Journeyman sheet metal workers under SMART Local 7 in Lansing, MI earn $42.74/hr in base wages, or $62.89/hr as a total package with fringe benefits, effective Nov 2024.
SMART Local 7 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 7 pay scale is $42.74 per hour for journeymen in Lansing, MI, or about $85,480 a year at 2,080 hours. The total package, including employer-paid fringe benefits, is $62.89 per hour. That is the rate in force, effective 11/14/24.
| Local 7 journeyman hourly wage | $42.74 / hour |
|---|---|
| Total package (wage + fringe benefits) | $62.89 / hour |
| Annualized at 2,080 hours (base wage) | $85,480 / year |
| First-period apprentice (≈45–50% of scale) | $19.23–$21.37 / hour |
| Wage sheet effective | 11/14/24 |
A Local 7 apprentice in Lansing, MI starts at roughly $19.23 an hour — about 45% of the $42.74 journeyman scale — and steps up each period, reaching around $32.06 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 7 has published; confirm the exact schedule with the JATC.
| 1st period (year 1) | 45% of scale | $19.23 / hour | $38,466 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2nd period (year 2) | 55% of scale | $23.51 / hour | $47,014 |
| 3rd period (year 3) | 65% of scale | $27.78 / hour | $55,562 |
| 4th period (year 4) | 75% of scale | $32.06 / hour | $64,110 |
| 5th period (year 5) | 85% of scale | $36.33 / hour | $72,658 |
| Journeyman (turned out) | 100% of scale | $42.74 / hour | $85,480 |
SMART Local 7 runs its own referral procedure and books are signed at the hall — call (517) 882-4064 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 7 represents skilled sheet metal workers across a significant portion of Michigan, encompassing the Lansing, Grand Rapids, and Flint markets. As a charter of the International Association of Sheet Metal, Air, Rail and Transportation Workers, this local manages a workforce specialized in the fabrication, installation, and service of HVAC systems, architectural sheet metal, and industrial ventilation. The Michigan market remains a critical hub for automotive manufacturing and healthcare infrastructure, both of which rely heavily on the precise air handling and exhaust solutions provided by Local 7 members. This jurisdiction is vital for maintaining the high-performance standards required in complex cleanroom environments and large-scale commercial facilities throughout the region.
The labor landscape for sheet metal in Michigan is defined by rigorous safety standards and a commitment to organized apprenticeship training. Local 7 serves as the primary labor source for signatory contractors who require highly productive crews capable of meeting tight construction schedules. By centralizing operations in Lansing, the local effectively coordinates manpower for major projects spanning from the capital region to the western lakeshore. For tradespeople, being part of this local means access to collectively bargained protections and a structured career path that adapts to new technologies like automated fabrication and advanced building automation systems. For contractors, the union provides a reliable pipeline of vetted, drug-tested professionals ready for immediate dispatch.
As of November 14, 2024, the journeyman hourly rate for SMART Local 7 is $42.74, with a total taxable and fringe package reaching $62.89 per hour. This total package reflects the comprehensive cost of labor, including employer contributions to retirement and healthcare. Apprentices in the Sheet Metal JATC program typically begin at a percentage of the journeyman rate, often starting around 45% to 50% for first-year students. These rates increase in fixed increments—usually every six to twelve months—as the apprentice completes required classroom hours and hits specific on-the-job training milestones. By the time an individual reaches their fifth year, they are typically earning 80% or more of the scale, ensuring a predictable climb toward the full $42.74 journeyman wage upon graduation and certification.
The territorial jurisdiction of SMART Local 7 covers a broad geographic area of Michigan's Lower Peninsula, including the metropolitan hubs of Lansing, Grand Rapids, Jackson, and Flint. The charter grants the local authority over all sheet metal work within these boundaries, ranging from light commercial ductwork to heavy industrial blowpipe and architectural roofing. Travel and per diem rules are governed by the specific Zone defined in the Collective Bargaining Agreement, which dictates how members are compensated when working far from their home dispatch point. This jurisdiction is designed to ensure that signatory contractors have access to the same high standard of labor whether they are bidding on a downtown high-rise or a rural manufacturing plant expansion.
The signatory landscape for SMART Local 7 is comprised of a diverse mix of mechanical contractors, ranging from small architectural sheet metal shops to massive regional mechanical primes. These firms frequently collaborate on large-scale public works, such as university campus expansions and state government facilities in Lansing. The industrial sector is also well-represented, with contractors specializing in specialized ventilation systems for the region's automotive and manufacturing plants. Because Local 7 covers multiple major Michigan cities, the hiring cycle is often influenced by large commercial developments and healthcare system upgrades. Contractors rely on the local's hall to scale their workforces quickly in response to project awards without compromising on craftsmanship.
The $42.74 hourly wage is the taxable amount paid directly to the member's paycheck. The $62.89 total package includes that wage plus an additional $20.15 in fringe benefits paid by the employer. These benefits cover health insurance, pension contributions, and training funds, which are not deducted from the hourly pay but are part of the overall compensation provided by signatory contractors.
Yes, through the JATC, members can earn certifications in AWS welding, Testing, Adjusting and Balancing (TAB), Fire Life Safety (FLS), and CAD/BIM detailing. These specialized skills often lead to more consistent employment opportunities, as signatory contractors require certified professionals for specific tasks on industrial and high-precision commercial job sites throughout the Michigan jurisdiction.
Transfers, or 'traveling,' are governed by the SMART Constitution. A member in good standing from another local must typically report to the Local 7 business manager and may be issued a travel card if work is available. Permanent transfers usually require a period of working in the jurisdiction and approval from the local's executive board, depending on current manpower needs.
Architectural sheet metal workers in Local 7 focus on the exterior envelope of buildings. This includes the installation of metal roofing, wall panels, flashing, and ornamental work. Unlike HVAC ductwork, this role requires a high level of aesthetic precision and knowledge of waterproofing and thermal expansion, often seen on prominent institutional and university buildings across Lansing and Grand Rapids.
SMART Local 7 is seated in Lansing, Michigan (MI). We hold published wage sheets for 22 locals across Michigan — compare nearby scales before you take a call.
We are a mechanical, plumbing and electrical construction recruiting firm serving Lansing and the rest of Michigan, including contractors signatory to SMART Local 7. 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 7 pay scale is $42.74 per hour for journeymen in Lansing, MI, or about $85,480 a year at 2,080 hours. The total package, including employer-paid fringe benefits, is $62.89 per hour. That is the rate in force, effective 11/14/24.
Journeyman sheet metal workers under the SMART Local 7 agreement make $42.74 an hour in base wages, or $62.89 an hour counting the fringe package, per the wage sheet effective 11/14/24. Overtime, shift premiums, and travel or subsistence pay are added on top under the local's CBA.
$42.74 per hour base wage and $62.89 per hour total package for a journeyman in Lansing, MI, effective 11/14/24. Annualized at 2,080 hours that is roughly $85,480 before overtime.
A Local 7 apprentice in Lansing, MI starts at roughly $19.23 an hour — about 45% of the $42.74 journeyman scale — and steps up each period, reaching around $32.06 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 7 has published; confirm the exact schedule with the JATC.
About $19.23 an hour, or roughly $38,466 a year at 2,080 hours, based on the standard 45% first-period step of the $42.74 journeyman rate effective 11/14/24. Apprentices also earn benefit contributions and paid classroom progression; the JATC sets the exact percentage.
Around $27.78 an hour at the standard 65% third-period step, moving to about $32.06 an hour in the fourth period and $42.74 an hour at full journeyman scale. Confirm the published step schedule with the Local 7 training center.
The current SMART Local 7 journeyman rate is $42.74/hour, with a total package of $62.89/hour including fringe benefits, effective 11/14/24. At 2,080 hours that works out to roughly $85,480 per year in base wages before overtime. Rates change with each CBA cycle — confirm with the Local 7 business office before relying on the figure.
The $42.74/hour figure is the base journeyman wage that lands on the paycheck. The $62.89/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 7 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 $42.74/hour journeyman rate, a first-period apprentice would be in the $19.23–$21.37/hour range. The exact percentage schedule is set by the local's JATC.
SMART Local 7 is headquartered in Lansing, MI 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 7 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 7 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 7 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 7 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 11/14/24 schedule; check with the Local 7 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 7 against neighboring jurisdictions and other sheet metal workers markets.
The SMART Local 7 hall is at 4931 Contec Drive Lansing MI 48910, serving Lansing, MI and the surrounding jurisdiction. Hall phone: (517) 882-4064.
SMART Local 7 runs its own referral procedure and books are signed at the hall. Call the hall at (517) 882-4064 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 7 can be reached at (517) 882-4064. Contact details are imported from the union's public directory listing — confirm hours with the hall.