Journeyman electrician under IBEW Local 917 in Meridian, MS earn $30.25/hr in base wages, or $40.64/hr as a total package with fringe benefits, effective Jul 2023. This sheet is more than 2 years old, so confirm the current rate with the hall before quoting it.
IBEW Local 917 runs its own dispatch and out-of-work list. Gulfstream is a private recruiter and does not control hall referral.
The Local 917 pay scale is $30.25 per hour for journeymen in Meridian, MS, or about $60,500 a year at 2,080 hours. The total package, including employer-paid fringe benefits, is $40.64 per hour. That is the last wage sheet we can source for this local — confirm the current rate with the hall.
| Local 917 journeyman hourly wage | $30.25 / hour |
|---|---|
| Total package (wage + fringe benefits) | $40.64 / hour |
| Annualized at 2,080 hours (base wage) | $60,500 / year |
| First-period apprentice (≈45–50% of scale) | $13.61–$15.13 / hour |
| Wage sheet effective | 7/29/23 |
| Classification | Journeyman Inside Wireman |
A Local 917 apprentice in Meridian, MS starts at roughly $13.61 an hour — about 45% of the $30.25 journeyman scale — and steps up each period, reaching around $22.69 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 917 has published; confirm the exact schedule with the JATC.
| 1st period (year 1) | 45% of scale | $13.61 / hour | $27,225 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2nd period (year 2) | 55% of scale | $16.64 / hour | $33,275 |
| 3rd period (year 3) | 65% of scale | $19.66 / hour | $39,325 |
| 4th period (year 4) | 75% of scale | $22.69 / hour | $45,375 |
| 5th period (year 5) | 85% of scale | $25.71 / hour | $51,425 |
| Journeyman (turned out) | 100% of scale | $30.25 / hour | $60,500 |
International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) Local 917 serves the East Mississippi region from its headquarters in Meridian. As the primary bargaining unit for inside wiremen and electrical professionals in this market, the local provides a skilled workforce for critical infrastructure, industrial facilities, and commercial developments. The territory encompasses a mix of heavy manufacturing, healthcare facilities, and logistics hubs that require sophisticated electrical systems. By maintaining high training standards through the Joint Apprenticeship and Training Committee (JATC), Local 917 ensures that signatory contractors have access to electricians capable of handling power distribution, lighting, control systems, and renewable energy installations according to the National Electrical Code.
Since 2014, Gulfstream Strategic Placements has monitored the electrical labor market across the Southeastern United States, where Local 917 remains a key player in the Mississippi construction economy. The local works in conjunction with the a mechanical contractor Association (NECA) to establish fair labor practices and competitive compensation structures. For the tradesperson, this affiliation offers a stable career path with portable benefits that follow them across signatory shops. For the contractor, the local serves as a central dispatch and training hub, reducing the overhead costs associated with independent recruiting while ensuring all field personnel meet rigorous safety and technical proficiency requirements in an evolving technical landscape.
Based on the schedule effective July 29, 2023, the Journeyman Inside Wireman rate is established at $30.25 per hour. When accounting for the full fringe benefit contribution, the total package reaches $40.64 per hour. Apprentices typically begin their careers at a percentage of the journeyman rate, often starting around 40-50% and receiving incremental raises every 1,000 to 2,000 hours of successful work and classroom completion. These step-ups continue over a five-year period until the individual achieves the full scale. The total package includes employer-paid contributions toward health insurance and retirement plans, ensuring that the hourly take-home pay is not diminished by the cost of individual private insurance or personal retirement funding, which is a significant advantage over non-signatory labor.
Local 917 maintains jurisdiction over electrical work throughout East Central Mississippi, centered around the Meridian metropolitan area. The charter covers a multi-county region that includes industrial corridors and rural development zones. The jurisdiction involves the installation, maintenance, and repair of all electrical wiring and equipment within the property lines of any industrial, commercial, or institutional building. This includes everything from high-voltage switchgear in manufacturing plants to low-voltage systems in modern office environments. Members dispatched through the Meridian hall are expected to travel within this defined territory to support signatory projects, ensuring that regional labor demands are met by a local, qualified workforce.
The signatory landscape for Local 917 is composed of a variety of electrical firms ranging from small local service shops to large regional industrial contractors. These entities primarily handle long-term maintenance contracts for industrial plants, large-scale commercial build-outs, and public works projects for municipalities and state agencies. Because the Meridian market serves as a hub for East Mississippi, many contractors specialize in heavy commercial and light industrial applications. Hiring typically follows project cycles, with large-scale industrial shutdowns or new hospital construction driving significant manpower requests. Contractors benefit from a tiered workforce of apprentices and journeymen, allowing for efficient labor cost management on competitive bids.
The hourly wage of $30.25 is the gross amount paid on the member's paycheck before taxes. The total package of $40.64 includes that wage plus an additional $10.39 per hour in employer-paid benefits like health insurance and pensions. This means the employer pays for your benefits on top of your hourly rate, rather than deducting them from your take-home pay.
Yes, through the JATC, members have access to certifications in emerging fields such as Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Training (EVITP), advanced lighting controls, and industrial automation. This continuous training ensures that Local 917 wiremen remain the most qualified technicians in the Meridian market as building systems become increasingly complex and integrated with digital technologies.
Local 917 utilizes a standardized referral system where out-of-work members register on an 'Available for Work' list. Signatory contractors submit manpower requests to the union hall, and jobs are offered to qualified members in the order they signed the list. This system ensures fair access to employment opportunities based on seniority and registration date rather than favoritism.
When local projects exceed the capacity of the resident membership, Local 917 may open 'Book 2' for travelers from other IBEW locals. Travelers must provide a current dues receipt and a travel letter from their home local. This allows the union to staff large industrial projects quickly while maintaining the wage and benefit standards established in the local agreement.
IBEW Local 917 is seated in Meridian, Mississippi (MS). We hold published wage sheets for 5 locals across Mississippi — compare nearby scales before you take a call.
We are a mechanical, plumbing and electrical construction recruiting firm serving Meridian and the rest of Mississippi, including contractors signatory to IBEW Local 917. 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 917 pay scale is $30.25 per hour for journeymen in Meridian, MS, or about $60,500 a year at 2,080 hours. The total package, including employer-paid fringe benefits, is $40.64 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 917 agreement make $30.25 an hour in base wages, or $40.64 an hour counting the fringe package, per the wage sheet effective 7/29/23. Overtime, shift premiums, and travel or subsistence pay are added on top under the local's CBA.
$30.25 per hour base wage and $40.64 per hour total package for a journeyman in Meridian, MS, effective 7/29/23. Annualized at 2,080 hours that is roughly $60,500 before overtime.
A Local 917 apprentice in Meridian, MS starts at roughly $13.61 an hour — about 45% of the $30.25 journeyman scale — and steps up each period, reaching around $22.69 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 917 has published; confirm the exact schedule with the JATC.
About $13.61 an hour, or roughly $27,225 a year at 2,080 hours, based on the standard 45% first-period step of the $30.25 journeyman rate effective 7/29/23. Apprentices also earn benefit contributions and paid classroom progression; the JATC sets the exact percentage.
Around $19.66 an hour at the standard 65% third-period step, moving to about $22.69 an hour in the fourth period and $30.25 an hour at full journeyman scale. Confirm the published step schedule with the Local 917 training center.
The current IBEW Local 917 journeyman rate is $30.25/hour, with a total package of $40.64/hour including fringe benefits, effective 7/29/23. At 2,080 hours that works out to roughly $60,500 per year in base wages before overtime. Rates change with each CBA cycle — confirm with the Local 917 business office before relying on the figure.
The $30.25/hour figure is the base journeyman wage that lands on the paycheck. The $40.64/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 917 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 $30.25/hour journeyman rate, a first-period apprentice would be in the $13.61–$15.13/hour range. The exact percentage schedule is set by the local's JATC.
IBEW Local 917 is headquartered in Meridian, MS 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 917 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 917 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 917 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 917 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 7/29/23 schedule; check with the Local 917 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 917 against neighboring jurisdictions and other electricians markets.