Journeyman pipefitters under UA Local 286 in Austin, TX earn $37.15/hr in base wages, or $52.22/hr as a total package with fringe benefits, effective Aug 2025.
UA Local 286 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 286 pay scale for 2026 is $37.15 per hour for journeymen in Austin, TX, or about $74,300 a year at 2,080 hours. The total package, including employer-paid fringe benefits, is $52.22 per hour. That is the rate in force for 2026, effective 8/31/25.
| Local 286 journeyman hourly wage | $37.15 / hour |
|---|---|
| Total package (wage + fringe benefits) | $52.22 / hour |
| Annualized at 2,080 hours (base wage) | $74,300 / year |
| First-period apprentice (≈45–50% of scale) | $16.72–$18.58 / hour |
| Wage sheet effective | 8/31/25 |
| Classification | Combo |
A Local 286 apprentice in Austin, TX starts at roughly $16.72 an hour — about 45% of the $37.15 journeyman scale — and steps up each period, reaching around $27.86 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 286 has published; confirm the exact schedule with the JATC.
| 1st period (year 1) | 45% of scale | $16.72 / hour | $33,435 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2nd period (year 2) | 55% of scale | $20.43 / hour | $40,865 |
| 3rd period (year 3) | 65% of scale | $24.15 / hour | $48,295 |
| 4th period (year 4) | 75% of scale | $27.86 / hour | $55,725 |
| 5th period (year 5) | 85% of scale | $31.58 / hour | $63,155 |
| Journeyman (turned out) | 100% of scale | $37.15 / hour | $74,300 |
UA Local 286 runs its own referral procedure and books are signed at the hall — call 512-385-0002 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 286 represents plumbers, pipefitters, and HVAC service technicians throughout the Austin, Texas metropolitan area and surrounding Central Texas counties. As one of the fastest-growing construction markets in the United States, this jurisdiction is defined by a massive influx of high-tech manufacturing, semiconductor fabrication, and large-scale commercial development. Local 286 members provide the specialized labor required for complex hydronic systems, medical gas piping, and industrial process systems that power the region's primary economic drivers. Since 2014, Gulfstream Strategic Placements has monitored the demand for skilled labor in this corridor, noting that the local's training standards remain the benchmark for safety and technical proficiency in the Central Texas piping industry.
The market for signatory work in Austin is distinct due to the concentration of mission-critical facilities that demand high-purity piping and sophisticated mechanical systems. Local 286 operates a robust Joint Apprenticeship and Training Committee (JATC) program to ensure a steady pipeline of journey-level talent capable of meeting these stringent technical requirements. For contractors, the local provides a scalable workforce that can handle the rapid mobilization schedules typical of Texas tech builds. For tradespeople, it offers a structured career path with collectively bargained protections and benefits that are often superior to the regional open-shop average, particularly regarding long-term retirement security and comprehensive family healthcare coverage within the competitive Texas labor landscape.
Based on the schedule effective August 31, 2025, the Journeyman Pipefitter and Plumber hourly rate for UA Local 286 is set at $37.15. When including the fringe benefit contributions, the total taxable and non-taxable package reaches $52.22 per hour. Apprentices in the five-year program see their wages calculated as a progressive percentage of this journeyman scale. Typically, a first-year apprentice starts at approximately 45% to 50% of the base rate, with annual or semi-annual increases as they complete required classroom hours and on-the-job training milestones. By the fifth year, senior apprentices earn 80% to 85% of the full rate. These incremental raises provide a predictable income trajectory, ensuring that as the worker's technical proficiency and value to the signatory contractor increase, their compensation reflects that growth within the Central Texas market.
UA Local 286 holds jurisdiction over a significant portion of Central Texas, centered in Austin and extending into the surrounding Hill Country and interstate corridors. The territory covers major hubs of activity including Travis, Williamson, and Hays counties, where the bulk of the commercial and industrial permit activity occurs. The jurisdiction also encompasses rural areas where large-scale infrastructure and energy projects are situated. Members dispatched through the hall are expected to provide their own transportation to jobsites throughout this footprint. The work covered under this agreement includes all aspects of plumbing, pipefitting, steamfitting, and refrigeration, ranging from high-rise residential plumbing to complex industrial process piping and mechanical system maintenance.
The contractor landscape for Local 286 is characterized by a mix of national mechanical primes and local specialty firms. Signatory mechanical contractors in Austin often focus on high-volume commercial projects, such as corporate campuses and hospital expansions, while industrial-focused signatories handle the intricate piping needs of the region's semiconductor and biotechnology sectors. There is also a strong presence of HVAC service contractors who utilize the local's technicians for long-term facility maintenance and emergency repairs. Hiring fluctuates based on project starts, with large-scale industrial projects often driving significant calls for travelers and local hands alike. Contractors benefit from the local's ability to supply certified welders and licensed plumbers who meet Texas state regulatory requirements.
Due to Austin's status as a technology hub, industrial work often involves semiconductor 'fab' construction, which requires high-purity stainless steel piping and cleanroom environments. Members also work on water treatment plants and energy infrastructure projects. These jobs require high-level welding certifications and a deep understanding of complex process systems, often providing steady, long-term employment for pipefitters and welders.
Yes, all plumbers working within the jurisdiction must adhere to the Texas State Board of Plumbing Examiners (TSBPE) regulations. The Local 286 apprenticeship program is specifically designed to prepare workers for their Journeyman Plumber exam. This ensures that all members are not only union-trained but also legally licensed to perform plumbing installations and repairs throughout the state of Texas.
Austin frequently experiences surges in construction demand that exceed the local headcount, leading to opportunities for UA travelers. Travel work is usually concentrated on large-scale industrial and high-tech projects. Those interested in traveling to Local 286 should contact their home local's business manager and the Local 286 dispatch office to confirm current work outlook and required certifications.
The total package of $52.22 includes the $37.15 hourly check rate plus $15.07 in fringe benefits. While the check rate covers immediate living expenses, the fringes provide long-term value through healthcare and retirement security. This 'hidden' compensation is a critical component of the UA value proposition, often making the union package more lucrative over a full career than open-shop roles with higher base rates but no benefits.
UA Local 286 is seated in Austin, Texas (TX). We hold published wage sheets for 20 locals across Texas — compare nearby scales before you take a call.
We are a mechanical, plumbing and electrical construction recruiting firm serving Austin and the rest of Texas, including contractors signatory to UA Local 286. 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 286 pay scale for 2026 is $37.15 per hour for journeymen in Austin, TX, or about $74,300 a year at 2,080 hours. The total package, including employer-paid fringe benefits, is $52.22 per hour. That is the rate in force for 2026, effective 8/31/25.
Journeyman pipefitters under the UA Local 286 agreement make $37.15 an hour in base wages, or $52.22 an hour counting the fringe package, per the wage sheet effective 8/31/25. Overtime, shift premiums, and travel or subsistence pay are added on top under the local's CBA.
$37.15 per hour base wage and $52.22 per hour total package for a journeyman in Austin, TX, effective 8/31/25. Annualized at 2,080 hours that is roughly $74,300 before overtime.
A Local 286 apprentice in Austin, TX starts at roughly $16.72 an hour — about 45% of the $37.15 journeyman scale — and steps up each period, reaching around $27.86 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 286 has published; confirm the exact schedule with the JATC.
About $16.72 an hour, or roughly $33,435 a year at 2,080 hours, based on the standard 45% first-period step of the $37.15 journeyman rate effective 8/31/25. Apprentices also earn benefit contributions and paid classroom progression; the JATC sets the exact percentage.
Around $24.15 an hour at the standard 65% third-period step, moving to about $27.86 an hour in the fourth period and $37.15 an hour at full journeyman scale. Confirm the published step schedule with the Local 286 training center.
The current UA Local 286 journeyman rate is $37.15/hour, with a total package of $52.22/hour including fringe benefits, effective 8/31/25. At 2,080 hours that works out to roughly $74,300 per year in base wages before overtime. Rates change with each CBA cycle — confirm with the Local 286 business office before relying on the figure.
The $37.15/hour figure is the base journeyman wage that lands on the paycheck. The $52.22/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 286 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 $37.15/hour journeyman rate, a first-period apprentice would be in the $16.72–$18.58/hour range. The exact percentage schedule is set by the local's JATC.
UA Local 286 is headquartered in Austin, TX 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 286 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 286 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 286 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 286 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 8/31/25 schedule; check with the Local 286 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 286 against neighboring jurisdictions and other plumbers & pipefitters markets.
The UA Local 286 hall is at 814 Airport Blvd Austin, TX 78702, serving Austin, TX and the surrounding jurisdiction. Hall phone: 512-385-0002.
UA Local 286 runs its own referral procedure and books are signed at the hall. Call the hall at 512-385-0002 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 286 can be reached at 512-385-0002. Contact details are imported from the union's public directory listing — confirm hours with the hall.