Journeyman pipefitters under UA Local 184 in Paducah, KY earn $39.01/hr in base wages, or $57.79/hr as a total package with fringe benefits, effective Jun 2024.
UA Local 184 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 184 pay scale is $39.01 per hour for journeymen in Paducah, KY, or about $78,020 a year at 2,080 hours. The total package, including employer-paid fringe benefits, is $57.79 per hour. That is the rate in force, effective 6/28/24.
| Local 184 journeyman hourly wage | $39.01 / hour |
|---|---|
| Total package (wage + fringe benefits) | $57.79 / hour |
| Annualized at 2,080 hours (base wage) | $78,020 / year |
| First-period apprentice (≈45–50% of scale) | $17.55–$19.51 / hour |
| Wage sheet effective | 6/28/24 |
| Classification | Combo |
A Local 184 apprentice in Paducah, KY starts at roughly $17.55 an hour — about 45% of the $39.01 journeyman scale — and steps up each period, reaching around $29.26 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 184 has published; confirm the exact schedule with the JATC.
| 1st period (year 1) | 45% of scale | $17.55 / hour | $35,109 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2nd period (year 2) | 55% of scale | $21.46 / hour | $42,911 |
| 3rd period (year 3) | 65% of scale | $25.36 / hour | $50,713 |
| 4th period (year 4) | 75% of scale | $29.26 / hour | $58,515 |
| 5th period (year 5) | 85% of scale | $33.16 / hour | $66,317 |
| Journeyman (turned out) | 100% of scale | $39.01 / hour | $78,020 |
UA Local 184 runs its own referral procedure and books are signed at the hall — call 270-442-3213 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 184 serves as the primary labor organization for plumbers, steamfitters, and pipefitters across Western Kentucky. Headquartered in Paducah, this local represents a workforce critical to the region's heavy industrial and commercial infrastructure. The market is defined by a high concentration of energy production facilities, chemical plants, and manufacturing hubs along the Ohio and Tennessee Rivers. Members are tasked with installing and maintaining complex piping systems that support both the local economy and national energy security. Gulfstream Strategic Placements has monitored the labor trends in this specific corridor since 2014, noting the consistent demand for highly skilled mechanical tradesmen in the Paducah market.
The strength of Local 184 lies in its ability to supply a qualified workforce for large-scale capital projects and long-term facility maintenance. Signatory contractors in this region rely on the union's Joint Apprenticeship and Training Committee (JATC) to produce technicians who meet strict safety and certification standards. Because Paducah serves as a regional hub, the local's influence extends deep into the rural counties surrounding the city, ensuring that commercial plumbing and industrial process piping work remains performed to code. For contractors, the local provides a scalable labor pool capable of handling everything from high-pressure steam systems to medical gas installations in regional healthcare facilities.
As of June 28, 2024, the Journeyman hourly rate for UA Local 184 is $39.01, with a total compensation package reaching $57.79 when fringes are included. This package ensures that members receive competitive take-home pay alongside robust retirement and healthcare protections. Apprentices enter the program at a percentage of the Journeyman rate, typically starting around 45% to 50% and receiving incremental raises every six to twelve months as they complete required classroom hours and on-the-job training milestones. By the fifth year, senior apprentices earn near-journeyman wages, reflecting their increased autonomy on the job site. These standardized rates provide a predictable cost model for signatory mechanical primes and ensure wage parity across the Western Kentucky jurisdiction.
UA Local 184 holds a charter covering a multi-county territory in Western Kentucky, anchored by the city of Paducah. The jurisdiction is characterized by its proximity to major waterways, which drives a significant amount of industrial work at river terminals and chemical processing plants. Members may be dispatched to job sites ranging from the Illinois border down to the Tennessee line, covering both urban commercial developments and remote industrial sites. The agreement covers all aspects of the piping trades, including hydronic heating and cooling, process piping, commercial plumbing, and high-pressure steam. Travel requirements vary based on the project location, but the centralized dispatch out of Paducah coordinates labor movement across the entire chartered area.
The signatory landscape for UA Local 184 is a mix of regional mechanical primes and specialized industrial contractors. These firms often participate in large-scale shutdowns, outages, and new construction at the region's energy and chemical facilities. While industrial work is a major driver, there is also a steady presence of commercial plumbing and HVAC contractors who handle municipal, educational, and healthcare projects throughout Paducah and the surrounding counties. Hiring typically follows project cycles, with significant labor spikes during plant maintenance windows. Gulfstream Strategic Placements tracks these fluctuations to help tradespeople understand when local demand is peaking for specialized welding or pipefitting skills.
The $39.01 hourly wage is the gross amount appearing on a journeyman's paycheck before taxes. The $57.79 total package includes an additional $18.78 per hour paid by the contractor into fringe benefits like health insurance, pensions, and training funds. These benefits are paid on top of the hourly wage, not deducted from it, providing significant long-term value.
Yes, through the JATC, Local 184 provides training and testing for various UA welding certifications. This is critical for the industrial work common in the Paducah market, such as orbital welding for high-purity systems or heavy-wall pipe welding for power plants. Members are encouraged to maintain current certifications to increase their employability for high-demand industrial projects.
Transfers, or 'traveling,' are governed by the United Association Constitution. A member in good standing from another local may work in Local 184's jurisdiction if there is a labor shortage and a travel letter is accepted. Permanent transfers usually require a period of residency and approval from the Local 184 executive board based on current market conditions.
The jurisdiction sees a heavy volume of industrial work due to the concentration of plants along the river. This includes chemical processing, energy production, and water treatment facilities. Additionally, the local handles significant commercial work for regional hospitals, school districts, and municipal buildings, requiring a diverse skillset ranging from heavy industrial pipefitting to precise commercial plumbing.
UA Local 184 is seated in Paducah, Kentucky (KY). We hold published wage sheets for 6 locals across Kentucky — compare nearby scales before you take a call.
We are a mechanical, plumbing and electrical construction recruiting firm serving Paducah and the rest of Kentucky, including contractors signatory to UA Local 184. 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 184 pay scale is $39.01 per hour for journeymen in Paducah, KY, or about $78,020 a year at 2,080 hours. The total package, including employer-paid fringe benefits, is $57.79 per hour. That is the rate in force, effective 6/28/24.
Journeyman pipefitters under the UA Local 184 agreement make $39.01 an hour in base wages, or $57.79 an hour counting the fringe package, per the wage sheet effective 6/28/24. Overtime, shift premiums, and travel or subsistence pay are added on top under the local's CBA.
$39.01 per hour base wage and $57.79 per hour total package for a journeyman in Paducah, KY, effective 6/28/24. Annualized at 2,080 hours that is roughly $78,020 before overtime.
A Local 184 apprentice in Paducah, KY starts at roughly $17.55 an hour — about 45% of the $39.01 journeyman scale — and steps up each period, reaching around $29.26 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 184 has published; confirm the exact schedule with the JATC.
About $17.55 an hour, or roughly $35,109 a year at 2,080 hours, based on the standard 45% first-period step of the $39.01 journeyman rate effective 6/28/24. Apprentices also earn benefit contributions and paid classroom progression; the JATC sets the exact percentage.
Around $25.36 an hour at the standard 65% third-period step, moving to about $29.26 an hour in the fourth period and $39.01 an hour at full journeyman scale. Confirm the published step schedule with the Local 184 training center.
The current UA Local 184 journeyman rate is $39.01/hour, with a total package of $57.79/hour including fringe benefits, effective 6/28/24. At 2,080 hours that works out to roughly $78,020 per year in base wages before overtime. Rates change with each CBA cycle — confirm with the Local 184 business office before relying on the figure.
The $39.01/hour figure is the base journeyman wage that lands on the paycheck. The $57.79/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 184 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 $39.01/hour journeyman rate, a first-period apprentice would be in the $17.55–$19.51/hour range. The exact percentage schedule is set by the local's JATC.
UA Local 184 is headquartered in Paducah, KY 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 184 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 184 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 184 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 184 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 6/28/24 schedule; check with the Local 184 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 184 against neighboring jurisdictions and other plumbers & pipefitters markets.
The UA Local 184 hall is at 1332 Broadway Paducah, KY 42001, serving Paducah, KY and the surrounding jurisdiction. Hall phone: 270-442-3213.
UA Local 184 runs its own referral procedure and books are signed at the hall. Call the hall at 270-442-3213 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 184 can be reached at 270-442-3213. Contact details are imported from the union's public directory listing — confirm hours with the hall.