Journeyman sheet metal workers under SMART Local 88 in Las Vegas, NV earn $50/hr in base wages, or $50/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 88 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 88 pay scale is $50.00 per hour for journeymen in Las Vegas, NV, or about $100,000 a year at 2,080 hours. The total package, including employer-paid fringe benefits, is $50.00 per hour. That is the last wage sheet we can source for this local — confirm the current rate with the hall.
| Local 88 journeyman hourly wage | $50.00 / hour |
|---|---|
| Total package (wage + fringe benefits) | $50.00 / hour |
| Annualized at 2,080 hours (base wage) | $100,000 / year |
| First-period apprentice (≈45–50% of scale) | $22.50–$25.00 / hour |
| Wage sheet effective | 10/21/22 |
A Local 88 apprentice in Las Vegas, NV starts at roughly $22.50 an hour — about 45% of the $50.00 journeyman scale — and steps up each period, reaching around $37.50 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 88 has published; confirm the exact schedule with the JATC.
| 1st period (year 1) | 45% of scale | $22.50 / hour | $45,000 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2nd period (year 2) | 55% of scale | $27.50 / hour | $55,000 |
| 3rd period (year 3) | 65% of scale | $32.50 / hour | $65,000 |
| 4th period (year 4) | 75% of scale | $37.50 / hour | $75,000 |
| 5th period (year 5) | 85% of scale | $42.50 / hour | $85,000 |
| Journeyman (turned out) | 100% of scale | $50.00 / hour | $100,000 |
SMART Local 88 runs its own referral procedure and books are signed at the hall — call (702) 452-4799 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 88 represents the highly skilled sheet metal workers and HVAC technicians across the Southern Nevada region, centered in the Las Vegas metropolitan market. This labor organization is critical to the development of the high-density hospitality, gaming, and commercial sectors that define the local economy. Members are responsible for the fabrication, installation, and maintenance of complex air handling systems, architectural sheet metal, and industrial ventilation. As the primary labor source for signatory contractors in the Mojave Desert environment, the local ensures that all HVAC and architectural metal work meets rigorous standards for energy efficiency and structural integrity in extreme climates.
The market for Local 88 labor is driven by the continuous expansion of the Las Vegas Strip, regional medical centers, and public infrastructure projects. Because Southern Nevada relies heavily on sophisticated climate control systems, the demand for journeymen proficient in both shop fabrication and field installation remains steady. The union operates a comprehensive training facility that provides apprentices with the technical knowledge required to navigate evolving building codes and sustainable technologies. For contractors, partnering with Local 88 provides access to a scalable workforce capable of handling massive project scopes that characterize the Nevada construction landscape, where precision and speed are essential for project delivery.
Based on the data effective October 21, 2022, the journeyman hourly rate for SMART Local 88 is $50.00, with a reported total package of $50.00. Please note that typically a total package includes additional fringe benefits such as pension and health contributions that exceed the base hourly rate; readers should contact the Local 88 business office to verify the current taxable wage versus the full employer burden. Apprentices begin their careers at a percentage of the journeyman rate, usually starting between 40% and 50%. These rates increase incrementally as the apprentice completes required classroom hours and on-the-job training milestones over a five-year period. This structured progression ensures that labor costs remain predictable for signatory contractors while providing a clear path to middle-class earnings for developing tradespeople.
The chartered jurisdiction for SMART Local 88 covers the southern portion of Nevada, primarily centered in Clark County and extending into the surrounding rural territories. This territory encompasses the entire Las Vegas Valley, including Henderson and North Las Vegas, as well as outlying areas like Pahrump and Mesquite. The jurisdiction includes all work related to the shearing, forming, and installation of sheet metal, as well as the testing, adjusting, and balancing (TAB) of HVAC systems. Laborers dispatched within this region operate under a collective bargaining agreement that governs travel pay, subsistence for remote job sites, and shift differentials for work performed outside of standard daylight hours on major commercial or industrial developments.
The signatory contractor landscape for SMART Local 88 is comprised of diverse firms ranging from massive mechanical primes to specialized architectural metal shops. These contractors often manage integrated scopes that include both HVAC piping and ductwork, requiring close coordination with other MEP trades. The market is characterized by high-volume commercial work in the gaming and resort sector, as well as specialized industrial applications for public works and aerospace. Hiring typically follows the fluctuations of the construction cycle, with large-scale projects requiring sudden increases in manpower. Signatory firms benefit from a centralized dispatch system that provides verified, drug-tested, and OSHA-certified professionals who are ready to perform immediately upon arrival at the job site.
Members of SMART Local 88 specialize in the fabrication and installation of ductwork for heating, ventilation, and air conditioning systems. They also handle architectural metal, such as wall panels and roofing, and industrial work like blowpipe systems and heavy-gauge metal fabrication. In the Las Vegas market, their work is visible in almost every major resort, hospital, and stadium.
The apprenticeship program typically lasts five years. It combines paid on-the-job training with classroom instruction at the JATC facility. Apprentices learn everything from basic metallurgy and welding to advanced CAD/BIM detailing and computerized plasma cutting. This rigorous program ensures that graduates reach full journeyman status with a comprehensive skill set across all sectors of the trade.
Yes, members can pursue specialized certifications in areas such as TAB (Testing, Adjusting, and Balancing), Fire Life Safety (inspecting fire dampers), and advanced welding (AWS certifications). These certifications often make a member more marketable to signatory contractors and can lead to foreman or specialized technician roles on complex projects like data centers or healthcare facilities.
Transfers, or 'traveling,' is governed by the SMART Constitution. Members from other locals looking to work in the Southern Nevada jurisdiction must typically report to the Local 88 dispatch hall and present a valid dues receipt or travel card. Acceptance of transfers depends on current local manning levels and the specific needs of signatory contractors in the Las Vegas market.
SMART Local 88 is seated in Las Vegas, Nevada (NV). We hold published wage sheets for 6 locals across Nevada — compare nearby scales before you take a call.
We are a mechanical, plumbing and electrical construction recruiting firm serving Las Vegas and the rest of Nevada, including contractors signatory to SMART Local 88. 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 88 pay scale is $50.00 per hour for journeymen in Las Vegas, NV, or about $100,000 a year at 2,080 hours. The total package, including employer-paid fringe benefits, is $50.00 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 88 agreement make $50.00 an hour in base wages, or $50.00 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.
$50.00 per hour base wage and $50.00 per hour total package for a journeyman in Las Vegas, NV, effective 10/21/22. Annualized at 2,080 hours that is roughly $100,000 before overtime.
A Local 88 apprentice in Las Vegas, NV starts at roughly $22.50 an hour — about 45% of the $50.00 journeyman scale — and steps up each period, reaching around $37.50 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 88 has published; confirm the exact schedule with the JATC.
About $22.50 an hour, or roughly $45,000 a year at 2,080 hours, based on the standard 45% first-period step of the $50.00 journeyman rate effective 10/21/22. Apprentices also earn benefit contributions and paid classroom progression; the JATC sets the exact percentage.
Around $32.50 an hour at the standard 65% third-period step, moving to about $37.50 an hour in the fourth period and $50.00 an hour at full journeyman scale. Confirm the published step schedule with the Local 88 training center.
The current SMART Local 88 journeyman rate is $50.00/hour, with a total package of $50.00/hour including fringe benefits, effective 10/21/22. At 2,080 hours that works out to roughly $100,000 per year in base wages before overtime. Rates change with each CBA cycle — confirm with the Local 88 business office before relying on the figure.
The $50.00/hour figure is the base journeyman wage that lands on the paycheck. The $50.00/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 88 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 $50.00/hour journeyman rate, a first-period apprentice would be in the $22.50–$25.00/hour range. The exact percentage schedule is set by the local's JATC.
SMART Local 88 is headquartered in Las Vegas, NV 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 88 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 88 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 88 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 88 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 88 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 88 against neighboring jurisdictions and other sheet metal workers markets.
The SMART Local 88 hall is at 2560 Marco Street Las Vegas NV 89115, serving Las Vegas, NV and the surrounding jurisdiction. Hall phone: (702) 452-4799.
SMART Local 88 runs its own referral procedure and books are signed at the hall. Call the hall at (702) 452-4799 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 88 can be reached at (702) 452-4799. Contact details are imported from the union's public directory listing — confirm hours with the hall.