Journeyman electrician under IBEW Local 697 in Gary Hammonds, IN earn $55.80/hr in base wages, or $88.11/hr as a total package with fringe benefits, effective Jun 2026.
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IBEW Local 697 runs its own dispatch and out-of-work list. Gulfstream is a private recruiter and does not control hall referral.
The Local 697 pay scale for 2026 is $55.80 per hour for journeymen in Gary Hammonds, IN, or about $111,600 a year at 2,080 hours. The total package, including employer-paid fringe benefits, is $88.11 per hour. That is the rate in force for 2026, effective 6/11/26.
| Local 697 journeyman hourly wage | $55.80 / hour |
|---|---|
| Total package (wage + fringe benefits) | $88.11 / hour |
| Annualized at 2,080 hours (base wage) | $111,600 / year |
| First-period apprentice (≈45–50% of scale) | $25.11–$27.90 / hour |
| Wage sheet effective | 6/11/26 |
| Classification | Journeyman Inside Wireman |
A Local 697 apprentice in Gary Hammonds, IN starts at roughly $25.11 an hour — about 45% of the $55.80 journeyman scale — and steps up each period, reaching around $41.85 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 697 has published; confirm the exact schedule with the JATC.
| 1st period (year 1) | 45% of scale | $25.11 / hour | $50,220 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2nd period (year 2) | 55% of scale | $30.69 / hour | $61,380 |
| 3rd period (year 3) | 65% of scale | $36.27 / hour | $72,540 |
| 4th period (year 4) | 75% of scale | $41.85 / hour | $83,700 |
| 5th period (year 5) | 85% of scale | $47.43 / hour | $94,860 |
| Journeyman (turned out) | 100% of scale | $55.80 / hour | $111,600 |
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Local 697 wages: $55.80 an hour on the journeyman scale, $88.11 an hour with fringe benefits added, effective 6/11/26. That is the most recent Gary Hammonds, IN sheet we can source; rates move with each contract cycle, so confirm with the hall before quoting.
Roughly 37% of the IBEW Local 697 package is employer-paid benefits and fringes rather than wages, which is why the package figure and a take-home hourly rate are not the same number.
Unverified: crowd-sourced figure (unionpayscales.com), not confirmed against the local's own wage sheet
Download the IBEW Local 697 pay scale (PDF) — one-page printable rate sheet, effective June 11, 2026.
| Benefit & fringe contributions | $32.31/hr | Derived: total package minus base wage. This is the employer's combined hourly contribution to the funds, not take-home pay. |
|---|---|---|
| What the contributions fund | Health & welfare, pension, annuity, training and industry funds | Standard fund categories in mechanical and electrical agreements. The exact split between funds is set in the local's agreement — the hall or fund office publishes the schedule. |
| Paid on | Every hour worked | Fringe contributions are made per hour worked, so they scale with dispatched hours and are paid to the funds rather than to the member. |
The rates above are the IBEW Local 697 scale used across the Gary Hammonds, IN area. Members dispatched out of this hall work commercial and industrial electrical, building automation and controls wiring, data and low-voltage systems and service and retrofit work for signatory contractors throughout the Gary Hammonds metro, so a electrician wage quoted locally is normally this scale plus the fringe package shown in the table.
Gulfstream recruits electrician talent for commercial mechanical, plumbing, piping, sheet metal and building automation contractors in and around Gary Hammonds. We are a private recruiting firm — we do not dispatch, set, or negotiate Local 697 rates. For current Gary Hammonds scale, dispatch standing, or apprenticeship intake, contact the hall directly.
IBEW Local 697 runs its own referral procedure and books are signed at the hall — contact the hall to confirm dispatch procedure and what to bring 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.
IBEW Local 697 represents highly skilled inside wiremen and electrical professionals serving Lake and Newton Counties in Northwest Indiana. Based in Merrillville near the Gary-Hammond corridor, this local is a critical pillar of the regional construction economy. The jurisdiction is unique due to its heavy concentration of industrial facilities along the Lake Michigan shoreline, balanced with significant commercial development throughout the Calumet region. Members are responsible for the installation and maintenance of complex electrical systems, ranging from sophisticated industrial process controls to high-voltage power distribution and modern commercial infrastructure. Since 2014, Gulfstream Strategic Placements has monitored this market as a key hub for industrial electrical expertise.
The market presence of Local 697 is defined by its rigorous training standards and the strategic importance of the Northwest Indiana industrial belt. Because the region serves as a gateway between the Chicago metropolitan area and the broader Indiana industrial landscape, the labor demand is consistently driven by large-scale infrastructure projects and industrial retrofits. Signatory contractors in this territory rely on the local's Joint Apprenticeship and Training Committee to supply a workforce capable of meeting strict safety and technical requirements. This ensures that electrical installations in the Gary and Hammond markets meet the highest standards of reliability, which is essential for the heavy manufacturing and steel sectors that dominate the local economy.
The current economic framework for IBEW Local 697 is anchored by a Journeyman hourly rate of $55.80. When factoring in the comprehensive benefits package, the total compensation reaches $88.11 per hour, effective June 11, 2026. This hourly scale represents the top-tier rate for Inside Wiremen who have completed their apprenticeship and attained journeyman status. Apprentices follow a structured wage progression based on a percentage of the journeyman rate, typically starting around 40-45% and increasing in steps as they complete work hours and classroom modules. These step increases are usually scheduled annually or bi-annually, ensuring that as an apprentice's skill set grows, their compensation reflects their increasing value to the signatory contractor. The gap between the taxable wage and the total package covers essential fringes including multi-employer pension contributions and health insurance.
The chartered jurisdiction for IBEW Local 697 encompasses the entirety of Lake County and Newton County in Indiana. This territory includes the major industrial and urban centers of Gary, Hammond, East Chicago, and Merrillville. The local's authority covers all inside electrical work, including commercial, industrial, and residential projects within these boundaries. Members are dispatched from the Merrillville headquarters to job sites across the region, varying from steel mill maintenance to new hospital construction. The jurisdiction is bordered by Local 176 to the west and Local 531 to the east. Work performed under this agreement must adhere to the specific work rules and safety protocols established for the Northwest Indiana region, ensuring consistent labor standards across all signatory job sites in the two-county area.
The signatory contractor landscape for Local 697 is characterized by a mix of heavy industrial specialists and large-scale commercial electrical firms. Given the geography of the Gary and Hammond markets, many signatory mechanical and electrical primes focus on the steel, petrochemical, and power generation industries. These contractors often manage long-term maintenance contracts for the mills and refineries along the lakefront. Additionally, there is a strong contingent of contractors focused on the institutional sector, including healthcare facilities and educational campuses. Hiring typically flows through the local's referral hall, where contractors request manpower based on project needs, ensuring that staffing levels can scale rapidly for major industrial outages or large new construction developments.
The hourly wage of $55.80 is the gross taxable amount paid directly to the worker. The total package of $88.11 includes an additional $32.31 per hour in employer-paid benefits. These benefits cover health insurance, pension contributions, and training funds, which are paid by the contractor on top of the base wage and are not deducted from the employee's check.
Yes, IBEW Local 697 has jurisdiction over all electrical work within Lake and Newton counties, which includes residential, commercial, and industrial sectors. While much of the high-scale work is concentrated in the industrial and commercial sectors, the local provides trained manpower for residential projects that require high-quality, code-compliant electrical installations.
The JATC program is a five-year apprenticeship that combines on-the-job training with classroom instruction. Apprentices work for signatory contractors during the day, earning a progressive wage, and attend classes at the Merrillville facility. This 'earn while you learn' model ensures that by the time an apprentice reaches journeyman status, they have thousands of hours of practical experience.
Travelers and members looking to transfer must follow the IBEW constitution and local bylaws. Typically, this involves signing the appropriate out-of-work book (Book II for travelers). Permanent transfers, or 'vesting' into the local, usually require a specific period of work within the jurisdiction and approval from the local's executive board and membership.
IBEW Local 697 is seated in Gary Hammonds, Indiana (IN). We hold published wage sheets for 15 locals across Indiana — compare nearby scales before you take a call.
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We are a mechanical, plumbing and electrical construction recruiting firm serving Gary Hammonds and the rest of Indiana, including contractors signatory to IBEW Local 697. 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 697 pay scale for 2026 is $55.80 per hour for journeymen in Gary Hammonds, IN, or about $111,600 a year at 2,080 hours. The total package, including employer-paid fringe benefits, is $88.11 per hour. That is the rate in force for 2026, effective 6/11/26.
Journeyman electrician under the IBEW Local 697 agreement make $55.80 an hour in base wages, or $88.11 an hour counting the fringe package, per the wage sheet effective 6/11/26. Overtime, shift premiums, and travel or subsistence pay are added on top under the local's CBA.
$55.80 per hour base wage and $88.11 per hour total package for a journeyman in Gary Hammonds, IN, effective 6/11/26. Annualized at 2,080 hours that is roughly $111,600 before overtime.
A Local 697 apprentice in Gary Hammonds, IN starts at roughly $25.11 an hour — about 45% of the $55.80 journeyman scale — and steps up each period, reaching around $41.85 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 697 has published; confirm the exact schedule with the JATC.
About $25.11 an hour, or roughly $50,220 a year at 2,080 hours, based on the standard 45% first-period step of the $55.80 journeyman rate effective 6/11/26. Apprentices also earn benefit contributions and paid classroom progression; the JATC sets the exact percentage.
Around $36.27 an hour at the standard 65% third-period step, moving to about $41.85 an hour in the fourth period and $55.80 an hour at full journeyman scale. Confirm the published step schedule with the Local 697 training center.
Local 697 wages: $55.80 an hour on the journeyman scale, $88.11 an hour with fringe benefits added, effective 6/11/26. That is the most recent Gary Hammonds, IN sheet we can source; rates move with each contract cycle, so confirm with the hall before quoting.
The current published IBEW Local 697 journeyman rate is $55.80 an hour ($88.11 total package), effective 6/11/26 — roughly $111,600 a year at 2,080 hours before overtime. Confirm the effective agreement with the local.
Yes — a one-page printable IBEW Local 697 rate sheet is available at /rate-sheets/ibew-local-697-pay-scale.pdf, showing the $55.80 hourly scale, the $88.11 total package and the 6/11/26 effective date, with the source it was read from. It is a free download — no sign-up needed.
The current IBEW Local 697 journeyman rate is $55.80/hour, with a total package of $88.11/hour including fringe benefits, effective 6/11/26. At 2,080 hours that works out to roughly $111,600 per year in base wages before overtime. Rates change with each CBA cycle — confirm with the Local 697 business office before relying on the figure.
The $55.80/hour figure is the base journeyman wage that lands on the paycheck. The $88.11/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 697 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 $55.80/hour journeyman rate, a first-period apprentice would be in the $25.11–$27.90/hour range. The exact percentage schedule is set by the local's JATC.
IBEW Local 697 is headquartered in Gary Hammonds, IN 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 697 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 697 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 697 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 697 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 6/11/26 schedule; check with the Local 697 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 697 against neighboring jurisdictions and other electricians markets.
The IBEW Local 697 hall is at 7200 Mississippi St #200, Merrillville, IN 46410, serving Gary Hammonds, IN and the surrounding jurisdiction.
IBEW Local 697 runs its own referral procedure and books are signed at the hall. Contact the hall 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 697 does not publish a phone number in the directory data we import; check the local's official site for current contact details.
$55.80/hr in base wages for journeyman inside wireman, or $88.11/hr counting employer-paid benefits and fringes, effective June 11, 2026 per the unionpayscales.com wage sheet.
June 11, 2026. Pulled from the local's current published CBA wage sheet on unionpayscales.com and cross-checked at build time. High confidence for offer benchmarking.
No — the $55.80/hr base is wages only. Employers contribute roughly $32.31/hr more per hour worked to health and welfare, pension, annuity and training funds, which is the difference between the base and the $88.11/hr package.
No. Gulfstream Strategic Placements is a private mechanical construction recruiting firm. We are not affiliated with the local, we do not run dispatch, and we do not set or negotiate union rates. We publish the local's own sourced figures as a reference for members and contractors.
High confidence — last cross-checked against the source on Sep 23, 2026 (7 days ago). Always confirm the current step with the hall before relying on it for an offer.