Journeyman sheet metal workers under SMART Local 49 in Albuquerque, NM earn $37.50/hr in base wages, or $56.01/hr as a total package with fringe benefits, effective Jan 2024.
The Local 49 pay scale is $37.50 per hour for journeymen in Albuquerque, NM, or about $75,000 a year at 2,080 hours. The total package, including employer-paid fringe benefits, is $56.01 per hour. That is the rate in force, effective 1/1/24.
| Local 49 journeyman hourly wage | $37.50 / hour |
|---|---|
| Total package (wage + fringe benefits) | $56.01 / hour |
| Annualized at 2,080 hours (base wage) | $75,000 / year |
| First-period apprentice (≈45–50% of scale) | $16.88–$18.75 / hour |
| Wage sheet effective | 1/1/24 |
| Classification | SHEET METAL WORKER (HVAC DUCT AND SYSTEM INSTALLATION ONLY) |
Apply now — Gulfstream places sheet metal workers candidates with mechanical contractors. These are direct-hire contractor roles, not union dispatch.
A Local 49 apprentice in Albuquerque, NM starts at roughly $16.88 an hour — about 45% of the $37.50 journeyman scale — and steps up each period, reaching around $28.13 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 49 has published; confirm the exact schedule with the JATC.
| 1st period (year 1) | 45% of scale | $16.88 / hour | $33,750 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2nd period (year 2) | 55% of scale | $20.63 / hour | $41,250 |
| 3rd period (year 3) | 65% of scale | $24.38 / hour | $48,750 |
| 4th period (year 4) | 75% of scale | $28.13 / hour | $56,250 |
| 5th period (year 5) | 85% of scale | $31.88 / hour | $63,750 |
| Journeyman (turned out) | 100% of scale | $37.50 / hour | $75,000 |
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SMART Local 49 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.
SMART Local 49 does not post an online application we could verify; contact the hall by phone for dispatch or apprenticeship. To be considered for direct-hire roles with mechanical, electrical and sheet metal contractors in this area, apply to Gulfstream. This is not an application to the union.
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Local 49 wages: $37.50 an hour on the journeyman scale, $56.01 an hour with fringe benefits added, effective 1/1/24. That is the most recent Albuquerque, NM sheet we can source; rates move with each contract cycle, so confirm with the hall before quoting.
Roughly 33% of the SMART Local 49 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.
Verified from official source: U.S. Department of Labor Davis-Bacon general wage determination NM20260013 (rev 1), building construction, SHEE0049-012 01/01/2024: base rate $37.50 plus printed fringes $18.51
Download the SMART Local 49 pay scale (PDF) — one-page printable rate sheet, effective January 1, 2024.
| Benefit & fringe contributions | $18.51/hr | Printed as the fringe line on U.S. Department of Labor, Wage and Hour Division determination NM20260013, schedule SHEE0049-012. |
|---|---|---|
| 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 49 scale used across the Albuquerque, NM 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 Albuquerque 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 Albuquerque. We are a private recruiting firm — we do not dispatch, set, or negotiate Local 49 rates. For current Albuquerque scale, dispatch standing, or apprenticeship intake, contact the hall directly.
Source document: U.S. Department of Labor, Wage and Hour Division Davis-Bacon Act determination NM20260013 (mod 1), published 2026-05-18.
Schedule line SHEE0049-012 — Building construction, scope: Counties listed on NM20260013.
Classification as printed: SHEET METAL WORKER (HVAC DUCT AND SYSTEM INSTALLATION ONLY)
SMART Local 49 runs its own referral procedure and books are signed at the hall — call (505) 266-5878 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 49 represents highly skilled sheet metal workers across New Mexico and parts of Texas, operating as a critical labor partner for the Southwestern construction industry. Headquartered in Albuquerque, this local union facilitates the fabrication, installation, and maintenance of complex HVAC systems, architectural sheet metal, and industrial ventilation. As the primary collective bargaining unit for sheet metal professionals in the region, Local 49 ensures that members receive standardized training and safety certifications that meet the rigorous demands of federal laboratories, healthcare facilities, and commercial developments unique to the high-desert climate and specialized local economy.
The Albuquerque market serves as the central hub for Local 49, where the demand for precision metalwork is driven by both private commercial growth and significant public-sector investments. Because New Mexico hosts specialized high-tech manufacturing and aerospace facilities, the sheet metal trade here requires a high degree of technical proficiency in cleanroom environments and heavy-gauge industrial applications. Gulfstream Strategic Placements has monitored this labor market since 2014, observing how the local's signatory contractors provide the essential infrastructure support needed for the state's expanding industrial footprint, making Local 49 a vital entity for both skilled tradespeople and mechanical contractors.
Compensation for SMART Local 49 members is structured around a journeyman base rate plus a comprehensive fringe benefit package. While specific hourly figures are not publicly disclosed here, the pay scale is determined through collective bargaining agreements between the union and signatory contractors. Apprentices begin their careers at a set percentage of the journeyman rate, typically starting between 40% and 50%, with scheduled incremental raises as they complete required classroom hours and on-the-job training milestones. To obtain the most current pay scale for 2024 through 2026, including the total taxable wage and the non-taxable benefit contribution, interested parties must contact the Local 49 business office directly or consult the most recent wage circular provided to signatory employers.
The chartered jurisdiction for SMART Local 49 is extensive, covering the entire state of New Mexico and several counties in the West Texas panhandle including El Paso. This vast geographic area requires a mobile workforce capable of servicing metropolitan Albuquerque, Santa Fe, and Las Cruces, as well as remote industrial sites. The work covered under this jurisdiction includes the installation of ductwork, testing and balancing (TAB) of HVAC systems, architectural roofing, and specialty stainless steel fabrication. Members dispatched from the Albuquerque hall may work on diverse projects ranging from high-altitude laboratory ventilation to large-scale retail climate control systems across the Southwestern United States.
The contractor landscape for SMART Local 49 consists of a diverse mix of signatory employers ranging from large multi-state mechanical primes to specialized local fabrication shops. These contractors rely on the union hall for a steady supply of pre-screened, drug-tested, and OSHA-certified labor. Hiring activity typically aligns with major commercial bid cycles and large-scale industrial renovations. Many signatory firms in the Albuquerque area specialize in design-build HVAC projects for the healthcare sector, while others focus on architectural metal for the region's unique southwestern building styles. Gulfstream Strategic Placements tracks these firms to understand labor capacity and project timelines within the New Mexico construction market.
SMART Local 49 holds jurisdiction over the entire state of New Mexico and the El Paso, Texas area. This means the union manages labor agreements for sheet metal work in cities like Albuquerque, Santa Fe, Las Cruces, and Roswell, ensuring standardized wages and benefits across the region's varied construction markets.
Because wage rates are updated annually or semi-annually based on the Collective Bargaining Agreement, the most accurate source is the Local 49 Business Manager. Rates vary between journeymen and apprentices, and the 'total package' includes both your hourly check and employer-paid benefits like pension and healthcare.
While UA locals focus on pipefitting and plumbing, SMART Local 49 specifically represents Sheet Metal Workers. Their expertise lies in air handling, ventilation, and metal fabrication. In the Albuquerque market, these trades often work side-by-side on large mechanical projects, but Local 49 handles the specific ductwork and architectural metal scopes.
Work availability for travelers depends on the current 'out of work' list for local members and the status of large-scale projects like microchip plants or hospital expansions. Members from other SMART locals must typically check in with the Albuquerque hall and provide a travel letter from their home local's financial secretary.
SMART Local 49 is seated in Albuquerque, New Mexico (NM). We hold published wage sheets for 3 locals across New Mexico — compare nearby scales before you take a call.
Gulfstream Strategic Placements recruits mechanical construction and service staff for contractors nationwide, union and open shop. These are markets where we run the most searches: Las Vegas mechanical recruiter · Sacramento mechanical recruiter · Denver mechanical recruiter · Orange County mechanical recruiter. Post a role.
We are a commercial mechanical construction recruiting firm serving Albuquerque and the rest of New Mexico, including contractors signatory to SMART Local 49. 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 49 pay scale is $37.50 per hour for journeymen in Albuquerque, NM, or about $75,000 a year at 2,080 hours. The total package, including employer-paid fringe benefits, is $56.01 per hour. That is the rate in force, effective 1/1/24.
SMART Local 49 wages: journeyman Sheet Metal Workers rate of $37.50 per hour in Albuquerque, NM, with a total package of $56.01 per hour including fringe benefits, effective 1/1/24. Apprentices are paid a graduated percentage of that rate. Confirm any increase since 1/1/24 with the SMART Local 49 business office.
The SMART Local 49 wage sheet on this page lists the journeyman scale of $37.50 per hour ($56.01 per hour total package), effective 1/1/24, plus the apprentice percentage steps. The official sheet is published by the SMART Local 49 business office; figures here come from that published schedule, so confirm any increase dated after 1/1/24 with the hall.
Local 49 apprentices earn a graduated percentage of the $37.50 per hour journeyman rate — typically starting near 40–50% ($16.88–$18.75 per hour) in the first period and stepping up each period to 100% at turnout. The exact percentage schedule is set by the SMART Local 49 JATC, so confirm the current apprentice sheet with the training center.
Journeyman sheet metal workers under the SMART Local 49 agreement make $37.50 an hour in base wages, or $56.01 an hour counting the fringe package, per the wage sheet effective 1/1/24. Overtime, shift premiums, and travel or subsistence pay are added on top under the local's CBA.
$37.50 per hour base wage and $56.01 per hour total package for a journeyman in Albuquerque, NM, effective 1/1/24. Annualized at 2,080 hours that is roughly $75,000 before overtime.
A Local 49 apprentice in Albuquerque, NM starts at roughly $16.88 an hour — about 45% of the $37.50 journeyman scale — and steps up each period, reaching around $28.13 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 49 has published; confirm the exact schedule with the JATC.
About $16.88 an hour, or roughly $33,750 a year at 2,080 hours, based on the standard 45% first-period step of the $37.50 journeyman rate effective 1/1/24. Apprentices also earn benefit contributions and paid classroom progression; the JATC sets the exact percentage.
Around $24.38 an hour at the standard 65% third-period step, moving to about $28.13 an hour in the fourth period and $37.50 an hour at full journeyman scale. Confirm the published step schedule with the Local 49 training center.
Local 49 wages: $37.50 an hour on the journeyman scale, $56.01 an hour with fringe benefits added, effective 1/1/24. That is the most recent Albuquerque, NM sheet we can source; rates move with each contract cycle, so confirm with the hall before quoting.
Yes — a one-page printable SMART Local 49 rate sheet is available at /rate-sheets/smart-local-49-pay-scale.pdf, showing the $37.50 hourly scale, the $56.01 total package and the 1/1/24 effective date, with the source it was read from. It is a free download — no sign-up needed.
The current SMART Local 49 journeyman rate is $37.50/hour, with a total package of $56.01/hour including fringe benefits, effective 1/1/24. At 2,080 hours that works out to roughly $75,000 per year in base wages before overtime. Rates change with each CBA cycle — confirm with the Local 49 business office before relying on the figure.
The $37.50/hour figure is the base journeyman wage that lands on the paycheck. The $56.01/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 49 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 $37.50/hour journeyman rate, a first-period apprentice would be in the $16.88–$18.75/hour range. The exact percentage schedule is set by the local's JATC.
SMART Local 49 is headquartered in Albuquerque, NM 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 49 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 49 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 49 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 49 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 1/1/24 schedule; check with the Local 49 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 49 against neighboring jurisdictions and other sheet metal workers markets.
Yes — the openings section on this page lists current sheet metal workers roles near Albuquerque, NM, and you can apply directly through the apply form on this page. These are direct-hire positions with mechanical contractors that Gulfstream recruits for, not union dispatch or hall referrals. For the hall's out-of-work list, contact the Local 49 business office.
The SMART Local 49 hall is at 2300 Buena Vista Se Ste 110 Albuquerque NM 87106, serving Albuquerque, NM and the surrounding jurisdiction. Hall phone: (505) 266-5878.
SMART Local 49 runs its own referral procedure and books are signed at the hall. Call the hall at (505) 266-5878 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 49 can be reached at (505) 266-5878. Contact details are imported from the union's public directory listing — confirm hours with the hall.
Apply through the local's joint apprenticeship training committee (JATC). Most programs open applications on a set schedule and require an aptitude test and interview. For SMART Local 49's current application window and requirements, contact the hall at (505) 266-5878.
Each Sheet Metal Workers local sets its own intake process, and it varies. The common paths: apprenticeship through the JATC; organizing in as an experienced worker, since journeymen and technicians already working in the trade can usually apply directly to the hall for membership; or transferring from another local of the same international with a transfer card from your current hall. For fees and requirements, contact the hall at (505) 266-5878.
We haven't found an official source for SMART Local 49's dues or membership rules. To confirm, contact the hall at (505) 266-5878.
We haven't found an official source for SMART Local 49's member benefits. To confirm, contact the hall at (505) 266-5878.
SMART Local 49's sourced sheet metal worker (hvac duct and system installation only) union rate is $37.50/hr in base wages and $56.01/hr for the total package, effective January 1, 2024. The rate applies to the listed classification and source area; apprentice, foreman and specialty classifications may differ.
$37.50/hr in base wages for sheet metal worker (hvac duct and system installation only), or $56.01/hr counting employer-paid benefits and fringes, effective January 1, 2024 per the U.S. Department of Labor Davis-Bacon general wage determination NM20260013 (rev 1), building construction, SHEE0049-012 01/01/2024: base rate $37.50 plus printed fringes $18.51 wage determination.
January 1, 2024. The negotiated rate on this primary source (U.S. Department of Labor Davis-Bacon general wage determination NM20260013 (rev 1), building construction, SHEE0049-012 01/01/2024: base rate $37.50 plus printed fringes $18.51) is dated more than 18 months back, so a mid-term raise may already be in effect. Confirm the current step with the local's business office before extending an offer.
No — the $37.50/hr base is wages only. Employers contribute roughly $18.51/hr more per hour worked to health and welfare, pension, annuity and training funds, which is the difference between the base and the $56.01/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.
Moderate confidence — last cross-checked against the source on Oct 1, 2026 (18 days ago). Always confirm the current step with the hall before relying on it for an offer.