Journeyman pipefitters under UA Local 136 in Evansville, IN earn $48.82/hr in base wages, or $69.45/hr as a total package with fringe benefits, effective Apr 2026.
UA Local 136 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 136 pay scale for 2026 is $48.82 per hour for journeymen in Evansville, IN, or about $97,640 a year at 2,080 hours. The total package, including employer-paid fringe benefits, is $69.45 per hour. That is the rate in force for 2026, effective 4/18/26.
| Local 136 journeyman hourly wage | $48.82 / hour |
|---|---|
| Total package (wage + fringe benefits) | $69.45 / hour |
| Annualized at 2,080 hours (base wage) | $97,640 / year |
| First-period apprentice (≈45–50% of scale) | $21.97–$24.41 / hour |
| Wage sheet effective | 4/18/26 |
| Classification | Combo |
A Local 136 apprentice in Evansville, IN starts at roughly $21.97 an hour — about 45% of the $48.82 journeyman scale — and steps up each period, reaching around $36.62 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 136 has published; confirm the exact schedule with the JATC.
| 1st period (year 1) | 45% of scale | $21.97 / hour | $43,938 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2nd period (year 2) | 55% of scale | $26.85 / hour | $53,702 |
| 3rd period (year 3) | 65% of scale | $31.73 / hour | $63,466 |
| 4th period (year 4) | 75% of scale | $36.62 / hour | $73,230 |
| 5th period (year 5) | 85% of scale | $41.50 / hour | $82,994 |
| Journeyman (turned out) | 100% of scale | $48.82 / hour | $97,640 |
UA Local 136 runs its own referral procedure and books are signed at the hall — call 812-423-8043 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 136 represents skilled plumbers, pipefitters, and HVACR technicians across the Tri-State area, maintaining a central headquarters in Evansville, Indiana. The local facilitates labor for critical infrastructure projects, ranging from industrial chemical processing plants to commercial healthcare facilities. By establishing rigorous standards for craftsmanship and safety, Local 136 ensures that signatory contractors have access to a highly trained workforce capable of executing complex piping systems. This market is particularly vital due to the heavy presence of energy production and manufacturing facilities that require constant mechanical maintenance and capital upgrades. Since 2014, Gulfstream Strategic Placements has monitored this region as a cornerstone of the Midwestern industrial corridor.
The jurisdiction of Local 136 is unique for its influence across state lines, covering portions of Southern Indiana and Southeastern Illinois. This creates a versatile labor pool that supports both large-scale new construction and specialized service work. Apprentices and journeymen within this local are trained at a state-of-the-art facility to handle diverse materials including carbon steel, stainless steel, and medical gas copper. Because the Evansville market serves as a regional hub for logistics and energy, the demand for UA-certified labor remains consistent. For contractors, the local provides a predictable cost structure and a reliable pipeline of talent, while members benefit from collective bargaining that secures competitive wages and comprehensive fringe benefits.
Based on data effective April 18, 2026, the journeyman hourly rate for UA Local 136 is $48.82, with a total taxable and fringe package reaching $69.45. This compensation structure is designed to reflect the high level of technical expertise required for industrial piping and commercial plumbing. Apprentices enter the program at a percentage of the journeyman rate, typically starting around 45% to 50% and receiving scheduled increments as they complete required classroom hours and on-the-job training milestones over a five-year period. These step-ups are contingent upon successful performance reviews and the mastery of trade-specific competencies. The gap between the $48.82 base wage and the $69.45 total package represents the employer's contribution to essential benefits, ensuring that members have long-term financial security and healthcare coverage without deducting these costs from their take-home pay.
The jurisdiction for UA Local 136 encompasses a wide territory centered in Evansville, Indiana, extending into several surrounding counties in both Indiana and Illinois. The local is chartered to cover all aspects of the plumbing and pipefitting trades, including industrial process piping, high-pressure steam systems, and commercial plumbing. Members may be dispatched to diverse sites ranging from power generation plants along the Ohio River to municipal water treatment facilities. The collective bargaining agreement dictates travel pay and zone requirements for projects located at specific distances from the Evansville hall. This broad geographical reach allows Local 136 to man large-scale industrial shutdowns and commercial build-outs simultaneously, providing a flexible and mobile workforce for signatory mechanical primes operating throughout the region.
The signatory contractor landscape for UA Local 136 is composed of a mix of large industrial mechanical primes and regional commercial plumbing firms. These contractors specialize in the installation and maintenance of complex mechanical systems for the area's robust manufacturing sector. Many signatory shops focus on long-term maintenance contracts with energy providers and chemical processors, providing steady employment opportunities for members. Additionally, there is a strong presence of specialized HVACR service contractors who manage climate control systems for the region's institutional and healthcare buildings. Hiring typically fluctuates based on major industrial outages and large-scale public works projects, with the local hall serving as the primary clearinghouse for manpower requests to ensure all jobs are staffed with qualified mechanics.
UA Local 136 represents a diverse group of craftsmen including plumbers who handle potable water and waste systems, pipefitters specializing in high-pressure industrial systems, and HVACR technicians who maintain complex climate control and refrigeration units. The local also provides certified welders for structural and pressure vessel work across the Tri-State region.
The apprenticeship is a five-year commitment combining paid on-the-job training with technical classroom instruction. Apprentices work under the supervision of journeymen during the day and attend classes in the evenings or on specific block schedules. This ensures that by the time they reach journeyman status, they are fully proficient in code requirements and advanced installation techniques.
Yes, the training center provides ongoing certification opportunities for journeymen to stay current with evolving technology. This includes updated welding certifications, medical gas endorsements, backflow prevention testing, and specialized HVACR controls training. These certifications are often required by signatory contractors for specific industrial or healthcare job sites.
While Local 136 focuses on its core counties in Indiana and Illinois, the United Association's structure allows for travel to other locals when work is abundant elsewhere. Conversely, when large projects in Evansville require more manpower than the local can provide, 'travelers' from other UA locals may be dispatched to assist, ensuring project timelines are met.
UA Local 136 is seated in Evansville, Indiana (IN). We hold published wage sheets for 16 locals across Indiana — compare nearby scales before you take a call.
We are a mechanical, plumbing and electrical construction recruiting firm serving Evansville and the rest of Indiana, including contractors signatory to UA Local 136. 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 136 pay scale for 2026 is $48.82 per hour for journeymen in Evansville, IN, or about $97,640 a year at 2,080 hours. The total package, including employer-paid fringe benefits, is $69.45 per hour. That is the rate in force for 2026, effective 4/18/26.
Journeyman pipefitters under the UA Local 136 agreement make $48.82 an hour in base wages, or $69.45 an hour counting the fringe package, per the wage sheet effective 4/18/26. Overtime, shift premiums, and travel or subsistence pay are added on top under the local's CBA.
$48.82 per hour base wage and $69.45 per hour total package for a journeyman in Evansville, IN, effective 4/18/26. Annualized at 2,080 hours that is roughly $97,640 before overtime.
A Local 136 apprentice in Evansville, IN starts at roughly $21.97 an hour — about 45% of the $48.82 journeyman scale — and steps up each period, reaching around $36.62 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 136 has published; confirm the exact schedule with the JATC.
About $21.97 an hour, or roughly $43,938 a year at 2,080 hours, based on the standard 45% first-period step of the $48.82 journeyman rate effective 4/18/26. Apprentices also earn benefit contributions and paid classroom progression; the JATC sets the exact percentage.
Around $31.73 an hour at the standard 65% third-period step, moving to about $36.62 an hour in the fourth period and $48.82 an hour at full journeyman scale. Confirm the published step schedule with the Local 136 training center.
The current UA Local 136 journeyman rate is $48.82/hour, with a total package of $69.45/hour including fringe benefits, effective 4/18/26. At 2,080 hours that works out to roughly $97,640 per year in base wages before overtime. Rates change with each CBA cycle — confirm with the Local 136 business office before relying on the figure.
The $48.82/hour figure is the base journeyman wage that lands on the paycheck. The $69.45/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 136 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 $48.82/hour journeyman rate, a first-period apprentice would be in the $21.97–$24.41/hour range. The exact percentage schedule is set by the local's JATC.
UA Local 136 is headquartered in Evansville, IN 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 136 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 136 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 136 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 136 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 4/18/26 schedule; check with the Local 136 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 136 against neighboring jurisdictions and other plumbers & pipefitters markets.
The UA Local 136 hall is at 2300 St Joseph Ind Pk Dr Evansville, IN 47720, serving Evansville, IN and the surrounding jurisdiction. Hall phone: 812-423-8043.
UA Local 136 runs its own referral procedure and books are signed at the hall. Call the hall at 812-423-8043 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 136 can be reached at 812-423-8043. Contact details are imported from the union's public directory listing — confirm hours with the hall.