Journeyman sheet metal workers under SMART Local 137 in New York, NY earn $56/hr in base wages, or $97.39/hr as a total package with fringe benefits, effective Oct 2022. This sheet is more than 2 years old, so confirm the current rate with the hall before quoting it.
SMART Local 137 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 137 pay scale is $56.00 per hour for journeymen in New York, NY, or about $112,000 a year at 2,080 hours. The total package, including employer-paid fringe benefits, is $97.39 per hour. That is the last wage sheet we can source for this local — confirm the current rate with the hall.
| Local 137 journeyman hourly wage | $56.00 / hour |
|---|---|
| Total package (wage + fringe benefits) | $97.39 / hour |
| Annualized at 2,080 hours (base wage) | $112,000 / year |
| First-period apprentice (≈45–50% of scale) | $25.20–$28.00 / hour |
| Wage sheet effective | 10/21/22 |
A Local 137 apprentice in New York, NY starts at roughly $25.20 an hour — about 45% of the $56.00 journeyman scale — and steps up each period, reaching around $42.00 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 137 has published; confirm the exact schedule with the JATC.
| 1st period (year 1) | 45% of scale | $25.20 / hour | $50,400 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2nd period (year 2) | 55% of scale | $30.80 / hour | $61,600 |
| 3rd period (year 3) | 65% of scale | $36.40 / hour | $72,800 |
| 4th period (year 4) | 75% of scale | $42.00 / hour | $84,000 |
| 5th period (year 5) | 85% of scale | $47.60 / hour | $95,200 |
| Journeyman (turned out) | 100% of scale | $56.00 / hour | $112,000 |
SMART Local 137 runs its own referral procedure and books are signed at the hall — call (718) 937-4514 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 137 represents high-skilled sheet metal workers specialized in the fabrication and installation of architectural signage, metal awnings, and decorative metalwork across the New York City metropolitan area. This union operates within one of the most demanding construction environments globally, where the density of high-rise commercial real estate and retail infrastructure necessitates a specialized workforce capable of executing complex exterior and interior metal systems. Members are trained to handle heavy-gauge steel, aluminum, and composite materials, ensuring that the structural integrity and aesthetic requirements of Manhattan's skyline and the surrounding boroughs meet strict municipal building codes and safety standards.
The market served by Local 137 is distinct from general HVAC sheet metal work, focusing heavily on the specialty signage and architectural metal niche. As signatory contractors bid on large-scale infrastructure projects, transit hubs, and commercial developments, the demand for Local 137 members remains tied to the city's continuous cycle of renovation and new construction. The union maintains a rigorous commitment to safety and precision, providing a stable labor pool for mechanical primes and specialty architectural firms that require certified welders and installers. This local is a critical component of the Building and Construction Trades Council of Greater New York, offering members access to high-tier collective bargaining protections.
Based on the schedule effective October 21, 2022, the journeyman hourly rate for SMART Local 137 is set at $56.00. When factoring in the comprehensive fringe benefit contributions, the total taxable package reaches $97.39 per hour. Apprentices entering the program start at a percentage of the journeyman rate—often beginning around 40% to 50%—and receive incremental raises every six to twelve months as they complete required classroom hours and on-the-job training milestones. This progression ensures that as the apprentice gains proficiency in welding, blueprint reading, and shop fabrication, their compensation reflects their increasing value to the signatory contractor. Candidates should verify the exact step-up percentages with the JATC, as these are subject to the specific terms of the current collective bargaining agreement.
The jurisdiction for SMART Local 137 is centered in New York City, covering the five boroughs and extending into surrounding areas where architectural signage and metal fabrication work is performed under their charter. This territory involves high-density urban work sites, requiring members to be proficient in navigating the logistical challenges of city-based construction. The union manages dispatch for a variety of projects, from high-end retail storefronts in Manhattan to large-scale transit signage and public works installations. Because the work is often highly specialized, members may travel across the metropolitan area to different shop environments or field sites depending on the signatory contractor's project backlog and specific manpower needs.
The contractor landscape for SMART Local 137 consists of a diverse mix of specialty architectural metal firms, large-scale signage fabricators, and niche installation contractors. These employers range from family-owned shops that have operated in the tri-state area for decades to large regional players that handle multi-million dollar contracts for transit authorities and commercial developers. Hiring typically follows the ebbs and flows of the New York construction cycle, with surges in demand during major redevelopment projects. Signatory contractors rely on the union to provide workers who are pre-certified in specific welding processes and safety protocols, reducing the overhead costs associated with independent training and certification for complex metalwork.
While other locals may focus on HVAC ductwork and general mechanical systems, Local 137 is primarily focused on the architectural signage and decorative metal sector. This includes the fabrication and installation of complex illuminated signs, metal storefronts, and specialized metal structures that require unique welding and finishing skills not always central to standard mechanical ventilation work.
Yes, many signatory contractors require American Welding Society (AWS) certifications or New York City Department of Buildings (DOB) welder licenses. The JATC training program is designed to help members achieve and maintain these certifications, as they are essential for the structural integrity of the signage and metalwork installed across the city's public and private spaces.
Work in Local 137 is split between indoor shop fabrication and outdoor field installation. While exterior installations can be impacted by severe winter weather, the fabrication side of the trade often provides a level of stability. The union's referral system helps manage manpower shifts, ensuring that members are prioritized for available shop work when field conditions are unfavorable.
Transfers, or 'traveling,' are governed by the SMART International Constitution. A member in good standing from another local may request to work in Local 137's jurisdiction if there is a shortage of local labor. Permanent transfers typically require the approval of the Business Manager and may involve specific evaluations to ensure the member's skills align with the local's architectural signage focus.
SMART Local 137 is seated in New York, New York (NY). We hold published wage sheets for 27 locals across New York — compare nearby scales before you take a call.
We are a mechanical, plumbing and electrical construction recruiting firm serving New York and the rest of New York, including contractors signatory to SMART Local 137. 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 137 pay scale is $56.00 per hour for journeymen in New York, NY, or about $112,000 a year at 2,080 hours. The total package, including employer-paid fringe benefits, is $97.39 per hour. That is the last wage sheet we can source for this local — confirm the current rate with the hall.
Journeyman sheet metal workers under the SMART Local 137 agreement make $56.00 an hour in base wages, or $97.39 an hour counting the fringe package, per the wage sheet effective 10/21/22. Overtime, shift premiums, and travel or subsistence pay are added on top under the local's CBA.
$56.00 per hour base wage and $97.39 per hour total package for a journeyman in New York, NY, effective 10/21/22. Annualized at 2,080 hours that is roughly $112,000 before overtime.
A Local 137 apprentice in New York, NY starts at roughly $25.20 an hour — about 45% of the $56.00 journeyman scale — and steps up each period, reaching around $42.00 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 137 has published; confirm the exact schedule with the JATC.
About $25.20 an hour, or roughly $50,400 a year at 2,080 hours, based on the standard 45% first-period step of the $56.00 journeyman rate effective 10/21/22. Apprentices also earn benefit contributions and paid classroom progression; the JATC sets the exact percentage.
Around $36.40 an hour at the standard 65% third-period step, moving to about $42.00 an hour in the fourth period and $56.00 an hour at full journeyman scale. Confirm the published step schedule with the Local 137 training center.
The current SMART Local 137 journeyman rate is $56.00/hour, with a total package of $97.39/hour including fringe benefits, effective 10/21/22. At 2,080 hours that works out to roughly $112,000 per year in base wages before overtime. Rates change with each CBA cycle — confirm with the Local 137 business office before relying on the figure.
The $56.00/hour figure is the base journeyman wage that lands on the paycheck. The $97.39/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 137 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 $56.00/hour journeyman rate, a first-period apprentice would be in the $25.20–$28.00/hour range. The exact percentage schedule is set by the local's JATC.
SMART Local 137 is headquartered in New York, NY 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 137 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 137 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 137 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 137 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 10/21/22 schedule; check with the Local 137 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 137 against neighboring jurisdictions and other sheet metal workers markets.
The SMART Local 137 hall is at 50-02 5th Street, Suite A Long Island City NY 11101, serving New York, NY and the surrounding jurisdiction. Hall phone: (718) 937-4514.
SMART Local 137 runs its own referral procedure and books are signed at the hall. Call the hall at (718) 937-4514 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 137 can be reached at (718) 937-4514. Contact details are imported from the union's public directory listing — confirm hours with the hall.