Journeyman electrician under IBEW Local 538 in Danville, IL earn $40/hr in base wages, or $72.66/hr as a total package with fringe benefits, effective Jul 2024.
IBEW Local 538 runs its own dispatch and out-of-work list. Gulfstream is a private recruiter and does not control hall referral.
The Local 538 pay scale is $40.00 per hour for journeymen in Danville, IL, or about $80,000 a year at 2,080 hours. The total package, including employer-paid fringe benefits, is $72.66 per hour. That is the rate in force, effective 7/5/24.
| Local 538 journeyman hourly wage | $40.00 / hour |
|---|---|
| Total package (wage + fringe benefits) | $72.66 / hour |
| Annualized at 2,080 hours (base wage) | $80,000 / year |
| First-period apprentice (≈45–50% of scale) | $18.00–$20.00 / hour |
| Wage sheet effective | 7/5/24 |
| Classification | Journeyman Inside Wireman |
A Local 538 apprentice in Danville, IL starts at roughly $18.00 an hour — about 45% of the $40.00 journeyman scale — and steps up each period, reaching around $30.00 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 538 has published; confirm the exact schedule with the JATC.
| 1st period (year 1) | 45% of scale | $18.00 / hour | $36,000 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2nd period (year 2) | 55% of scale | $22.00 / hour | $44,000 |
| 3rd period (year 3) | 65% of scale | $26.00 / hour | $52,000 |
| 4th period (year 4) | 75% of scale | $30.00 / hour | $60,000 |
| 5th period (year 5) | 85% of scale | $34.00 / hour | $68,000 |
| Journeyman (turned out) | 100% of scale | $40.00 / hour | $80,000 |
IBEW Local 538 represents skilled inside wiremen and electrical professionals throughout the Danville, Illinois region and extending into parts of Western Indiana. As a charter of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, this local ensures that commercial, industrial, and residential projects meet rigorous safety and performance standards. The market in East Central Illinois is driven by a mix of manufacturing facilities, healthcare infrastructure, and public works projects that require high-voltage expertise and sophisticated control system installations. By maintaining a highly trained workforce, Local 538 provides a stable labor pool for signatory contractors operating within this specialized regional corridor.
Since 2014, Gulfstream Strategic Placements has monitored the labor dynamics of the electrical trades across the Midwest. Local 538 remains a critical hub for the trade due to its strategic position near the Illinois-Indiana border, facilitating cross-state coordination for large-scale industrial builds. The local's commitment to the Council on Industrial Relations process ensures that labor disputes are minimized, providing a predictable environment for both journeyman electricians and the mechanical-electrical primes that employ them. For the tradesperson, this translates to consistent work opportunities and a structured career path backed by collectively bargained protections and comprehensive benefits.
Effective July 5, 2024, the journeyman hourly rate for IBEW Local 538 is established at $40.00, contributing to a total compensation package of $72.66 per hour when including fringe benefits. This package represents the standard for inside wiremen who have completed their apprenticeship and attained journeyman status. Apprentices follow a structured wage progression typically starting at approximately 40% to 50% of the journeyman rate, with incremental increases awarded as they complete required classroom hours and on-the-job training milestones. These scheduled raises reflect the increasing technical proficiency of the worker as they move through the five-year program. The gap between the $40.00 check rate and the $72.66 total package covers critical employer-paid contributions toward healthcare, retirement funds, and training initiatives, ensuring long-term financial stability for the member without payroll deductions for these items.
The jurisdiction of IBEW Local 538 is centered in Danville, Illinois, and covers a multi-county territory that spans the state line into Indiana. This geographic footprint includes Vermilion County in Illinois, as well as several adjacent areas where Local 538 holds the charter for inside electrical work. Members dispatched from the Danville hall work on diverse sites ranging from municipal water treatment plants to retail developments and heavy industrial manufacturing floors. The CBA governs travel pay, subsistence, and shift differentials for work performed outside of the immediate Danville metro zone, ensuring fair compensation for the mobility required in the regional construction market.
The signatory contractor landscape for Local 538 is composed of a diverse mix of regional electrical firms and national mechanical primes who utilize union labor to staff large-scale projects. These contractors range from specialized service shops focusing on commercial maintenance to heavy industrial outfits capable of executing complex plant shutdowns and equipment upgrades. Hiring typically fluctuates based on major capital projects in the healthcare and education sectors. Because Local 538 provides a centralized dispatch, these signatory employers can scale their workforce rapidly, drawing from a pool of electricians who have all undergone standardized NECA-IBEW training protocols, ensuring consistency across different job sites.
The $40.00 hourly wage is the 'take-home' pay reflected on a journeyman's paycheck before taxes. The $72.66 total package includes that wage plus an additional $32.66 in employer-paid benefits. These benefits include healthcare, multiple pension contributions, and training funds, which are paid by the contractor directly into the trust funds on behalf of the worker.
Yes, Local 538 is a bi-state local. While headquartered in Danville, Illinois, its chartered jurisdiction extends into several counties in Western Indiana, including Fountain and Warren counties. Electricians working in these Indiana areas fall under the same collective bargaining agreement and wage scales established by the Danville hall.
Wage adjustments are determined by the Collective Bargaining Agreement negotiated between the IBEW and the a mechanical contractor Association (NECA). These increases are usually scheduled annually or semi-annually. The current rate became effective in July 2024, and future increases will be outlined in the prevailing contract documents.
Journeymen from other locals can work in Local 538's jurisdiction by signing the 'Book 2' out-of-work list at the Danville hall. Referrals for Book 2 travelers occur after the local membership (Book 1) has been exhausted. Travelers must provide a current dues receipt and a travel letter from their home local's business manager.
IBEW Local 538 is seated in Danville, Illinois (IL). We hold published wage sheets for 26 locals across Illinois — compare nearby scales before you take a call.
We are a mechanical, plumbing and electrical construction recruiting firm serving Danville and the rest of Illinois, including contractors signatory to IBEW Local 538. 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 538 pay scale is $40.00 per hour for journeymen in Danville, IL, or about $80,000 a year at 2,080 hours. The total package, including employer-paid fringe benefits, is $72.66 per hour. That is the rate in force, effective 7/5/24.
Journeyman electrician under the IBEW Local 538 agreement make $40.00 an hour in base wages, or $72.66 an hour counting the fringe package, per the wage sheet effective 7/5/24. Overtime, shift premiums, and travel or subsistence pay are added on top under the local's CBA.
$40.00 per hour base wage and $72.66 per hour total package for a journeyman in Danville, IL, effective 7/5/24. Annualized at 2,080 hours that is roughly $80,000 before overtime.
A Local 538 apprentice in Danville, IL starts at roughly $18.00 an hour — about 45% of the $40.00 journeyman scale — and steps up each period, reaching around $30.00 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 538 has published; confirm the exact schedule with the JATC.
About $18.00 an hour, or roughly $36,000 a year at 2,080 hours, based on the standard 45% first-period step of the $40.00 journeyman rate effective 7/5/24. Apprentices also earn benefit contributions and paid classroom progression; the JATC sets the exact percentage.
Around $26.00 an hour at the standard 65% third-period step, moving to about $30.00 an hour in the fourth period and $40.00 an hour at full journeyman scale. Confirm the published step schedule with the Local 538 training center.
The current IBEW Local 538 journeyman rate is $40.00/hour, with a total package of $72.66/hour including fringe benefits, effective 7/5/24. At 2,080 hours that works out to roughly $80,000 per year in base wages before overtime. Rates change with each CBA cycle — confirm with the Local 538 business office before relying on the figure.
The $40.00/hour figure is the base journeyman wage that lands on the paycheck. The $72.66/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 538 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 $40.00/hour journeyman rate, a first-period apprentice would be in the $18.00–$20.00/hour range. The exact percentage schedule is set by the local's JATC.
IBEW Local 538 is headquartered in Danville, IL 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 538 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 538 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 538 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 538 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 7/5/24 schedule; check with the Local 538 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 538 against neighboring jurisdictions and other electricians markets.