Journeyman pipefitters under UA Local 290 in Portland, OR earn $60.77/hr in base wages, or $92.22/hr as a total package with fringe benefits, effective May 2025.
UA Local 290 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 290 pay scale for 2026 is $60.77 per hour for journeymen in Portland, OR, or about $121,540 a year at 2,080 hours. The total package, including employer-paid fringe benefits, is $92.22 per hour. That is the rate in force for 2026, effective 5/10/25.
| Local 290 journeyman hourly wage | $60.77 / hour |
|---|---|
| Total package (wage + fringe benefits) | $92.22 / hour |
| Annualized at 2,080 hours (base wage) | $121,540 / year |
| First-period apprentice (≈45–50% of scale) | $27.35–$30.39 / hour |
| Wage sheet effective | 5/10/25 |
| Classification | Combo |
A Local 290 apprentice in Portland, OR starts at roughly $27.35 an hour — about 45% of the $60.77 journeyman scale — and steps up each period, reaching around $45.58 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 290 has published; confirm the exact schedule with the JATC.
| 1st period (year 1) | 45% of scale | $27.35 / hour | $54,693 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2nd period (year 2) | 55% of scale | $33.42 / hour | $66,847 |
| 3rd period (year 3) | 65% of scale | $39.50 / hour | $79,001 |
| 4th period (year 4) | 75% of scale | $45.58 / hour | $91,155 |
| 5th period (year 5) | 85% of scale | $51.65 / hour | $103,309 |
| Journeyman (turned out) | 100% of scale | $60.77 / hour | $121,540 |
UA Local 290 runs its own referral procedure and books are signed at the hall — call 503-691-5700 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 290 represents over 4,000 highly skilled plumbers, pipefitters, and steamfitters serving the Greater Portland area, Southwest Washington, and large portions of Oregon. Since 2014, our analysts have tracked this local as a critical hub for high-tech manufacturing and industrial infrastructure in the Pacific Northwest. The organization maintains a robust training infrastructure to support the complex mechanical needs of the region, ranging from residential service to advanced industrial process piping. As the primary labor source for signatory contractors in this corridor, Local 290 ensures that technical standards are met through rigorous journeyman continuing education and a comprehensive apprenticeship program.
The Portland market and its surrounding territories are defined by a diverse industrial base, including the notable high-tech 'Silicon Forest' corridor, healthcare expansions, and maritime operations. Local 290 members provide the specialized labor necessary for cleanroom environments, heavy industrial facilities, and large-scale commercial HVAC systems. This labor market is highly competitive, requiring a consistent influx of skilled tradespeople to manage the volume of public and private sector projects. For contractors, the local provides a scalable, drug-free workforce that is pre-certified in various welding and piping methodologies, reducing the overhead associated with individual recruitment and safety training across the Pacific Northwest region.
["Effective May 10, 2025, the journeyman hourly rate for UA Local 290 is established at $60.77, contributing to a total compensation package of $92.22 per hour when fringes are included. This rate represents the standard for building trades journeymen within the jurisdiction. Apprentices enter the program at a percentage of the journeyman rate, typically starting around 45% to 50% for first-term trainees. As they complete required classroom hours and on-the-job training milestones, their pay scales upward in six-month or yearly increments. By the fifth year, senior apprentices earn a significant portion of the full scale. This structured progression ensures that labor costs for contractors remain predictable while providing a clear financial path for those entering the piping trades in Oregon and Washington."]
["UA Local 290 holds a massive geographic charter that spans the entire state of Oregon, Southwest Washington, and even portions of Northern California. The headquarters in Tualatin serves as the central hub, but the local maintains multiple sub-offices and training centers to manage dispatch across this expansive territory. The work covered under this jurisdiction includes all aspects of plumbing, pipefitting, steamfitting, and HVAC-R service. Whether the project is a multi-story medical office building in Portland or an industrial facility in Eugene, the master labor agreement dictates the terms of employment, travel pay, and zone adjustments for members traveling to remote sites within the district."]
["The signatory landscape for UA Local 290 is composed of a mix of global mechanical primes, regional industrial piping specialists, and localized commercial plumbing firms. These contractors handle everything from multi-billion dollar semiconductor fabrication facility expansions to municipal water treatment upgrades and routine commercial service contracts. The market is characterized by a high demand for specialized certifications, particularly in high-purity piping and orbital welding. Hiring typically fluctuates based on major industrial cycles, but the local's broad jurisdiction allows members to move between sectors—such as shifting from a large-scale data center project to a healthcare facility renovation—maintaining high man-hour stability across the region."]
While both trades fall under the Local 290 umbrella, plumbers focus on potable water, gas, and waste systems in residential and commercial buildings. Pipefitters generally work on high-pressure industrial systems, including steam, chemicals, and cooling water for manufacturing. The apprenticeship programs share core fundamentals but diverge into specialized certifications as the trainee nears journeyman status.
Yes, Local 290 has jurisdiction in Southwest Washington, primarily covering Clark, Skamania, and Klickitat counties. This allows members to work on projects in the Vancouver, WA metro area under the same master agreement terms. Contractors operating in these areas utilize Local 290 labor for both new construction and ongoing mechanical service.
Wage increases are typically negotiated as part of the multi-year Master Labor Agreement. These increases often occur annually, frequently effective in the spring or summer. The total package increase is usually allocated between the check and various fringe benefit funds based on a vote by the membership or at the discretion of the union leadership.
Working in the high-tech semiconductor sector often requires additional safety clearances and specialized technical certifications, such as orbital welding or cleanroom protocol training. Local 290 provides these specific modules through their training centers to ensure members are eligible for dispatch to the region's major technology manufacturing campuses.
UA Local 290 is seated in Portland, Oregon (OR). We hold published wage sheets for 6 locals across Oregon — compare nearby scales before you take a call.
We are a mechanical, plumbing and electrical construction recruiting firm serving Portland and the rest of Oregon, including contractors signatory to UA Local 290. 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 290 pay scale for 2026 is $60.77 per hour for journeymen in Portland, OR, or about $121,540 a year at 2,080 hours. The total package, including employer-paid fringe benefits, is $92.22 per hour. That is the rate in force for 2026, effective 5/10/25.
Journeyman pipefitters under the UA Local 290 agreement make $60.77 an hour in base wages, or $92.22 an hour counting the fringe package, per the wage sheet effective 5/10/25. Overtime, shift premiums, and travel or subsistence pay are added on top under the local's CBA.
$60.77 per hour base wage and $92.22 per hour total package for a journeyman in Portland, OR, effective 5/10/25. Annualized at 2,080 hours that is roughly $121,540 before overtime.
A Local 290 apprentice in Portland, OR starts at roughly $27.35 an hour — about 45% of the $60.77 journeyman scale — and steps up each period, reaching around $45.58 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 290 has published; confirm the exact schedule with the JATC.
About $27.35 an hour, or roughly $54,693 a year at 2,080 hours, based on the standard 45% first-period step of the $60.77 journeyman rate effective 5/10/25. Apprentices also earn benefit contributions and paid classroom progression; the JATC sets the exact percentage.
Around $39.50 an hour at the standard 65% third-period step, moving to about $45.58 an hour in the fourth period and $60.77 an hour at full journeyman scale. Confirm the published step schedule with the Local 290 training center.
The current UA Local 290 journeyman rate is $60.77/hour, with a total package of $92.22/hour including fringe benefits, effective 5/10/25. At 2,080 hours that works out to roughly $121,540 per year in base wages before overtime. Rates change with each CBA cycle — confirm with the Local 290 business office before relying on the figure.
The $60.77/hour figure is the base journeyman wage that lands on the paycheck. The $92.22/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 290 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 $60.77/hour journeyman rate, a first-period apprentice would be in the $27.35–$30.39/hour range. The exact percentage schedule is set by the local's JATC.
UA Local 290 is headquartered in Portland, OR 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 290 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 290 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 290 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 290 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 5/10/25 schedule; check with the Local 290 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 290 against neighboring jurisdictions and other plumbers & pipefitters markets.
The UA Local 290 hall is at 20210 Sw Teton Ave Tualatin, OR 97062, serving Portland, OR and the surrounding jurisdiction. Hall phone: 503-691-5700.
UA Local 290 runs its own referral procedure and books are signed at the hall. Call the hall at 503-691-5700 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 290 can be reached at 503-691-5700. Contact details are imported from the union's public directory listing — confirm hours with the hall.