements does not process apprenticeship applications — contact the Local 1426 training center directly.
Electricians apprenticeships generally run four to five years — roughly 8,000–10,000 hours of on-the-job training plus several hundred classroom hours per year. Apprentices earn a paycheck the entire time, stepping up through the wage periods until they turn out as journeymen at 100% of scale.
Signatory contractors hire through the local's hiring hall, so working under the IBEW Local 1426 agreement generally means being a member or being organized in through the local's process. Journeymen from other locals can travel in by signing the out-of-work book, subject to the local's referral rules and manpower needs. Non-union electricians professionals are usually placed with open-shop contractors instead — we recruit for both.
Rates move with the collective bargaining agreement, typically on a fixed anniversary date each year of a three- to five-year contract, with negotiated increases split between the base wage and the fringe package. The figures on this page reflect the 6/3/23 schedule; check with the Local 1426 business office for any increase that has taken effect since.
Wage rates vary widely by local and market. Use the Union Pay Scale Explorer to sort every UA and SMART local by hourly wage, total package, and annualized pay so you can benchmark Local 1426 against neighboring jurisdictions and other electricians markets.