Journeyman electrician under IBEW Local 98 in Philadelphia, PA earn $75.05/hr in base wages, or $122.41/hr as a total package with fringe benefits, effective Sep 2026.
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IBEW Local 98 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 98 pay scale for 2026 is $75.05 per hour for journeymen in Philadelphia, PA, or about $150,100 a year at 2,080 hours. The total package, including employer-paid fringe benefits, is $122.41 per hour. That is the rate in force for 2026, effective 9/23/26.
| Local 98 journeyman hourly wage | $75.05 / hour |
|---|---|
| Total package (wage + fringe benefits) | $122.41 / hour |
| Annualized at 2,080 hours (base wage) | $150,100 / year |
| First-period apprentice (≈45–50% of scale) | $33.77–$37.53 / hour |
| Wage sheet effective | 9/23/26 |
| Classification | Journeyman Inside Wireman |
A Local 98 apprentice in Philadelphia, PA starts at roughly $33.77 an hour — about 45% of the $75.05 journeyman scale — and steps up each period, reaching around $56.29 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 98 has published; confirm the exact schedule with the JATC.
| 1st period (year 1) | 45% of scale | $33.77 / hour | $67,545 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2nd period (year 2) | 55% of scale | $41.28 / hour | $82,555 |
| 3rd period (year 3) | 65% of scale | $48.78 / hour | $97,565 |
| 4th period (year 4) | 75% of scale | $56.29 / hour | $112,575 |
| 5th period (year 5) | 85% of scale | $63.79 / hour | $127,585 |
| Journeyman (turned out) | 100% of scale | $75.05 / hour | $150,100 |
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Local 98 wages: $75.05 an hour on the journeyman scale, $122.41 an hour with fringe benefits added, effective 9/23/26. That is the most recent Philadelphia, PA sheet we can source; rates move with each contract cycle, so confirm with the hall before quoting.
Roughly 39% of the IBEW Local 98 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 98 pay scale (PDF) — one-page printable rate sheet, effective September 23, 2026.
| Benefit & fringe contributions | $47.36/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 98 scale used across the Philadelphia, PA 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 Philadelphia 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 Philadelphia. We are a private recruiting firm — we do not dispatch, set, or negotiate Local 98 rates. For current Philadelphia scale, dispatch standing, or apprenticeship intake, contact the hall directly.
IBEW Local 98 runs its own referral procedure and books are signed at the hall — call (215) 563-5592 to confirm dispatch procedure, 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.
IBEW Local 98 is seated in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (PA). We hold published wage sheets for 26 locals across Pennsylvania — compare nearby scales before you take a call.
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We are a mechanical, plumbing and electrical construction recruiting firm serving Philadelphia and the rest of Pennsylvania, including contractors signatory to IBEW Local 98. 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 98 pay scale for 2026 is $75.05 per hour for journeymen in Philadelphia, PA, or about $150,100 a year at 2,080 hours. The total package, including employer-paid fringe benefits, is $122.41 per hour. That is the rate in force for 2026, effective 9/23/26.
Journeyman electrician under the IBEW Local 98 agreement make $75.05 an hour in base wages, or $122.41 an hour counting the fringe package, per the wage sheet effective 9/23/26. Overtime, shift premiums, and travel or subsistence pay are added on top under the local's CBA.
$75.05 per hour base wage and $122.41 per hour total package for a journeyman in Philadelphia, PA, effective 9/23/26. Annualized at 2,080 hours that is roughly $150,100 before overtime.
A Local 98 apprentice in Philadelphia, PA starts at roughly $33.77 an hour — about 45% of the $75.05 journeyman scale — and steps up each period, reaching around $56.29 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 98 has published; confirm the exact schedule with the JATC.
About $33.77 an hour, or roughly $67,545 a year at 2,080 hours, based on the standard 45% first-period step of the $75.05 journeyman rate effective 9/23/26. Apprentices also earn benefit contributions and paid classroom progression; the JATC sets the exact percentage.
Around $48.78 an hour at the standard 65% third-period step, moving to about $56.29 an hour in the fourth period and $75.05 an hour at full journeyman scale. Confirm the published step schedule with the Local 98 training center.
Local 98 wages: $75.05 an hour on the journeyman scale, $122.41 an hour with fringe benefits added, effective 9/23/26. That is the most recent Philadelphia, PA sheet we can source; rates move with each contract cycle, so confirm with the hall before quoting.
The current published IBEW Local 98 journeyman rate is $75.05 an hour ($122.41 total package), effective 9/23/26 — roughly $150,100 a year at 2,080 hours before overtime. Confirm the effective agreement with the local.
Yes — a one-page printable IBEW Local 98 rate sheet is available at /rate-sheets/ibew-local-98-pay-scale.pdf, showing the $75.05 hourly scale, the $122.41 total package and the 9/23/26 effective date, with the source it was read from. It is a free download — no sign-up needed.
The current IBEW Local 98 journeyman rate is $75.05/hour, with a total package of $122.41/hour including fringe benefits, effective 9/23/26. At 2,080 hours that works out to roughly $150,100 per year in base wages before overtime. Rates change with each CBA cycle — confirm with the Local 98 business office before relying on the figure.
The $75.05/hour figure is the base journeyman wage that lands on the paycheck. The $122.41/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 98 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 $75.05/hour journeyman rate, a first-period apprentice would be in the $33.77–$37.53/hour range. The exact percentage schedule is set by the local's JATC.
IBEW Local 98 is headquartered in Philadelphia, PA 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 98 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 98 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 98 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 98 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 9/23/26 schedule; check with the Local 98 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 98 against neighboring jurisdictions and other electricians markets.
The IBEW Local 98 hall is at 4960 S 12th Street, Philadelphia, PA 19112, serving Philadelphia, PA and the surrounding jurisdiction. Hall phone: (215) 563-5592.
IBEW Local 98 runs its own referral procedure and books are signed at the hall. Call the hall at (215) 563-5592 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 98 can be reached at (215) 563-5592. Contact details are imported from the union's public directory listing — confirm hours with the hall.
IBEW Local 98's sourced journeyman inside wireman union rate is $75.05/hr in base wages and $122.41/hr for the total package, effective September 23, 2026. The rate applies to the listed classification and source area; apprentice, foreman and specialty classifications may differ.
$75.05/hr in base wages for journeyman inside wireman, or $122.41/hr counting employer-paid benefits and fringes, effective September 23, 2026 per the unionpayscales.com wage sheet.
September 23, 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 $75.05/hr base is wages only. Employers contribute roughly $47.36/hr more per hour worked to health and welfare, pension, annuity and training funds, which is the difference between the base and the $122.41/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 Oct 5, 2026 (today). Always confirm the current step with the hall before relying on it for an offer.