Journeyman sheet metal workers under SMART Local 4 in Memphis, TN earn $32.66/hr in base wages, or $46.92/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 4 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 4 pay scale is $32.66 per hour for journeymen in Memphis, TN, or about $65,320 a year at 2,080 hours. The total package, including employer-paid fringe benefits, is $46.92 per hour. That is the last wage sheet we can source for this local — confirm the current rate with the hall.
| Local 4 journeyman hourly wage | $32.66 / hour |
|---|---|
| Total package (wage + fringe benefits) | $46.92 / hour |
| Annualized at 2,080 hours (base wage) | $65,320 / year |
| First-period apprentice (≈45–50% of scale) | $14.70–$16.33 / hour |
| Wage sheet effective | 10/21/22 |
A Local 4 apprentice in Memphis, TN starts at roughly $14.70 an hour — about 45% of the $32.66 journeyman scale — and steps up each period, reaching around $24.49 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 4 has published; confirm the exact schedule with the JATC.
| 1st period (year 1) | 45% of scale | $14.70 / hour | $29,394 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2nd period (year 2) | 55% of scale | $17.96 / hour | $35,926 |
| 3rd period (year 3) | 65% of scale | $21.23 / hour | $42,458 |
| 4th period (year 4) | 75% of scale | $24.49 / hour | $48,990 |
| 5th period (year 5) | 85% of scale | $27.76 / hour | $55,522 |
| Journeyman (turned out) | 100% of scale | $32.66 / hour | $65,320 |
SMART Local 4 runs its own referral procedure and books are signed at the hall — call (901) 278-7288 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 4 represents the skilled sheet metal workers, air balancers, and architectural metal specialists serving the Memphis metropolitan area and the broader Mid-South region. Since 2014, Gulfstream Strategic Placements has monitored the regional labor market, noting Local 4's critical role in maintaining high-quality fabrication and installation standards across West Tennessee and North Mississippi. The membership is responsible for the complex ductwork systems, kitchen equipment, and metal roofing that define the region's skyline. As the Memphis market continues to see investment in distribution centers, healthcare facilities, and manufacturing, the demand for certified SMART journey persons remains a constant factor for signatory mechanical firms.
This local union operates a comprehensive training program to ensure that all members are proficient in specialized skills including CAD/BIM detailing, welding, and energy auditing. By maintaining a strict adherence to the standards set by the International Training Institute (ITI), Local 4 provides a pipeline of labor that is both efficient and safety-oriented. Contractors in the Memphis market rely on this workforce to meet project deadlines and stringent building codes. For the individual tradesperson, membership offers a clear path toward a middle-class career with a defined-benefit pension and a robust health insurance plan that is often unavailable in the non-signatory sector of the Southern construction market.
As of October 21, 2022, the journeyman hourly rate for SMART Local 4 is $32.66, with a total taxable and fringe package of $46.92 per hour. This total package includes essential employer-paid benefits that protect the worker's long-term financial health. Apprentices enter the program at a percentage of the journeyman rate, typically starting around 40-50% 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 contingent upon both work performance and educational progress through the JATC. By the fifth year of the program, apprentices often reach 80% or more of the full scale. These figures represent the baseline for commercial work; members should contact the business office to verify specific rates for industrial or residential classifications.
The chartered jurisdiction for SMART Local 4 covers a multi-state territory centered in Memphis, Tennessee. This footprint extends throughout several counties in West Tennessee and northern portions of Mississippi. The jurisdiction includes all aspects of sheet metal work, from heavy industrial fabrication to delicate architectural copper work and HVAC testing and balancing (TAB). Members are dispatched to job sites across the Mid-South, and the local maintains reciprocal agreements that may allow for travel into neighboring jurisdictions when labor demand shifts. The work scope is defined by the standard SMART constitution, covering the manufacturing, assembly, and installation of all ferrous and non-ferrous metal products of number ten U.S. gauge or lighter.
The signatory contractor landscape for SMART Local 4 is comprised of diverse firms ranging from specialized architectural metal shops to large-scale mechanical primes. These contractors typically handle the full lifecycle of HVAC systems, including in-house fabrication in union-label shops and field installation. Hiring trends in the Memphis area are heavily influenced by large industrial projects and the expansion of the logistics sector. Signatory firms leverage the Local 4 hiring hall to scale their workforces rapidly for major shutdowns or new construction phases. This relationship allows contractors to maintain a high level of productivity while providing workers with consistent opportunities for employment across various high-profile commercial and industrial developments.
The apprenticeship covers a broad spectrum of technical skills including layout and pattern development, welding (MIG, TIG, and Stick), blueprint reading, and CAD/BIM software. Apprentices also receive specialized training in HVAC system design, architectural metal installation, and safety protocols such as OSHA 30. This comprehensive approach ensures that graduates are prepared for both shop fabrication and field installation roles.
The union label serves as a mark of quality and craft excellence. It signifies that the components were fabricated by skilled SMART members under fair working conditions. In many jurisdictions, project specifications require that ductwork and other sheet metal components bear the union label, ensuring that signatory contractors who invest in Local 4 labor have a competitive advantage on high-standard projects.
Yes, experienced sheet metal workers can often join as 'organized' journeymen. The local will typically evaluate the individual's work history and skill level through a series of tests or an evaluation period. Successful applicants gain immediate access to the collective bargaining agreement's wage and benefit protections, providing a significant upgrade in total compensation and workplace safety compared to most non-signatory positions.
The hourly wage ($32.66) is the taxable amount paid directly on the worker's paycheck. The total package ($46.92) includes that wage plus an additional $14.26 per hour in employer-paid fringe benefits. These benefits, such as pension contributions and health insurance premiums, are paid by the contractor on top of the wage, meaning they do not come out of the worker's take-home pay.
SMART Local 4 is seated in Memphis, Tennessee (TN). We hold published wage sheets for 14 locals across Tennessee — compare nearby scales before you take a call.
We are a mechanical, plumbing and electrical construction recruiting firm serving Memphis and the rest of Tennessee, including contractors signatory to SMART Local 4. 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 4 pay scale is $32.66 per hour for journeymen in Memphis, TN, or about $65,320 a year at 2,080 hours. The total package, including employer-paid fringe benefits, is $46.92 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 4 agreement make $32.66 an hour in base wages, or $46.92 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.
$32.66 per hour base wage and $46.92 per hour total package for a journeyman in Memphis, TN, effective 10/21/22. Annualized at 2,080 hours that is roughly $65,320 before overtime.
A Local 4 apprentice in Memphis, TN starts at roughly $14.70 an hour — about 45% of the $32.66 journeyman scale — and steps up each period, reaching around $24.49 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 4 has published; confirm the exact schedule with the JATC.
About $14.70 an hour, or roughly $29,394 a year at 2,080 hours, based on the standard 45% first-period step of the $32.66 journeyman rate effective 10/21/22. Apprentices also earn benefit contributions and paid classroom progression; the JATC sets the exact percentage.
Around $21.23 an hour at the standard 65% third-period step, moving to about $24.49 an hour in the fourth period and $32.66 an hour at full journeyman scale. Confirm the published step schedule with the Local 4 training center.
The current SMART Local 4 journeyman rate is $32.66/hour, with a total package of $46.92/hour including fringe benefits, effective 10/21/22. At 2,080 hours that works out to roughly $65,320 per year in base wages before overtime. Rates change with each CBA cycle — confirm with the Local 4 business office before relying on the figure.
The $32.66/hour figure is the base journeyman wage that lands on the paycheck. The $46.92/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 4 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 $32.66/hour journeyman rate, a first-period apprentice would be in the $14.70–$16.33/hour range. The exact percentage schedule is set by the local's JATC.
SMART Local 4 is headquartered in Memphis, TN 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 4 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 4 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 4 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 4 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 4 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 4 against neighboring jurisdictions and other sheet metal workers markets.
The SMART Local 4 hall is at 6735 Whitten Place Memphis TN 38133, serving Memphis, TN and the surrounding jurisdiction. Hall phone: (901) 278-7288.
SMART Local 4 runs its own referral procedure and books are signed at the hall. Call the hall at (901) 278-7288 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 4 can be reached at (901) 278-7288. Contact details are imported from the union's public directory listing — confirm hours with the hall.