Journeyman electrician under IBEW Local 551 in Santa Rosa, CA earn $64/hr in base wages, or $98.17/hr as a total package with fringe benefits, effective Jul 2026.
IBEW Local 551 runs its own dispatch and out-of-work list. Gulfstream is a private recruiter and does not control hall referral.
The Local 551 pay scale for 2026 is $64.00 per hour for journeymen in Santa Rosa, CA, or about $128,000 a year at 2,080 hours. The total package, including employer-paid fringe benefits, is $98.17 per hour. That is the rate in force for 2026, effective 7/26/26.
| Local 551 journeyman hourly wage | $64.00 / hour |
|---|---|
| Total package (wage + fringe benefits) | $98.17 / hour |
| Annualized at 2,080 hours (base wage) | $128,000 / year |
| First-period apprentice (≈45–50% of scale) | $28.80–$32.00 / hour |
| Wage sheet effective | 7/26/26 |
| Classification | Journeyman Inside Wireman |
A Local 551 apprentice in Santa Rosa, CA starts at roughly $28.80 an hour — about 45% of the $64.00 journeyman scale — and steps up each period, reaching around $48.00 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 551 has published; confirm the exact schedule with the JATC.
| 1st period (year 1) | 45% of scale | $28.80 / hour | $57,600 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2nd period (year 2) | 55% of scale | $35.20 / hour | $70,400 |
| 3rd period (year 3) | 65% of scale | $41.60 / hour | $83,200 |
| 4th period (year 4) | 75% of scale | $48.00 / hour | $96,000 |
| 5th period (year 5) | 85% of scale | $54.40 / hour | $108,800 |
| Journeyman (turned out) | 100% of scale | $64.00 / hour | $128,000 |
IBEW Local 551 represents skilled electrical workers across the North Bay region, including Sonoma, Marin, Lake, Mendocino, and portions of Humboldt and Del Norte counties. As the primary bargaining unit for Inside Wiremen in the Santa Rosa market, this local manages the labor supply for critical infrastructure, commercial developments, and industrial facilities. The organization maintains a focus on technical proficiency and safety standards, ensuring that signatory contractors have access to a highly trained workforce capable of executing complex electrical installations. By anchoring the labor market in Northern California, Local 551 provides a structured environment for tradespeople to build long-term careers while maintaining the rigorous quality demands of the regional construction industry.
The North Bay electrical market is characterized by a diverse mix of projects ranging from high-end hospitality and winery infrastructure to essential public works and healthcare facilities. Local 551 plays a pivotal role in this ecosystem by coordinating the apprenticeship programs and continuing education necessary for journeymen to stay current with evolving California Title 24 energy codes and renewable energy technologies. Because the jurisdiction covers a vast geographic area with varying economic drivers, the local acts as a stabilizing force for wages and benefits. For contractors, partnering with this local ensures a scalable workforce that can meet the cyclical demands of large-scale commercial projects and specialized industrial maintenance across the six-county territory.
Based on the schedule effective June 2024, a Journeyman Inside Wireman in Local 551 earns a base hourly rate of $64.00. When including the fringe benefit contributions for health, pension, and training, the total compensation package reaches $98.17 per hour. Apprentices follow a structured five-year progression where their pay is calculated as a fixed percentage of the journeyman rate. Typically, a first-year apprentice starts at 40% of the base wage, with incremental increases every six to twelve months as they complete required classroom hours and on-the-job training milestones. By the fifth year, apprentices often reach 80% to 85% of the full rate. These periodic raises are contingent upon satisfactory performance in the JATC program and the accumulation of the necessary work hours to advance to the next classification level.
The chartered territory for IBEW Local 551 is one of the most geographically diverse in Northern California, spanning from the Golden Gate Bridge north to the Oregon border. The jurisdiction encompasses the entirety of Marin, Sonoma, Lake, and Mendocino counties, as well as the northern coastal counties of Humboldt and Del Norte. Work performed under this agreement includes all inside wiring for commercial, industrial, and residential structures, as well as specialized systems like fire alarms, security, and telecommunications. Members are dispatched from the Santa Rosa headquarters or regional halls to job sites across the North Coast. Travel provisions and zone pay may apply depending on the specific distance from the dispatch point to the project location, as defined in the current Inside Wireman Agreement.
The contractor landscape in the North Bay is comprised of established regional primes and specialized boutique shops. Signatory contractors range from large-scale mechanical-electrical firms that handle multi-million dollar institutional projects to smaller service-oriented shops focusing on commercial tenant improvements and winery automation. Because the jurisdiction includes significant rural and coastal areas, many contractors specialize in specific niches such as agricultural power systems or industrial processing plants. Hiring typically follows the fluctuations of the regional bidding cycle, with peak demand often driven by major public works in Santa Rosa or large-scale private developments in Marin County. The local ensures all signatory partners adhere to the uniform standards set forth in the collective bargaining agreement.
The base wage of $64.00 is the hourly rate paid directly to the worker before taxes. The total package of $98.17 includes the base wage plus the employer-paid fringe benefits like health insurance, pension contributions, and training funds. These benefits are paid by the contractor on top of the hourly wage and are not deducted from the worker's $64.00 pay.
Yes, to work as a Journeyman Inside Wireman in California, you must hold a valid General Electrician Certification issued by the Department of Industrial Relations. Local 551 requires this certification for all journeyman-level dispatches. Apprentices work under the supervision of certified journeymen while they accumulate the 8,000 hours of experience necessary to sit for the state exam.
Travelers and members seeking to transfer must follow the procedures outlined in the IBEW Constitution. Generally, you must be a member in good standing with your home local and report to the Local 551 business manager. Permanent transfers usually require a period of working in the jurisdiction as a traveler before a 'ticket' can be moved, subject to local membership approval.
The jurisdiction sees a high volume of commercial work, including schools, hospitals, and government buildings. In addition, the North Bay has a significant demand for industrial electrical work within the wine and craft brewing industries, as well as ongoing infrastructure hardening and fire-resiliency projects. Residential work is also present but often managed under a separate residential addendum or agreement.
IBEW Local 551 is seated in Santa Rosa, California (CA). We hold published wage sheets for 46 locals across California — compare nearby scales before you take a call.
We are a mechanical, plumbing and electrical construction recruiting firm serving Santa Rosa and the rest of California, including contractors signatory to IBEW Local 551. 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 551 pay scale for 2026 is $64.00 per hour for journeymen in Santa Rosa, CA, or about $128,000 a year at 2,080 hours. The total package, including employer-paid fringe benefits, is $98.17 per hour. That is the rate in force for 2026, effective 7/26/26.
Journeyman electrician under the IBEW Local 551 agreement make $64.00 an hour in base wages, or $98.17 an hour counting the fringe package, per the wage sheet effective 7/26/26. Overtime, shift premiums, and travel or subsistence pay are added on top under the local's CBA.
$64.00 per hour base wage and $98.17 per hour total package for a journeyman in Santa Rosa, CA, effective 7/26/26. Annualized at 2,080 hours that is roughly $128,000 before overtime.
A Local 551 apprentice in Santa Rosa, CA starts at roughly $28.80 an hour — about 45% of the $64.00 journeyman scale — and steps up each period, reaching around $48.00 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 551 has published; confirm the exact schedule with the JATC.
About $28.80 an hour, or roughly $57,600 a year at 2,080 hours, based on the standard 45% first-period step of the $64.00 journeyman rate effective 7/26/26. Apprentices also earn benefit contributions and paid classroom progression; the JATC sets the exact percentage.
Around $41.60 an hour at the standard 65% third-period step, moving to about $48.00 an hour in the fourth period and $64.00 an hour at full journeyman scale. Confirm the published step schedule with the Local 551 training center.
The current IBEW Local 551 journeyman rate is $64.00/hour, with a total package of $98.17/hour including fringe benefits, effective 7/26/26. At 2,080 hours that works out to roughly $128,000 per year in base wages before overtime. Rates change with each CBA cycle — confirm with the Local 551 business office before relying on the figure.
The $64.00/hour figure is the base journeyman wage that lands on the paycheck. The $98.17/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 551 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 $64.00/hour journeyman rate, a first-period apprentice would be in the $28.80–$32.00/hour range. The exact percentage schedule is set by the local's JATC.
IBEW Local 551 is headquartered in Santa Rosa, CA 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 551 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 551 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 551 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 551 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 7/26/26 schedule; check with the Local 551 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 551 against neighboring jurisdictions and other electricians markets.