Journeyman pipefitters under UA Local 119 in Mobile, AL earn $26.75/hr in base wages, or $38.31/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.
UA Local 119 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 119 pay scale is $26.75 per hour for journeymen in Mobile, AL, or about $53,500 a year at 2,080 hours. The total package, including employer-paid fringe benefits, is $38.31 per hour. That is the last wage sheet we can source for this local — confirm the current rate with the hall.
| Local 119 journeyman hourly wage | $26.75 / hour |
|---|---|
| Total package (wage + fringe benefits) | $38.31 / hour |
| Annualized at 2,080 hours (base wage) | $53,500 / year |
| First-period apprentice (≈45–50% of scale) | $12.04–$13.38 / hour |
| Wage sheet effective | 10/21/22 |
| Classification | Combo |
A Local 119 apprentice in Mobile, AL starts at roughly $12.04 an hour — about 45% of the $26.75 journeyman scale — and steps up each period, reaching around $20.06 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 119 has published; confirm the exact schedule with the JATC.
| 1st period (year 1) | 45% of scale | $12.04 / hour | $24,075 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2nd period (year 2) | 55% of scale | $14.71 / hour | $29,425 |
| 3rd period (year 3) | 65% of scale | $17.39 / hour | $34,775 |
| 4th period (year 4) | 75% of scale | $20.06 / hour | $40,125 |
| 5th period (year 5) | 85% of scale | $22.74 / hour | $45,475 |
| Journeyman (turned out) | 100% of scale | $26.75 / hour | $53,500 |
UA Local 119 runs its own referral procedure and books are signed at the hall — call 251-476-0625 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.
United Association Local 119 represents the skilled plumbers, pipefitters, and service technicians serving Mobile, Alabama, and the surrounding Gulf Coast region. As a central labor body for the piping trades, Local 119 provides the specialized workforce necessary for the area's significant industrial and commercial infrastructure. The local maintains a strong presence in the maritime, petrochemical, and manufacturing sectors, which define the economic output of the Mobile Bay area. By supplying highly trained craftsmen, the union ensures that critical systems in hospitals, schools, and heavy industrial facilities meet rigorous safety and performance standards while supporting the regional economy.
The market for UA Local 119 is distinct due to its proximity to major shipping channels and the Port of Mobile, which drives consistent demand for industrial piping and mechanical maintenance. Unlike inland markets, the signatory contractors here often engage in complex process piping for chemical plants and ship-related facilities. This environment requires a workforce that is not only proficient in standard plumbing and HVAC but also certified in high-pressure welding and industrial system layout. Gulfstream Strategic Placements has monitored this labor market since 2014, observing how Local 119 serves as the primary conduit for skilled mechanical labor in the southernmost corridor of Alabama.
Based on the figures effective October 21, 2022, the Journeyman hourly rate for UA Local 119 is $26.75, contributing to a total package of $38.31 when fringes are included. This $11.56 difference covers essential benefits such as healthcare and retirement funds. Apprentices in the five-year program start at a percentage of the journeyman rate, typically ranging from 50% for first-year students to 85% or 90% for those in their final year. These incremental raises are contingent upon the successful completion of both on-the-job training hours and classroom instruction at the JATC. The structured progression ensures that labor costs remain predictable for signatory mechanical primes while providing a clear path to middle-class earnings for residents entering the piping trades.
The chartered jurisdiction of UA Local 119 covers the southwestern corner of Alabama, centered on Mobile and extending through the coastal and rural counties nearby. This territory encompasses all phases of the piping industry, including commercial plumbing, industrial process piping, and mechanical service work. Members dispatched from the Mobile hall may work on large-scale industrial expansions near the port or institutional projects in the city's healthcare district. The local manages the referral system, ensuring that signatory contractors receive qualified personnel based on the specific requirements of the project, whether it involves medical gas certification or specialized industrial welding protocols within the Alabama Gulf Coast region.
The contractor landscape for Local 119 is a mix of large-scale industrial mechanical contractors and regional commercial plumbing firms. These signatory employers range from nationwide primes performing multi-year plant maintenance contracts to specialized local shops focused on municipal and institutional builds. Hiring activity is often tied to the maintenance cycles of the area's chemical and paper mills, as well as new construction within the Mobile shipyards and aerospace corridors. Because the local provides a scalable workforce, these contractors can bid on major infrastructure projects with the assurance that they can access a pool of pre-screened, certified pipefitters and plumbers as project demands fluctuate.
The $26.75 hourly wage is the gross amount paid on the member's paycheck before taxes. The $38.31 total package includes an additional $11.56 per hour paid by the contractor into fringe benefit funds like pension, healthcare, and training. These benefits are not deducted from the hourly wage but are paid on top of it, providing significant value beyond the base pay.
Yes, as a United Association local, 119 typically participates in reciprocal agreements that allow pension and health contributions to be sent back to a traveler's home local through the SASMI or similar clearinghouse systems. Travelers should verify their specific benefit transfer status with the Mobile business office and their home local's fund administrator before starting a dispatch.
Given the heavy industrial and maritime nature of the Mobile market, ASME pressure vessel welding certifications and high-pressure pipe welding (6G) are highly valued. Additionally, UA certifications in orbital welding and medical gas installation are critical for healthcare projects, while OSHA-30 and specialized safety training are standard requirements for work in the local chemical plants and refineries.
The Local 119 apprenticeship is an 'earn-while-you-learn' model. Unlike a trade school where students pay tuition, apprentices are employed by signatory contractors and receive a paycheck for their work. They attend classes at the JATC training center while simultaneously gaining thousands of hours of field experience, leading to journeyman status and nationally recognized UA certifications without the burden of student debt.
UA Local 119 is seated in Mobile, Alabama (AL). We hold published wage sheets for 5 locals across Alabama — compare nearby scales before you take a call.
We are a mechanical, plumbing and electrical construction recruiting firm serving Mobile and the rest of Alabama, including contractors signatory to UA Local 119. 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 119 pay scale is $26.75 per hour for journeymen in Mobile, AL, or about $53,500 a year at 2,080 hours. The total package, including employer-paid fringe benefits, is $38.31 per hour. That is the last wage sheet we can source for this local — confirm the current rate with the hall.
Journeyman pipefitters under the UA Local 119 agreement make $26.75 an hour in base wages, or $38.31 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.
$26.75 per hour base wage and $38.31 per hour total package for a journeyman in Mobile, AL, effective 10/21/22. Annualized at 2,080 hours that is roughly $53,500 before overtime.
A Local 119 apprentice in Mobile, AL starts at roughly $12.04 an hour — about 45% of the $26.75 journeyman scale — and steps up each period, reaching around $20.06 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 119 has published; confirm the exact schedule with the JATC.
About $12.04 an hour, or roughly $24,075 a year at 2,080 hours, based on the standard 45% first-period step of the $26.75 journeyman rate effective 10/21/22. Apprentices also earn benefit contributions and paid classroom progression; the JATC sets the exact percentage.
Around $17.39 an hour at the standard 65% third-period step, moving to about $20.06 an hour in the fourth period and $26.75 an hour at full journeyman scale. Confirm the published step schedule with the Local 119 training center.
The current UA Local 119 journeyman rate is $26.75/hour, with a total package of $38.31/hour including fringe benefits, effective 10/21/22. At 2,080 hours that works out to roughly $53,500 per year in base wages before overtime. Rates change with each CBA cycle — confirm with the Local 119 business office before relying on the figure.
The $26.75/hour figure is the base journeyman wage that lands on the paycheck. The $38.31/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 plumbers & pipefitters labor costs across locals.
Apprentices under the UA Local 119 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 $26.75/hour journeyman rate, a first-period apprentice would be in the $12.04–$13.38/hour range. The exact percentage schedule is set by the local's JATC.
UA Local 119 is headquartered in Mobile, AL and dispatches plumbers & pipefitters 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 plumbers & pipefitters work. Some Local 119 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 UA Local 119 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 119 training center directly.
Plumbers & Pipefitters 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 UA Local 119 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 plumbers & pipefitters 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 119 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 119 against neighboring jurisdictions and other plumbers & pipefitters markets.
The UA Local 119 hall is at 2458 Old Shell Rd Mobile, AL 36607, serving Mobile, AL and the surrounding jurisdiction. Hall phone: 251-476-0625.
UA Local 119 runs its own referral procedure and books are signed at the hall. Call the hall at 251-476-0625 to confirm dispatch hours, required documents (union card, certifications, ID) and current list standing before traveling in — Gulfstream does not control hall dispatch.
UA Local 119 can be reached at 251-476-0625. Contact details are imported from the union's public directory listing — confirm hours with the hall.