Journeyman sheet metal workers under SMART Local 104 in San Francisco, CA earn $62.76/hr in base wages, or $112.10/hr as a total package with fringe benefits, effective Sep 2025.
SMART Local 104 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 104 pay scale for 2026 is $62.76 per hour for journeymen in San Francisco, CA, or about $125,520 a year at 2,080 hours. The total package, including employer-paid fringe benefits, is $112.10 per hour. That is the rate in force for 2026, effective 9/21/25.
| Local 104 journeyman hourly wage | $62.76 / hour |
|---|---|
| Total package (wage + fringe benefits) | $112.10 / hour |
| Annualized at 2,080 hours (base wage) | $125,520 / year |
| First-period apprentice (≈45–50% of scale) | $28.24–$31.38 / hour |
| Wage sheet effective | 9/21/25 |
A Local 104 apprentice in San Francisco, CA starts at roughly $28.24 an hour — about 45% of the $62.76 journeyman scale — and steps up each period, reaching around $47.07 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 104 has published; confirm the exact schedule with the JATC.
| 1st period (year 1) | 45% of scale | $28.24 / hour | $56,484 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2nd period (year 2) | 55% of scale | $34.52 / hour | $69,036 |
| 3rd period (year 3) | 65% of scale | $40.79 / hour | $81,588 |
| 4th period (year 4) | 75% of scale | $47.07 / hour | $94,140 |
| 5th period (year 5) | 85% of scale | $53.35 / hour | $106,692 |
| Journeyman (turned out) | 100% of scale | $62.76 / hour | $125,520 |
SMART Local 104 runs its own referral procedure and books are signed at the hall — call (925) 314-8600 to confirm dispatch hours, 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.
SMART Local 104 represents sheet metal workers, air balance technicians, and architectural metal specialists across an expansive footprint in Northern and Central California. Headquartered in San Francisco, this organization sets the standard for high-precision fabrication and HVAC installation in one of the most demanding construction environments in the United States. The local manages a massive volume of work ranging from high-rise residential ventilation to mission-critical laboratory exhaust systems in Silicon Valley. Because of the technical complexity required for seismic compliance and Title 24 energy standards, Local 104 members are among the most highly trained craftspeople in the building trades, supporting the massive infrastructure needs of the Bay Area and beyond.
The market served by Local 104 is characterized by aggressive project timelines and a heavy concentration of LEED-certified developments. Members operate in various capacities, including shop fabrication, field installation, and specialized testing and balancing. As the primary labor source for signatory sheet metal contractors, the union ensures a steady pipeline of skilled labor for large-scale commercial builds and industrial facilities. The organization maintains multiple training centers to keep pace with evolving BIM technologies and automated fabrication equipment. For contractors and tradespeople, understanding the specific dispatch rules and multi-tiered wage zones within this jurisdiction is essential for accurate labor cost estimation and career planning in the California construction sector.
The wage structure for SMART Local 104 reflects the high cost of living and technical requirements of the San Francisco market. As of the September 21, 2025, adjustment, the journeyman hourly rate is established at $62.76, contributing to a total compensation package of $112.10 per hour when all fringes are included. Apprentices enter the program at a percentage of the journeyman rate, typically starting around 40-50% and receiving incremental raises every six months or 1,000 hours of work, provided they meet educational benchmarks. This progression ensures that as the apprentice gains proficiency in layout, drafting, and welding, their pay scales proportionately. The gap between the taxable wage and the total package covers comprehensive benefits that are standard for Northern California building trades, offering significant long-term value beyond the base paycheck.
SMART Local 104 holds one of the largest geographic charters in the Western United States, covering much of Northern and Central California. While headquartered in San Francisco, its territory extends across the entire Bay Area, the Sacramento Valley, and down the coast toward Monterey. This jurisdiction includes work performed in fabrication shops and on-site installations for HVAC systems, architectural sheet metal, and industrial ductwork. Travel pay and zone differentials may apply depending on the distance from the member's home dispatch point or the central city cores. Members are dispatched to signatory contractors based on an out-of-work list, ensuring that local labor is prioritized for regional infrastructure and private development projects within these defined county lines.
The contractor landscape for Local 104 consists of a diverse mix of large-scale mechanical primes and specialized architectural firms. These signatory contractors range from massive enterprises capable of managing multi-million dollar stadium and hospital HVAC contracts to smaller boutique shops focused on custom stainless steel and high-end residential metal roofing. The strength of the local market is driven by the consistent demand for tenant improvements in the tech sector and the ongoing expansion of healthcare facilities. Hiring typically follows the cyclical nature of large project awards, with contractors relying on the union hall to scale their workforces rapidly for the demanding peak phases of installation and commissioning.
The Journeyman rate of $62.76 is the taxable hourly wage paid on a paycheck. The Total Package of $112.10 includes this wage plus an additional $49.34 in employer-paid benefits such as healthcare, pension contributions, and training funds. These fringes are paid by the contractor directly into the trust funds on the member's behalf and are not deducted from the hourly wage.
Yes, Local 104 has a very large jurisdiction that includes the East Bay, South Bay, and North Bay, as well as the Sacramento area and several coastal counties. While the headquarters is in San Francisco, the local operates several district offices and training centers to support members and contractors across Northern and Central California.
Wage increases are determined by the Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA). Typically, there is a scheduled annual increase that is allocated between the taxable wage and the various fringe benefit funds by a vote of the membership. The specific figures provided are effective as of the September 2025 adjustment period.
Members of other SMART locals can generally work in Local 104's jurisdiction via a travel card, provided there is sufficient work and they follow the constitutional procedures for traveling members. Permanent transfers, or 'booking in,' usually require a specific period of residency or employment within the jurisdiction and approval from the local's leadership.
SMART Local 104 is seated in San Francisco, 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 San Francisco and the rest of California, including contractors signatory to SMART Local 104. 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 104 pay scale for 2026 is $62.76 per hour for journeymen in San Francisco, CA, or about $125,520 a year at 2,080 hours. The total package, including employer-paid fringe benefits, is $112.10 per hour. That is the rate in force for 2026, effective 9/21/25.
Journeyman sheet metal workers under the SMART Local 104 agreement make $62.76 an hour in base wages, or $112.10 an hour counting the fringe package, per the wage sheet effective 9/21/25. Overtime, shift premiums, and travel or subsistence pay are added on top under the local's CBA.
$62.76 per hour base wage and $112.10 per hour total package for a journeyman in San Francisco, CA, effective 9/21/25. Annualized at 2,080 hours that is roughly $125,520 before overtime.
A Local 104 apprentice in San Francisco, CA starts at roughly $28.24 an hour — about 45% of the $62.76 journeyman scale — and steps up each period, reaching around $47.07 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 104 has published; confirm the exact schedule with the JATC.
About $28.24 an hour, or roughly $56,484 a year at 2,080 hours, based on the standard 45% first-period step of the $62.76 journeyman rate effective 9/21/25. Apprentices also earn benefit contributions and paid classroom progression; the JATC sets the exact percentage.
Around $40.79 an hour at the standard 65% third-period step, moving to about $47.07 an hour in the fourth period and $62.76 an hour at full journeyman scale. Confirm the published step schedule with the Local 104 training center.
The current SMART Local 104 journeyman rate is $62.76/hour, with a total package of $112.10/hour including fringe benefits, effective 9/21/25. At 2,080 hours that works out to roughly $125,520 per year in base wages before overtime. Rates change with each CBA cycle — confirm with the Local 104 business office before relying on the figure.
The $62.76/hour figure is the base journeyman wage that lands on the paycheck. The $112.10/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 sheet metal workers labor costs across locals.
Apprentices under the SMART Local 104 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 $62.76/hour journeyman rate, a first-period apprentice would be in the $28.24–$31.38/hour range. The exact percentage schedule is set by the local's JATC.
SMART Local 104 is headquartered in San Francisco, CA and dispatches sheet metal workers 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 sheet metal workers work. Some Local 104 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 SMART Local 104 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 104 training center directly.
Sheet Metal Workers 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 SMART Local 104 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 sheet metal workers 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 9/21/25 schedule; check with the Local 104 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 104 against neighboring jurisdictions and other sheet metal workers markets.
The SMART Local 104 hall is at 3232 Constitution Drive Livermore CA 94551, serving San Francisco, CA and the surrounding jurisdiction. Hall phone: (925) 314-8600.
SMART Local 104 runs its own referral procedure and books are signed at the hall. Call the hall at (925) 314-8600 to confirm dispatch hours, required documents (union card, certifications, ID) and current list standing before traveling in — Gulfstream does not control hall dispatch.
SMART Local 104 can be reached at (925) 314-8600. Contact details are imported from the union's public directory listing — confirm hours with the hall.