Journeyman sheet metal workers under SMART Local 85 in Atlanta, GA earn $38.29/hr in base wages, or $53.01/hr as a total package with fringe benefits, effective Aug 2025.
SMART Local 85 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 85 pay scale for 2026 is $38.29 per hour for journeymen in Atlanta, GA, or about $76,580 a year at 2,080 hours. The total package, including employer-paid fringe benefits, is $53.01 per hour. That is the rate in force for 2026, effective 8/3/25.
| Local 85 journeyman hourly wage | $38.29 / hour |
|---|---|
| Total package (wage + fringe benefits) | $53.01 / hour |
| Annualized at 2,080 hours (base wage) | $76,580 / year |
| First-period apprentice (≈45–50% of scale) | $17.23–$19.15 / hour |
| Wage sheet effective | 8/3/25 |
A Local 85 apprentice in Atlanta, GA starts at roughly $17.23 an hour — about 45% of the $38.29 journeyman scale — and steps up each period, reaching around $28.72 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 85 has published; confirm the exact schedule with the JATC.
| 1st period (year 1) | 45% of scale | $17.23 / hour | $34,461 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2nd period (year 2) | 55% of scale | $21.06 / hour | $42,119 |
| 3rd period (year 3) | 65% of scale | $24.89 / hour | $49,777 |
| 4th period (year 4) | 75% of scale | $28.72 / hour | $57,435 |
| 5th period (year 5) | 85% of scale | $32.55 / hour | $65,093 |
| Journeyman (turned out) | 100% of scale | $38.29 / hour | $76,580 |
SMART Local 85 runs its own referral procedure and books are signed at the hall — call (404) 758-2689 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 85 represents professional sheet metal workers across the state of Georgia, with its primary base of operations centered in the Atlanta metropolitan area. As part of the International Association of Sheet Metal, Air, Rail and Transportation Workers, this local provides a skilled labor force for specialized architectural and mechanical projects. Members are trained in the fabrication, installation, and maintenance of HVAC systems, industrial ductwork, and architectural metal components. The Atlanta market is a critical hub for high-density commercial development and industrial manufacturing, where Local 85 members ensure that complex air handling and ventilation systems meet rigorous safety and efficiency standards for large-scale facilities and high-rise structures.
Since 2014, Gulfstream Strategic Placements has monitored the labor landscape for sheet metal trades, observing how Local 85 maintains the competitive edge for union contractors in the Southeast. The organization manages a comprehensive Joint Apprenticeship and Training Committee (JATC) program to prepare the next generation of tradespeople for technical challenges including CAD detailing and advanced welding. Because Georgia is an open-shop environment, the value proposition of Local 85 rests on the superior productivity and safety records of its journeymen. For signatory mechanical primes and specialized sheet metal fabricators, partnering with Local 85 provides access to a scalable, certified workforce that can handle the tight schedules and technical demands of major regional infrastructure and commercial projects.
The wage structure for SMART Local 85 is defined by a clear distinction between the hourly take-home pay and the total package. Effective August 3, 2025, the Journeyman hourly rate is established at $38.29, which forms the basis for all overtime and premium pay calculations. When including the fringe benefit contributions—which cover health insurance, retirement funds, and training—the total package reaches $53.01 per hour. Apprentices typically begin their careers at a percentage of the journeyman rate, often starting around 40% to 50%. As they complete specific milestones in their classroom instruction and reach required on-the-job training hours, these percentages increase incrementally over a five-year period. This step-up system ensures that pay scales directly reflect the increasing skill set and responsibility of the worker until they achieve full journeyman status.
The chartered jurisdiction for SMART Local 85 is expansive, covering a significant portion of Georgia, including the entirety of the Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Alpharetta metropolitan area. The local manages dispatch and labor relations for work involving the installation of heating, ventilating, and air conditioning systems, as well as specialized architectural sheet metal and industrial blowpipe systems. Members may be dispatched to job sites ranging from downtown commercial towers to manufacturing plants in the surrounding industrial corridors. The collective bargaining agreement dictates travel pay and subsistence rules when members are required to work outside of a specified radius from the headquarters or their home base, ensuring fair compensation for the geographical reach required by large-scale mechanical contractors.
The contractor landscape for Local 85 consists of a diverse mix of signatory mechanical primes and specialized sheet metal subcontractors. These firms range from large-scale regional mechanical contractors capable of handling multi-million dollar hospital and data center builds to smaller, boutique architectural metal shops. Hiring typically follows the ebbs and flows of the Atlanta construction cycle, with significant demand currently driven by the expansion of data centers, healthcare facilities, and logistics hubs. Signatory contractors rely on the union to provide pre-screened, drug-tested, and highly trained personnel, allowing them to scale their workforce rapidly for large projects without the long-term overhead of recruiting unproven labor in a tight market.
The hourly wage of $38.29 is the gross amount paid directly to the worker before taxes. The total package of $53.01 includes an additional $14.72 per hour in employer-paid benefits like pension, healthcare, and training funds. These benefits are paid on top of the wage and are not deducted from the $38.29 rate.
No prior experience is required to apply for the apprenticeship. The program is designed to take individuals with zero trade knowledge and train them through a mix of classroom instruction and paid on-the-job training. However, having a background in high school math or shop classes can be beneficial during the aptitude test and interview process.
Yes, SMART members in good standing can typically request a transfer or work as a traveler in Local 85's jurisdiction. This process requires a travel letter from your home local and approval from the Local 85 Business Manager, depending on current work volume and the local's ability to man the projects.
Yes, members can pursue specialized certifications in areas such as AWS-certified welding, Testing, Adjusting and Balancing (TAB), and Fire Life Safety. These certifications often make a member more marketable to signatory contractors and can lead to foreman or specialized technician roles on major job sites.
SMART Local 85 is seated in Atlanta, Georgia (GA). We hold published wage sheets for 9 locals across Georgia — compare nearby scales before you take a call.
We are a mechanical, plumbing and electrical construction recruiting firm serving Atlanta and the rest of Georgia, including contractors signatory to SMART Local 85. 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 85 pay scale for 2026 is $38.29 per hour for journeymen in Atlanta, GA, or about $76,580 a year at 2,080 hours. The total package, including employer-paid fringe benefits, is $53.01 per hour. That is the rate in force for 2026, effective 8/3/25.
Journeyman sheet metal workers under the SMART Local 85 agreement make $38.29 an hour in base wages, or $53.01 an hour counting the fringe package, per the wage sheet effective 8/3/25. Overtime, shift premiums, and travel or subsistence pay are added on top under the local's CBA.
$38.29 per hour base wage and $53.01 per hour total package for a journeyman in Atlanta, GA, effective 8/3/25. Annualized at 2,080 hours that is roughly $76,580 before overtime.
A Local 85 apprentice in Atlanta, GA starts at roughly $17.23 an hour — about 45% of the $38.29 journeyman scale — and steps up each period, reaching around $28.72 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 85 has published; confirm the exact schedule with the JATC.
About $17.23 an hour, or roughly $34,461 a year at 2,080 hours, based on the standard 45% first-period step of the $38.29 journeyman rate effective 8/3/25. Apprentices also earn benefit contributions and paid classroom progression; the JATC sets the exact percentage.
Around $24.89 an hour at the standard 65% third-period step, moving to about $28.72 an hour in the fourth period and $38.29 an hour at full journeyman scale. Confirm the published step schedule with the Local 85 training center.
The current SMART Local 85 journeyman rate is $38.29/hour, with a total package of $53.01/hour including fringe benefits, effective 8/3/25. At 2,080 hours that works out to roughly $76,580 per year in base wages before overtime. Rates change with each CBA cycle — confirm with the Local 85 business office before relying on the figure.
The $38.29/hour figure is the base journeyman wage that lands on the paycheck. The $53.01/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 85 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 $38.29/hour journeyman rate, a first-period apprentice would be in the $17.23–$19.15/hour range. The exact percentage schedule is set by the local's JATC.
SMART Local 85 is headquartered in Atlanta, GA 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 85 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 85 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 85 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 85 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 8/3/25 schedule; check with the Local 85 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 85 against neighboring jurisdictions and other sheet metal workers markets.
The SMART Local 85 hall is at 4830 Mendel Court Sw Atlanta GA 30336, serving Atlanta, GA and the surrounding jurisdiction. Hall phone: (404) 758-2689.
SMART Local 85 runs its own referral procedure and books are signed at the hall. Call the hall at (404) 758-2689 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 85 can be reached at (404) 758-2689. Contact details are imported from the union's public directory listing — confirm hours with the hall.