Journeyman pipefitters under UA Local 393 in San Jose, CA earn $76.86/hr in base wages, or $126.38/hr as a total package with fringe benefits, effective Jul 2024.
UA Local 393 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 393 pay scale is $76.86 per hour for journeymen in San Jose, CA, or about $153,720 a year at 2,080 hours. The total package, including employer-paid fringe benefits, is $126.38 per hour. That is the rate in force, effective 7/18/24.
| Local 393 journeyman hourly wage | $76.86 / hour |
|---|---|
| Total package (wage + fringe benefits) | $126.38 / hour |
| Annualized at 2,080 hours (base wage) | $153,720 / year |
| First-period apprentice (≈45–50% of scale) | $34.59–$38.43 / hour |
| Wage sheet effective | 7/18/24 |
| Classification | Combo |
A Local 393 apprentice in San Jose, CA starts at roughly $34.59 an hour — about 45% of the $76.86 journeyman scale — and steps up each period, reaching around $57.64 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 393 has published; confirm the exact schedule with the JATC.
| 1st period (year 1) | 45% of scale | $34.59 / hour | $69,174 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2nd period (year 2) | 55% of scale | $42.27 / hour | $84,546 |
| 3rd period (year 3) | 65% of scale | $49.96 / hour | $99,918 |
| 4th period (year 4) | 75% of scale | $57.64 / hour | $115,290 |
| 5th period (year 5) | 85% of scale | $65.33 / hour | $130,662 |
| Journeyman (turned out) | 100% of scale | $76.86 / hour | $153,720 |
UA Local 393 runs its own referral procedure and books are signed at the hall — call 408-225-3030 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 393 represents thousands of plumbers, steamfitters, and HVACR service technicians across the high-demand Silicon Valley corridor. As the primary labor source for complex mechanical systems in one of the world's most expensive real estate markets, this local provides the specialized workforce required for mission-critical infrastructure. Since 2014, Gulfstream Strategic Placements has monitored this region as a benchmark for industrial and commercial plumbing standards. The local operates a significant training center in San Jose, ensuring that the labor pool is proficient in advanced welding, medical gas installation, and high-purity piping required for the local tech and bio-pharmaceutical sectors.
The market dynamics for Local 393 are driven largely by the concentration of data centers, semiconductor fabrication plants, and corporate campuses in Santa Clara and San Benito Counties. Because these facilities require sophisticated cooling and water management systems, the demand for highly skilled UA journey-level workers remains consistently high. Signatory contractors in this jurisdiction manage everything from large-scale new construction to ongoing preventive maintenance. For the tradesperson, this means a stable environment with robust fringe benefits, while for the contractor, it offers a scalable workforce capable of meeting the rigorous safety and quality demands of Global 500 tech clients.
As of July 18, 2024, the Journeyman hourly rate for UA Local 393 is set at $76.86, with a total taxable and fringe package reaching $126.38 per hour. This represents one of the highest compensation scales in the United States, reflecting the region's cost of living and the technical complexity of the work. Apprentices enter the program at a percentage of the journeyman rate, typically starting around 35-40% and receiving incremental raises every six to twelve months based on successful completion of classroom hours and on-the-job training milestones. By the fifth year of the apprenticeship, workers often reach 85% of the full scale. These periodic increases ensure that as the worker's proficiency grows, their compensation aligns with the high-value specialized tasks they perform in the field.
The jurisdiction for Local 393 is primarily centered on Santa Clara County and San Benito County, California. This territory includes the major tech hubs of San Jose, Sunnyvale, and Santa Clara, as well as the industrial corridors extending toward Hollister. The local serves as the primary dispatch point for all commercial and industrial plumbing, pipefitting, and HVACR service work within these boundaries. Because the region is a global center for innovation, the jurisdiction includes a high density of high-purity piping for labs and high-pressure steam systems for industrial processing. Workers dispatched under this agreement are subject to the specific travel and subsistence rules outlined in the Local 393 Master Labor Agreement when working outside immediate metropolitan zones.
The contractor landscape in San Jose is dominated by large-scale signatory mechanical primes and specialized a mechanical contractor firms. These organizations are equipped to handle multi-million dollar mechanical contracts for tech campuses and public infrastructure projects. There is also a robust contingent of service and maintenance contractors who focus on the lifecycle of HVAC and plumbing systems for commercial property managers. Hiring in this market is highly structured, with contractors relying on the local's hall for surge capacity during major project phases. For the plumbing professional, this environment offers diverse opportunities across new construction, specialized laboratory fit-outs, and long-term facility service contracts.
Due to the heavy concentration of semiconductor and biotech facilities in San Jose, certifications in Orbital Welding, Medical Gas, and High-Purity Piping (BPE) are highly prized. Additionally, Title 24 acceptance testing and specialized HVACR controls certifications provide a significant advantage for those seeking long-term placement with service-oriented signatory contractors in the Silicon Valley region.
The $126.38 total package is specifically designed to attract and retain elite talent in one of the nation's most expensive areas. A large portion of the fringe benefit allocation goes toward maintaining robust health coverage and substantial retirement funds, which helps members build long-term wealth despite the high local housing costs associated with the Santa Clara County market.
Yes, Local 393 has a strong contingent of HVACR service members. The massive inventory of commercial office space and data centers requires 24/7 maintenance. Service technicians under this agreement enjoy the same high standards of pay and benefits as construction members, often with greater year-round stability due to the essential nature of climate control in tech environments.
Transfers, or 'traveling,' are governed by the United Association's constitution. When the work outlook in San Jose is strong and the local out-of-work list is exhausted, members from other locals may be dispatched. However, permanent book transfers are at the discretion of the Local 393 Business Manager and usually require a sustained period of local employment and residency.
UA Local 393 is seated in San Jose, California (CA). We hold published wage sheets for 46 locals across California — compare nearby scales before you take a call.
We are a mechanical, plumbing and electrical construction recruiting firm serving San Jose and the rest of California, including contractors signatory to UA Local 393. 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 393 pay scale is $76.86 per hour for journeymen in San Jose, CA, or about $153,720 a year at 2,080 hours. The total package, including employer-paid fringe benefits, is $126.38 per hour. That is the rate in force, effective 7/18/24.
Journeyman pipefitters under the UA Local 393 agreement make $76.86 an hour in base wages, or $126.38 an hour counting the fringe package, per the wage sheet effective 7/18/24. Overtime, shift premiums, and travel or subsistence pay are added on top under the local's CBA.
$76.86 per hour base wage and $126.38 per hour total package for a journeyman in San Jose, CA, effective 7/18/24. Annualized at 2,080 hours that is roughly $153,720 before overtime.
A Local 393 apprentice in San Jose, CA starts at roughly $34.59 an hour — about 45% of the $76.86 journeyman scale — and steps up each period, reaching around $57.64 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 393 has published; confirm the exact schedule with the JATC.
About $34.59 an hour, or roughly $69,174 a year at 2,080 hours, based on the standard 45% first-period step of the $76.86 journeyman rate effective 7/18/24. Apprentices also earn benefit contributions and paid classroom progression; the JATC sets the exact percentage.
Around $49.96 an hour at the standard 65% third-period step, moving to about $57.64 an hour in the fourth period and $76.86 an hour at full journeyman scale. Confirm the published step schedule with the Local 393 training center.
The current UA Local 393 journeyman rate is $76.86/hour, with a total package of $126.38/hour including fringe benefits, effective 7/18/24. At 2,080 hours that works out to roughly $153,720 per year in base wages before overtime. Rates change with each CBA cycle — confirm with the Local 393 business office before relying on the figure.
The $76.86/hour figure is the base journeyman wage that lands on the paycheck. The $126.38/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 393 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 $76.86/hour journeyman rate, a first-period apprentice would be in the $34.59–$38.43/hour range. The exact percentage schedule is set by the local's JATC.
UA Local 393 is headquartered in San Jose, 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 393 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 393 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 393 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 393 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 7/18/24 schedule; check with the Local 393 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 393 against neighboring jurisdictions and other plumbers & pipefitters markets.
The UA Local 393 hall is at 6150 Cottle Rd San Jose, CA 95123, serving San Jose, CA and the surrounding jurisdiction. Hall phone: 408-225-3030.
UA Local 393 runs its own referral procedure and books are signed at the hall. Call the hall at 408-225-3030 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 393 can be reached at 408-225-3030. Contact details are imported from the union's public directory listing — confirm hours with the hall.