Journeyman electrician under IBEW Local 212 in Cincinnati, OH earn $38.05/hr in base wages, or $62.43/hr as a total package with fringe benefits, effective Jul 2025.
IBEW Local 212 runs its own dispatch and out-of-work list — call the hall to confirm hours, books and what to bring. Gulfstream is a private recruiter and does not control hall referral.
The Local 212 pay scale for 2026 is $38.05 per hour for journeymen in Cincinnati, OH, or about $76,100 a year at 2,080 hours. The total package, including employer-paid fringe benefits, is $62.43 per hour. That is the rate in force for 2026, effective 7/20/25.
| Local 212 journeyman hourly wage | $38.05 / hour |
|---|---|
| Total package (wage + fringe benefits) | $62.43 / hour |
| Annualized at 2,080 hours (base wage) | $76,100 / year |
| First-period apprentice (≈45–50% of scale) | $17.12–$19.03 / hour |
| Wage sheet effective | 7/20/25 |
| Classification | Journeyman Inside Wireman |
A Local 212 apprentice in Cincinnati, OH starts at roughly $17.12 an hour — about 45% of the $38.05 journeyman scale — and steps up each period, reaching around $28.54 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 212 has published; confirm the exact schedule with the JATC.
| 1st period (year 1) | 45% of scale | $17.12 / hour | $34,245 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2nd period (year 2) | 55% of scale | $20.93 / hour | $41,855 |
| 3rd period (year 3) | 65% of scale | $24.73 / hour | $49,465 |
| 4th period (year 4) | 75% of scale | $28.54 / hour | $57,075 |
| 5th period (year 5) | 85% of scale | $32.34 / hour | $64,685 |
| Journeyman (turned out) | 100% of scale | $38.05 / hour | $76,100 |
IBEW Local 212 runs its own referral procedure and books are signed at the hall — call (513) 559-0200 to confirm dispatch hours, required documents (union card, certifications, ID) and current list standing before traveling in. Contact details are imported from the UA, SMART and IBEW public directories. Gulfstream is a private recruiting firm, is not affiliated with the local, and does not control hall dispatch.
International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) Local 212 represents skilled inside wiremen and electrical professionals across the greater Cincinnati metropolitan area and surrounding tri-state regions. Since 2014, Gulfstream Strategic Placements has monitored the labor dynamics in this market, where Local 212 serves as the primary labor source for complex commercial and industrial electrical infrastructure. The local maintains a strict focus on safety, technical proficiency, and high-voltage systems, ensuring that signatory contractors have access to a workforce capable of executing large-scale projects ranging from healthcare facilities to automated manufacturing plants in the Ohio River Valley.
The Cincinnati market is a vital hub for logistics, consumer goods manufacturing, and institutional expansion, all of which require the specialized skill sets found within Local 212. Members are trained through a rigorous apprenticeship program that emphasizes National Electrical Code compliance and emerging technologies like renewable energy and building automation. For the electrical contractor, partnering with this local provides a scalable labor force that mitigates the risks associated with the current skilled trades shortage. The union's presence ensures standardized training and reliable production rates across the diverse counties that fall under its chartered jurisdiction in Ohio, Kentucky, and Indiana.
The current journeyman hourly rate for IBEW Local 212 is $38.05, effective July 20, 2025. When accounting for the full fringe benefit package, the total compensation reaches $62.43 per hour. Apprentices within the Local 212 program follow a structured percentage-based wage progression, typically starting at approximately 40% to 45% of the journeyman rate. As they complete required classroom hours and verified on-the-job training milestones, these percentages increase annually until reaching 100% at the completion of the five-year program. This transparent pay scale allows both the worker and the signatory contractor to project labor costs and career earnings with high precision. All members receive these standardized rates, ensuring wage parity across all job sites within the Cincinnati jurisdiction regardless of the specific signatory firm.
IBEW Local 212 holds a multi-state charter that covers a significant portion of Southwest Ohio, Northern Kentucky, and Southeast Indiana. The jurisdiction centers on the City of Cincinnati and extends into neighboring regions to ensure consistent labor standards across the tri-state area. This territory covers diverse environments, from the high-density urban core and professional sports stadiums to the heavy industrial zones along the river and suburban commercial developments. Workers dispatched through the Local 212 hall are subject to the specific travel and subsistence rules outlined in the Inside Wireman Agreement, which governs how labor is deployed to various project sites within these specific county boundaries.
The contractor landscape for IBEW Local 212 is comprised of a robust mix of large-scale mechanical-electrical primes and specialized niche subcontractors. These signatory firms range from global infrastructure companies to locally owned electrical shops that have operated in Cincinnati for decades. Hiring in this market is primarily driven by industrial retrofits, data center construction, and multi-phase institutional expansions. Contractors choose to be signatory to Local 212 to access a vetted pool of labor that reduces their internal recruitment burden and provides a clear framework for apprenticeship and continuing education. This ecosystem supports steady employment for members while maintaining competitive bidding environments for regional construction projects.
The $38.05 hourly wage is the gross pay that appears on a journeyman's paycheck. The $62.43 total package includes that wage plus an additional $24.38 per hour in employer-paid benefits like health insurance, pensions, and training funds. These benefits are paid by the contractor on top of the wage and are not deducted from the employee's gross pay.
While Local 212 primarily focuses on the Inside Wireman Agreement for commercial and industrial projects, they may have specific residential classifications or agreements. However, the $38.05 rate typically applies to commercial and industrial work. Residential rates are often negotiated under a separate scale to remain competitive with the local housing market's economic conditions.
Journeymen in good standing from other IBEW locals can work in the Local 212 jurisdiction through the Book 2 traveler system. Permanent transfers, often called 'signing into the book,' are subject to the discretion of the business manager and typically require a sustained period of working in the area and a formal vote by the local membership.
A standard work week is typically 40 hours, usually consisting of five 8-hour days or four 10-hour days. Work performed outside these scheduled hours, or on Sundays and holidays, is subject to overtime premiums (time-and-a-half or double-time) as defined by the current Inside Wireman Agreement negotiated between the union and the NECA contractors.
IBEW Local 212 is seated in Cincinnati, Ohio (OH). We hold published wage sheets for 30 locals across Ohio — compare nearby scales before you take a call.
We are a mechanical, plumbing and electrical construction recruiting firm serving Cincinnati and the rest of Ohio, including contractors signatory to IBEW Local 212. Our office is in South Corona, California and we place union-scale tradespeople and field leadership nationwide.
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Journeyman scales as last published by each local. Rates change every contract cycle — confirm with the hall.
The Local 212 pay scale for 2026 is $38.05 per hour for journeymen in Cincinnati, OH, or about $76,100 a year at 2,080 hours. The total package, including employer-paid fringe benefits, is $62.43 per hour. That is the rate in force for 2026, effective 7/20/25.
Journeyman electrician under the IBEW Local 212 agreement make $38.05 an hour in base wages, or $62.43 an hour counting the fringe package, per the wage sheet effective 7/20/25. Overtime, shift premiums, and travel or subsistence pay are added on top under the local's CBA.
$38.05 per hour base wage and $62.43 per hour total package for a journeyman in Cincinnati, OH, effective 7/20/25. Annualized at 2,080 hours that is roughly $76,100 before overtime.
A Local 212 apprentice in Cincinnati, OH starts at roughly $17.12 an hour — about 45% of the $38.05 journeyman scale — and steps up each period, reaching around $28.54 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 212 has published; confirm the exact schedule with the JATC.
About $17.12 an hour, or roughly $34,245 a year at 2,080 hours, based on the standard 45% first-period step of the $38.05 journeyman rate effective 7/20/25. Apprentices also earn benefit contributions and paid classroom progression; the JATC sets the exact percentage.
Around $24.73 an hour at the standard 65% third-period step, moving to about $28.54 an hour in the fourth period and $38.05 an hour at full journeyman scale. Confirm the published step schedule with the Local 212 training center.
The current IBEW Local 212 journeyman rate is $38.05/hour, with a total package of $62.43/hour including fringe benefits, effective 7/20/25. At 2,080 hours that works out to roughly $76,100 per year in base wages before overtime. Rates change with each CBA cycle — confirm with the Local 212 business office before relying on the figure.
The $38.05/hour figure is the base journeyman wage that lands on the paycheck. The $62.43/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 212 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 $38.05/hour journeyman rate, a first-period apprentice would be in the $17.12–$19.03/hour range. The exact percentage schedule is set by the local's JATC.
IBEW Local 212 is headquartered in Cincinnati, OH 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 212 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 212 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 212 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 212 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 7/20/25 schedule; check with the Local 212 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 212 against neighboring jurisdictions and other electricians markets.
The IBEW Local 212 hall is at 212 Crowne Point Dr, Cincinnati, OH 45241, serving Cincinnati, OH and the surrounding jurisdiction. Hall phone: (513) 559-0200.
IBEW Local 212 runs its own referral procedure and books are signed at the hall. Call the hall at (513) 559-0200 to confirm dispatch hours, required documents (union card, certifications, ID) and current list standing before traveling in — Gulfstream does not control hall dispatch.
IBEW Local 212 can be reached at (513) 559-0200. Contact details are imported from the union's public directory listing — confirm hours with the hall.