Journeyman pipefitters under UA Local 159 in Martinez, CA earn $68.57/hr in base wages, or $117.61/hr as a total package with fringe benefits, effective Jul 2025.
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The Local 159 pay scale for 2026 is $68.57 per hour for journeymen in Martinez, CA, or about $137,140 a year at 2,080 hours. The total package, including employer-paid fringe benefits, is $117.61 per hour. That is the rate in force for 2026, effective 2025-07-01.
| Local 159 journeyman hourly wage | $68.57 / hour |
|---|---|
| Total package (wage + fringe benefits) | $117.61 / hour |
| Annualized at 2,080 hours (base wage) | $137,140 / year |
| First-period apprentice (≈45–50% of scale) | $30.86–$34.29 / hour |
| Wage sheet effective | 2025-07-01 |
| Classification | Plumber and Steamfitter (All Other Work) |
Apply now — Gulfstream places plumbers & pipefitters candidates with mechanical contractors. These are direct-hire contractor roles, not union dispatch.
A Local 159 apprentice in Martinez, CA starts at roughly $30.86 an hour — about 45% of the $68.57 journeyman scale — and steps up each period, reaching around $51.43 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 159 has published; confirm the exact schedule with the JATC.
| 1st period (year 1) | 45% of scale | $30.86 / hour | $61,713 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2nd period (year 2) | 55% of scale | $37.71 / hour | $75,427 |
| 3rd period (year 3) | 65% of scale | $44.57 / hour | $89,141 |
| 4th period (year 4) | 75% of scale | $51.43 / hour | $102,855 |
| 5th period (year 5) | 85% of scale | $58.28 / hour | $116,569 |
| Journeyman (turned out) | 100% of scale | $68.57 / hour | $137,140 |
Active Gulfstream trade listings in the local's state, with Martinez listings first when available. Jobs elsewhere in the state are not necessarily near this hall. Union status is not verified for these jobs; confirm with your recruiter.
UA Local 159 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.
UA Local 159 does not post an online application we could verify; contact the hall by phone for dispatch or apprenticeship. To be considered for direct-hire roles with mechanical, electrical and sheet metal contractors in this area, apply to Gulfstream. This is not an application to the union.
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Local 159 wages for 2025: $68.57 an hour on the journeyman scale, $117.61 an hour with fringe benefits added, effective 2025-07-01. That is the most recent Martinez, CA sheet we can source; rates move with each contract cycle, so confirm with the hall before quoting.
Roughly 42% of the UA Local 159 package is employer-paid benefits and fringes rather than wages, which is why the package figure and a take-home hourly rate are not the same number.
Verified from official source: U.S. DOL Davis-Bacon Wage Determination CA20260018
Download the UA Local 159 pay scale (PDF) — one-page printable rate sheet, effective July 1, 2025.
| Benefit & fringe contributions | $49.04/hr | Derived: total package minus base wage. This is the employer's combined hourly contribution to the funds, not take-home pay. |
|---|---|---|
| What the contributions fund | Health & welfare, pension, annuity, training and industry funds | Standard fund categories in mechanical and electrical agreements. The exact split between funds is set in the local's agreement — the hall or fund office publishes the schedule. |
| Paid on | Every hour worked | Fringe contributions are made per hour worked, so they scale with dispatched hours and are paid to the funds rather than to the member. |
The rates above are the UA Local 159 scale used across the Martinez, CA area. Members dispatched out of this hall work commercial mechanical and process piping, chiller and boiler work, HVAC piping and hydronics and service, retrofit and shutdown work for signatory contractors throughout the Martinez metro, so a pipefitters wage quoted locally is normally this scale plus the fringe package shown in the table.
Gulfstream recruits pipefitters talent for commercial mechanical, plumbing, piping, sheet metal and building automation contractors in and around Martinez. We are a private recruiting firm — we do not dispatch, set, or negotiate Local 159 rates. For current Martinez scale, dispatch standing, or apprenticeship intake, contact the hall directly.
UA Local 159 runs its own referral procedure and books are signed at the hall — call 925-229-0400 to confirm dispatch procedure, 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 159 represents the skilled plumbers, steamfitters, and HVACR technicians across Contra Costa County. Based in Martinez, California, this local is a critical component of the San Francisco Bay Area's industrial and commercial infrastructure. The membership handles high-pressure piping systems, medical gas installations, and complex plumbing for the region's dense mix of refineries, healthcare facilities, and public works. As a member of the District Council 36, Local 159 maintains rigorous training standards that align with the high technical demands of the Northern California construction market, ensuring a steady supply of qualified labor for large-scale mechanical projects.
The Martinez market is characterized by a high concentration of heavy industrial work due to the presence of major energy facilities along the Carquinez Strait. This industrial backbone is complemented by a robust commercial sector involving commercial high-rises, research laboratories, and educational institutions. Working under a UA Local 159 agreement provides tradespeople with standardized protections and a structured career path in one of the nation's most competitive labor environments. For signatory contractors, the local offers a dispatch system that provides access to a pre-vetted workforce capable of meeting strict safety and code compliance requirements essential for hazardous industrial environments and dense urban developments.
As of October 21, 2022, the journeyman hourly rate for UA Local 159 is set at $61.02. When accounting for the full fringe benefit package—which includes health coverage, pension contributions, and training funds—the total taxable and non-taxable compensation reaches $101.66 per hour. Apprentices enter the program at a percentage of the journeyman rate, typically starting around 40-45% for first-year participants. These rates increase in annual or semi-annual steps as the apprentice completes required classroom hours and on-the-job training milestones. By the fifth year, a senior apprentice will earn significantly closer to the full journeyman scale. This structured progression ensures that labor costs remain predictable for contractors while providing a clear financial roadmap for new entrants to the pipe trades.
UA Local 159 holds exclusive jurisdiction over all plumbing, pipefitting, and HVACR work within Contra Costa County. This territory covers a diverse geographic landscape ranging from the industrial corridors of Martinez and Richmond to the commercial hubs of Walnut Creek and Concord. The jurisdiction encompasses all phases of piping work, including residential, commercial, and heavy industrial applications. Members dispatched through the Martinez hall may work on everything from municipal water treatment plants to refinery turnarounds. Because the local is part of the broader Northern California UA network, there are often reciprocal agreements and travel opportunities for members to work in neighboring jurisdictions when local demand fluctuates, though primary dispatch remains centered on Contra Costa projects.
The contractor landscape for Local 159 is a mix of specialized industrial mechanical firms and large-scale commercial plumbing contractors. Signatory mechanical primes often manage long-term maintenance contracts at the local refineries and energy plants, providing steady work for steamfitters and welders. In the commercial sector, plumbing and HVAC contractors focus on the rapid development of healthcare campuses and multi-family residential projects throughout the East Bay. Since 2014, Gulfstream Strategic Placements has tracked the movement of talent within this market, noting that hiring often spikes during industrial outages and major civic infrastructure upgrades. These contractors rely on the union hall to scale their workforce rapidly in response to project-specific manning requirements.
Plumbers primarily handle potable water, sanitary waste, and venting systems within commercial and residential buildings. Steamfitters, or pipefitters, focus on high-pressure systems, industrial process piping, and HVAC heating and cooling loops. While the training overlaps, Local 159 provides specialized certifications for both paths to ensure members are qualified for the specific technical requirements of Contra Costa's industrial and commercial sectors.
Travelers and members looking to transfer into Local 159 must follow the procedures outlined in the UA Constitution. This typically involves obtaining a travel card from their home local and reporting to the Martinez business agent. Permanent transfers are subject to the local's current manning levels, work outlook, and the approval of the executive board, ensuring that local members are prioritized for available opportunities.
Due to the heavy industrial presence in Martinez and Richmond, UA Local 159 members often pursue advanced welding certifications (ASME), Med-Gas installation credentials, and Orbital Welding for high-purity environments. Safety certifications, including OSHA 30 and RSO (Refinery Safety Overview), are frequently required by signatory contractors for site access to energy facilities and chemical plants within the jurisdiction.
Wage adjustments are determined by the Collective Bargaining Agreement negotiated between the Local and the signatory contractor associations. These increases usually occur annually or semi-annually and may be split between the base check and fringe benefit funds. Members vote on the allocation of these increases, ensuring that the total package remains competitive with the high cost of living in the San Francisco Bay Area.
UA Local 159 is seated in Martinez, California (CA). We hold published wage sheets for 50 locals across California — compare nearby scales before you take a call.
Gulfstream Strategic Placements recruits mechanical construction and service staff for contractors across California, including shops signatory to UA Local 159. Pick the market closest to your work: Sacramento mechanical recruiter · Orange County mechanical recruiter · Los Angeles mechanical recruiter · San Diego mechanical recruiter · Inland Empire mechanical recruiter · Bay Area mechanical recruiter.
We are a commercial mechanical construction recruiting firm serving Martinez and the rest of California, including contractors signatory to UA Local 159. 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 159 pay scale for 2026 is $68.57 per hour for journeymen in Martinez, CA, or about $137,140 a year at 2,080 hours. The total package, including employer-paid fringe benefits, is $117.61 per hour. That is the rate in force for 2026, effective 2025-07-01.
UA Local 159 wages for 2026: journeyman Plumbers & Pipefitters rate of $68.57 per hour in Martinez, CA, with a total package of $117.61 per hour including fringe benefits, effective 2025-07-01. Apprentices are paid a graduated percentage of that rate. Confirm any increase since 2025-07-01 with the UA Local 159 business office.
The UA Local 159 wage sheet on this page lists the journeyman scale of $68.57 per hour ($117.61 per hour total package), effective 2025-07-01, plus the apprentice percentage steps. The official sheet is published by the UA Local 159 business office; figures here come from that published schedule, so confirm any increase dated after 2025-07-01 with the hall.
Local 159 apprentices earn a graduated percentage of the $68.57 per hour journeyman rate — typically starting near 40–50% ($30.86–$34.29 per hour) in the first period and stepping up each period to 100% at turnout. The exact percentage schedule is set by the UA Local 159 JATC, so confirm the current apprentice sheet with the training center.
Journeyman pipefitters under the UA Local 159 agreement make $68.57 an hour in base wages, or $117.61 an hour counting the fringe package, per the wage sheet effective 2025-07-01. Overtime, shift premiums, and travel or subsistence pay are added on top under the local's CBA.
$68.57 per hour base wage and $117.61 per hour total package for a journeyman in Martinez, CA, effective 2025-07-01. Annualized at 2,080 hours that is roughly $137,140 before overtime.
A Local 159 apprentice in Martinez, CA starts at roughly $30.86 an hour — about 45% of the $68.57 journeyman scale — and steps up each period, reaching around $51.43 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 159 has published; confirm the exact schedule with the JATC.
About $30.86 an hour, or roughly $61,713 a year at 2,080 hours, based on the standard 45% first-period step of the $68.57 journeyman rate effective 2025-07-01. Apprentices also earn benefit contributions and paid classroom progression; the JATC sets the exact percentage.
Around $44.57 an hour at the standard 65% third-period step, moving to about $51.43 an hour in the fourth period and $68.57 an hour at full journeyman scale. Confirm the published step schedule with the Local 159 training center.
Local 159 wages for 2025: $68.57 an hour on the journeyman scale, $117.61 an hour with fringe benefits added, effective 2025-07-01. That is the most recent Martinez, CA sheet we can source; rates move with each contract cycle, so confirm with the hall before quoting.
The current published UA Local 159 journeyman rate is $68.57 an hour ($117.61 total package), effective 2025-07-01 — roughly $137,140 a year at 2,080 hours before overtime. It is the rate in force for 2025 unless the local has since ratified a new agreement.
Yes — a one-page printable UA Local 159 rate sheet is available at /rate-sheets/ua-local-159-pay-scale.pdf, showing the $68.57 hourly scale, the $117.61 total package and the 2025-07-01 effective date, with the source it was read from. It is a free download — no sign-up needed.
The current UA Local 159 journeyman rate is $68.57/hour, with a total package of $117.61/hour including fringe benefits, effective 2025-07-01. At 2,080 hours that works out to roughly $137,140 per year in base wages before overtime. Rates change with each CBA cycle — confirm with the Local 159 business office before relying on the figure.
The $68.57/hour figure is the base journeyman wage that lands on the paycheck. The $117.61/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 159 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 $68.57/hour journeyman rate, a first-period apprentice would be in the $30.86–$34.29/hour range. The exact percentage schedule is set by the local's JATC.
UA Local 159 is headquartered in Martinez, CA 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 159 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 159 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 159 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 159 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 2025-07-01 schedule; check with the Local 159 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 159 against neighboring jurisdictions and other plumbers & pipefitters markets.
Yes — the openings section on this page lists current plumbers & pipefitters roles near Martinez, CA, and you can apply directly through the apply form on this page. These are direct-hire positions with mechanical contractors that Gulfstream recruits for, not union dispatch or hall referrals. For the hall's out-of-work list, contact the Local 159 business office.
The UA Local 159 hall is at 1308 Roman Way Martinez, CA 94553, serving Martinez, CA and the surrounding jurisdiction. Hall phone: 925-229-0400.
UA Local 159 runs its own referral procedure and books are signed at the hall. Call the hall at 925-229-0400 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 159 can be reached at 925-229-0400. Contact details are imported from the union's public directory listing — confirm hours with the hall.
Apply through the local's joint apprenticeship training committee (JATC). Most programs open applications on a set schedule and require an aptitude test and interview. For UA Local 159's current application window and requirements, contact the hall at 925-229-0400.
Each Plumbers & Pipefitters local sets its own intake process, and it varies. The common paths: apprenticeship through the JATC; organizing in as an experienced worker, since journeymen and technicians already working in the trade can usually apply directly to the hall for membership; or transferring from another local of the same international with a transfer card from your current hall. For fees and requirements, contact the hall at 925-229-0400.
UA Local 159's published sources state: Dispatch and layoff order set by the Master Agreement. Source: UA Local 159's published materials; figures can change, so confirm with the hall.
UA Local 159's published sources list: Medical plan options; Dental and vision coverage; Defined contribution account. Source: UA Local 159's published materials; figures can change, so confirm with the hall.
UA Local 159's sourced plumber and steamfitter (all other work) union rate is $68.57/hr in base wages and $117.61/hr for the total package, effective July 1, 2025. The rate applies to the listed classification and source area; apprentice, foreman and specialty classifications may differ.
$68.57/hr in base wages for plumber and steamfitter (all other work), or $117.61/hr counting employer-paid benefits and fringes, effective July 1, 2025 per the U.S. DOL Davis-Bacon Wage Determination CA20260018 wage determination.
July 1, 2025. Read directly from the primary source (U.S. DOL Davis-Bacon Wage Determination CA20260018) and cross-checked at build time. Highest confidence for offer benchmarking.
No — the $68.57/hr base is wages only. Employers contribute roughly $49.04/hr more per hour worked to health and welfare, pension, annuity and training funds, which is the difference between the base and the $117.61/hr package.
No. Gulfstream Strategic Placements is a private mechanical construction recruiting firm. We are not affiliated with the local, we do not run dispatch, and we do not set or negotiate union rates. We publish the local's own sourced figures as a reference for members and contractors.
High confidence — last cross-checked against the source on Oct 5, 2026 (14 days ago). Always confirm the current step with the hall before relying on it for an offer.