Journeyman sheet metal workers under SMART Local 265 in DuPage County, IL earn $51.83/hr in base wages, or $70.99/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 265 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 265 pay scale is $51.83 per hour for journeymen in DuPage County, IL, or about $103,660 a year at 2,080 hours. The total package, including employer-paid fringe benefits, is $70.99 per hour. That is the last wage sheet we can source for this local — confirm the current rate with the hall.
| Local 265 journeyman hourly wage | $51.83 / hour |
|---|---|
| Total package (wage + fringe benefits) | $70.99 / hour |
| Annualized at 2,080 hours (base wage) | $103,660 / year |
| First-period apprentice (≈45–50% of scale) | $23.32–$25.92 / hour |
| Wage sheet effective | 10/21/22 |
A Local 265 apprentice in DuPage County, IL starts at roughly $23.32 an hour — about 45% of the $51.83 journeyman scale — and steps up each period, reaching around $38.87 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 265 has published; confirm the exact schedule with the JATC.
| 1st period (year 1) | 45% of scale | $23.32 / hour | $46,647 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2nd period (year 2) | 55% of scale | $28.51 / hour | $57,013 |
| 3rd period (year 3) | 65% of scale | $33.69 / hour | $67,379 |
| 4th period (year 4) | 75% of scale | $38.87 / hour | $77,745 |
| 5th period (year 5) | 85% of scale | $44.06 / hour | $88,111 |
| Journeyman (turned out) | 100% of scale | $51.83 / hour | $103,660 |
SMART Local 265 runs its own referral procedure and books are signed at the hall — call (630) 668-0110 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 265 represents the sheet metal professionals across a critical nine-county region in Illinois, centered in the high-density construction market of DuPage County. Established to uphold the standards of the Sheet Metal, Air, Rail and Transportation Workers International Association, this local provides the skilled workforce necessary for complex architectural metal, HVAC systems, and industrial ventilation projects. The jurisdiction is unique due to its mix of heavy commercial development, sprawling suburban infrastructure, and specialized industrial facilities. Since 2014, Gulfstream Strategic Placements has monitored this region as a bellwether for labor demand in the greater Chicago metropolitan periphery, where rigorous code requirements and high-efficiency mechanical designs are the industry standard for all signatory projects.
The strength of Local 265 lies in its robust training infrastructure and its role as a stabilizing force in the regional labor market. By maintaining a highly qualified pool of journeypersons and apprentices, the union ensures that signatory contractors can meet the technical demands of LEED-certified buildings and sophisticated hospital or laboratory air handling systems. For the tradesperson, membership offers access to a structured career path with standardized compensation and benefits that reflect the high cost of living in the western and southern suburbs. For contractors, the local serves as a reliable partner in manning large-scale jobsites with labor that is pre-vetted for safety and technical proficiency, ensuring that projects remain on schedule and compliant with all local building codes.
Based on the figures effective October 21, 2022, the Journeyman hourly rate for SMART Local 265 is set at $51.83, with a total compensation package reaching $70.99 when all fringes are included. This gap between the check amount and the total package represents the employer's contribution to essential benefits. Apprentices in Local 265 typically begin their five-year program at a set percentage of the journeyman rate, often starting around 40-45% and receiving incremental raises every six to twelve months as they complete required classroom hours and on-the-job training milestones. These scheduled increases are strictly governed by the Joint Apprenticeship and Training Committee (JATC) to ensure that pay remains commensurate with the individual's growing skill set. By the final year of the apprenticeship, workers are generally earning 80-90% of the full scale before reaching journeyman status upon graduation.
SMART Local 265 holds chartered jurisdiction over a significant portion of Northern Illinois, encompassing nine counties surrounding the immediate Chicago area. The territory includes DuPage, Kane, Kendall, McHenry, Will, Grundy, Iroquois, Kankakee, and Livingston counties. This wide geographic footprint requires members to be mobile, as work sites can range from high-rise commercial developments in Naperville to industrial maintenance projects in Kankakee. The local's headquarters in Carol Stream serves as the central hub for dispatch and administrative functions. The collective bargaining agreement covers all facets of the trade within these boundaries, including the fabrication, assembly, and installation of ductwork, architectural sheet metal, siding, and specialized kitchen equipment, ensuring consistent labor standards across the entire suburban collar-county region.
The signatory landscape for SMART Local 265 is characterized by a diverse mix of large-scale mechanical primes and specialized boutique shops. These contractors range from major HVAC firms that manage the installation of massive air handling units in commercial office parks to architectural metal specialists focused on exterior cladding and decorative finishes. The market also includes a strong contingent of service-oriented contractors who maintain existing systems in the region's numerous healthcare and educational facilities. Because the jurisdiction covers both high-growth residential areas and established industrial zones, the contractor base is resilient, offering a steady flow of work that spans from new construction to long-term facility maintenance and retrofit projects.
The hourly wage of $51.83 is the gross amount paid directly to the worker on their paycheck before taxes. The total package of $70.99 includes an additional $19.16 per hour paid by the employer into fringe benefits like health insurance, pensions, and training funds. These benefits are not deducted from your check but are provided as part of your total compensation.
Members are expected to maintain current safety certifications, including OSHA 10 or 30, and specialized certifications depending on their work, such as welding (AWS) or TABB (Testing, Adjusting, and Balancing Bureau) certification. The JATC provides the necessary training and testing facilities for members to earn and renew these credentials, ensuring the workforce stays current with evolving industry standards.
Transfers, or 'traveling', are governed by the SMART International Constitution and the local's specific bylaws. Generally, a member in good standing from another local must contact the Local 265 Business Manager before seeking work in the jurisdiction. Acceptance of a transfer depends on current local employment levels and the specific skill sets needed by signatory contractors at that time.
Work in this jurisdiction is highly varied, ranging from massive data center cooling systems and hospital ventilation to high-end architectural roofing on residential or municipal buildings. Because the territory includes major transport hubs and industrial corridors, members also frequently work on heavy-gauge industrial ducting and specialized exhaust systems for manufacturing plants, requiring a broad range of fabrication and installation skills.
SMART Local 265 is seated in DuPage County, Illinois (IL). We hold published wage sheets for 26 locals across Illinois — compare nearby scales before you take a call.
We are a mechanical, plumbing and electrical construction recruiting firm serving DuPage County and the rest of Illinois, including contractors signatory to SMART Local 265. 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 265 pay scale is $51.83 per hour for journeymen in DuPage County, IL, or about $103,660 a year at 2,080 hours. The total package, including employer-paid fringe benefits, is $70.99 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 265 agreement make $51.83 an hour in base wages, or $70.99 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.
$51.83 per hour base wage and $70.99 per hour total package for a journeyman in DuPage County, IL, effective 10/21/22. Annualized at 2,080 hours that is roughly $103,660 before overtime.
A Local 265 apprentice in DuPage County, IL starts at roughly $23.32 an hour — about 45% of the $51.83 journeyman scale — and steps up each period, reaching around $38.87 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 265 has published; confirm the exact schedule with the JATC.
About $23.32 an hour, or roughly $46,647 a year at 2,080 hours, based on the standard 45% first-period step of the $51.83 journeyman rate effective 10/21/22. Apprentices also earn benefit contributions and paid classroom progression; the JATC sets the exact percentage.
Around $33.69 an hour at the standard 65% third-period step, moving to about $38.87 an hour in the fourth period and $51.83 an hour at full journeyman scale. Confirm the published step schedule with the Local 265 training center.
The current SMART Local 265 journeyman rate is $51.83/hour, with a total package of $70.99/hour including fringe benefits, effective 10/21/22. At 2,080 hours that works out to roughly $103,660 per year in base wages before overtime. Rates change with each CBA cycle — confirm with the Local 265 business office before relying on the figure.
The $51.83/hour figure is the base journeyman wage that lands on the paycheck. The $70.99/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 265 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 $51.83/hour journeyman rate, a first-period apprentice would be in the $23.32–$25.92/hour range. The exact percentage schedule is set by the local's JATC.
SMART Local 265 is headquartered in DuPage County, IL 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 265 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 265 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 265 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 265 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 265 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 265 against neighboring jurisdictions and other sheet metal workers markets.
The SMART Local 265 hall is at 3110 Woodcreek Drive Downers Grove IL 60515, serving DuPage County, IL and the surrounding jurisdiction. Hall phone: (630) 668-0110.
SMART Local 265 runs its own referral procedure and books are signed at the hall. Call the hall at (630) 668-0110 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 265 can be reached at (630) 668-0110. Contact details are imported from the union's public directory listing — confirm hours with the hall.