Journeyman sheet metal workers under SMART Local 263 in Cedar Rapids, IA earn $44.27/hr in base wages, or $65.81/hr as a total package with fringe benefits, effective Jul 2026.
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SMART Local 263 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 263 pay scale for 2026 is $44.27 per hour for journeymen in Cedar Rapids, IA, or about $88,540 a year at 2,080 hours. The total package, including employer-paid fringe benefits, is $65.81 per hour. That is the rate in force for 2026, effective 7/31/26.
| Local 263 journeyman hourly wage | $44.27 / hour |
|---|---|
| Total package (wage + fringe benefits) | $65.81 / hour |
| Annualized at 2,080 hours (base wage) | $88,540 / year |
| First-period apprentice (≈45–50% of scale) | $19.92–$22.14 / hour |
| Wage sheet effective | 7/31/26 |
| Classification | Sheet Metal Journeyman |
A Local 263 apprentice in Cedar Rapids, IA starts at roughly $19.92 an hour — about 45% of the $44.27 journeyman scale — and steps up each period, reaching around $33.20 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 263 has published; confirm the exact schedule with the JATC.
| 1st period (year 1) | 45% of scale | $19.92 / hour | $39,843 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2nd period (year 2) | 55% of scale | $24.35 / hour | $48,697 |
| 3rd period (year 3) | 65% of scale | $28.78 / hour | $57,551 |
| 4th period (year 4) | 75% of scale | $33.20 / hour | $66,405 |
| 5th period (year 5) | 85% of scale | $37.63 / hour | $75,259 |
| Journeyman (turned out) | 100% of scale | $44.27 / hour | $88,540 |
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Local 263 wages: $44.27 an hour on the journeyman scale, $65.81 an hour with fringe benefits added, effective 7/31/26. That is the most recent Cedar Rapids, IA sheet we can source; rates move with each contract cycle, so confirm with the hall before quoting.
Roughly 33% of the SMART Local 263 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 SMART Local 263 pay scale (PDF) — one-page printable rate sheet, effective July 31, 2026.
| Benefit & fringe contributions | $21.54/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 SMART Local 263 scale used across the Cedar Rapids, IA area. Members dispatched out of this hall work commercial HVAC sheet metal, duct fabrication and installation, architectural sheet metal and test and balance for signatory contractors throughout the Cedar Rapids metro, so a sheet metal wage quoted locally is normally this scale plus the fringe package shown in the table.
Gulfstream recruits sheet metal talent for commercial mechanical, plumbing, piping, sheet metal and building automation contractors in and around Cedar Rapids. We are a private recruiting firm — we do not dispatch, set, or negotiate Local 263 rates. For current Cedar Rapids scale, dispatch standing, or apprenticeship intake, contact the hall directly.
SMART Local 263 runs its own referral procedure and books are signed at the hall — call (319) 396-8045 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.
SMART Local 263 represents highly skilled sheet metal workers across the Cedar Rapids and Eastern Iowa corridor, specializing in the fabrication, installation, and service of complex air handling systems. As a regional affiliate of the International Association of Sheet Metal, Air, Rail and Transportation Workers, this local provides a critical labor pool for industrial, commercial, and institutional projects throughout the Hawkeye State. The union maintains a strong focus on technical precision, ensuring that signatory contractors have access to journey-level professionals who are certified in advanced welding, architectural sheet metal, and testing, adjusting, and balancing (TAB) of environmental systems.
The market surrounding Cedar Rapids is defined by a mix of heavy industrial manufacturing, healthcare expansion, and educational infrastructure. Because Local 263 members operate in both the shop environment and the field, their impact is visible in everything from custom stainless steel fabrication for food processing plants to high-efficiency HVAC installations in modern office complexes. For contractors, the local provides a predictable cost structure and a pipeline of talent via the Joint Apprenticeship and Training Committee (JATC). For tradespeople, it offers a pathway to a middle-class career with a defined-benefit pension and comprehensive healthcare coverage that remains portable across signatory employers.
Based on the figures effective October 21, 2022, the Journeyman hourly rate for SMART Local 263 is set at $37.39, with a total compensation package reaching $46.02 per hour when fringe benefits are included. This $8.63 spread covers critical employer-paid contributions to health, welfare, and retirement funds. Apprentices entering the program start at a percentage of the Journeyman scale—often beginning around 40-50%—and receive incremental raises every six to twelve months as they meet work hour milestones and classroom requirements. By the final year of the five-year apprenticeship, workers typically earn 80-90% of the full rate, ensuring their pay matches their growing technical proficiency and autonomy on the job site.
The chartered jurisdiction for SMART Local 263 is centered in Cedar Rapids and extends across a significant portion of Eastern Iowa. This territory includes major urban hubs and surrounding rural areas where signatory contractors perform work on commercial mechanical systems and industrial ductwork. Members may be dispatched to shop-based fabrication roles or field-based installation crews depending on project needs and contractor specialization. The jurisdiction is designed to ensure that labor standards remain consistent across the region, preventing wage suppression and maintaining a high quality of workmanship for developers and public entities utilizing union labor for their mechanical infrastructure needs.
The signatory landscape for Local 263 consists of diverse employers ranging from large-scale mechanical primes to specialized architectural sheet metal firms. These contractors often manage full-service HVAC contracts for hospitals, schools, and government facilities, utilizing union labor for both the precise fabrication of ductwork and the final on-site assembly. Hiring volume is largely driven by regional capital improvement projects and the ongoing maintenance needs of Iowa's industrial sector. Since 2014, Gulfstream Strategic Placements has monitored this market, noting that the relationship between Local 263 and its signatory partners remains focused on maintaining a competitive edge through superior training and safety standards.
Typically, the collective bargaining agreement outlines a basic hand tool list that all members must own, including items like snips, hammers, and measuring tapes. Major power tools and specialized shop equipment are provided by the signatory contractor. New apprentices receive guidance on which tools to purchase as they begin their first work assignments.
Yes, through the JATC, members can earn certifications in AWS welding, fire damper inspection, and OSHA safety standards. These certifications are often required for work on high-specification industrial sites and healthcare facilities, making union members highly versatile for contractors who handle diverse project portfolios across Eastern Iowa.
Members in good standing with other SMART locals may request a transfer or work as a traveler within Local 263's jurisdiction. This process requires coordination with the Business Manager and typically depends on local manning requirements. Verification of current dues and a valid dues receipt from the home local are mandatory.
Wage increases are negotiated as part of the multi-year collective bargaining agreement. These increases are often split between the hourly check and the fringe benefit funds, as determined by a vote of the membership. All scheduled increases are documented in the current wage scale sheet available at the union hall.
SMART Local 263 is seated in Cedar Rapids, Iowa (IA). We hold published wage sheets for 10 locals across Iowa — compare nearby scales before you take a call.
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We are a mechanical, plumbing and electrical construction recruiting firm serving Cedar Rapids and the rest of Iowa, including contractors signatory to SMART Local 263. 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 263 pay scale for 2026 is $44.27 per hour for journeymen in Cedar Rapids, IA, or about $88,540 a year at 2,080 hours. The total package, including employer-paid fringe benefits, is $65.81 per hour. That is the rate in force for 2026, effective 7/31/26.
Journeyman sheet metal workers under the SMART Local 263 agreement make $44.27 an hour in base wages, or $65.81 an hour counting the fringe package, per the wage sheet effective 7/31/26. Overtime, shift premiums, and travel or subsistence pay are added on top under the local's CBA.
$44.27 per hour base wage and $65.81 per hour total package for a journeyman in Cedar Rapids, IA, effective 7/31/26. Annualized at 2,080 hours that is roughly $88,540 before overtime.
A Local 263 apprentice in Cedar Rapids, IA starts at roughly $19.92 an hour — about 45% of the $44.27 journeyman scale — and steps up each period, reaching around $33.20 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 263 has published; confirm the exact schedule with the JATC.
About $19.92 an hour, or roughly $39,843 a year at 2,080 hours, based on the standard 45% first-period step of the $44.27 journeyman rate effective 7/31/26. Apprentices also earn benefit contributions and paid classroom progression; the JATC sets the exact percentage.
Around $28.78 an hour at the standard 65% third-period step, moving to about $33.20 an hour in the fourth period and $44.27 an hour at full journeyman scale. Confirm the published step schedule with the Local 263 training center.
Local 263 wages: $44.27 an hour on the journeyman scale, $65.81 an hour with fringe benefits added, effective 7/31/26. That is the most recent Cedar Rapids, IA sheet we can source; rates move with each contract cycle, so confirm with the hall before quoting.
The current published SMART Local 263 journeyman rate is $44.27 an hour ($65.81 total package), effective 7/31/26 — roughly $88,540 a year at 2,080 hours before overtime. Confirm the effective agreement with the local.
Yes — a one-page printable SMART Local 263 rate sheet is available at /rate-sheets/smart-local-263-pay-scale.pdf, showing the $44.27 hourly scale, the $65.81 total package and the 7/31/26 effective date, with the source it was read from. It is a free download — no sign-up needed.
The current SMART Local 263 journeyman rate is $44.27/hour, with a total package of $65.81/hour including fringe benefits, effective 7/31/26. At 2,080 hours that works out to roughly $88,540 per year in base wages before overtime. Rates change with each CBA cycle — confirm with the Local 263 business office before relying on the figure.
The $44.27/hour figure is the base journeyman wage that lands on the paycheck. The $65.81/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 263 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 $44.27/hour journeyman rate, a first-period apprentice would be in the $19.92–$22.14/hour range. The exact percentage schedule is set by the local's JATC.
SMART Local 263 is headquartered in Cedar Rapids, IA 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 263 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 263 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 263 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 263 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 7/31/26 schedule; check with the Local 263 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 263 against neighboring jurisdictions and other sheet metal workers markets.
The SMART Local 263 hall is at 1211 Wiley Blvd., Sw Cedar Rapids IA 52404, serving Cedar Rapids, IA and the surrounding jurisdiction. Hall phone: (319) 396-8045.
SMART Local 263 runs its own referral procedure and books are signed at the hall. Call the hall at (319) 396-8045 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 263 can be reached at (319) 396-8045. Contact details are imported from the union's public directory listing — confirm hours with the hall.
$44.27/hr in base wages for sheet metal journeyman, or $65.81/hr counting employer-paid benefits and fringes, effective July 31, 2026 per the unionpayscales.com wage sheet.
July 31, 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 $44.27/hr base is wages only. Employers contribute roughly $21.54/hr more per hour worked to health and welfare, pension, annuity and training funds, which is the difference between the base and the $65.81/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.