Journeyman pipefitters under UA Local 404 in Northwest Texas, TX earn $29.50/hr in base wages, or $39.10/hr as a total package with fringe benefits, effective Sep 2024.
UA Local 404 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 404 pay scale is $29.50 per hour for journeymen in Northwest Texas, TX, or about $59,000 a year at 2,080 hours. The total package, including employer-paid fringe benefits, is $39.10 per hour. That is the rate in force, effective 9/5/24.
| Local 404 journeyman hourly wage | $29.50 / hour |
|---|---|
| Total package (wage + fringe benefits) | $39.10 / hour |
| Annualized at 2,080 hours (base wage) | $59,000 / year |
| First-period apprentice (≈45–50% of scale) | $13.28–$14.75 / hour |
| Wage sheet effective | 9/5/24 |
| Classification | Combo |
A Local 404 apprentice in Northwest Texas, TX starts at roughly $13.28 an hour — about 45% of the $29.50 journeyman scale — and steps up each period, reaching around $22.13 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 404 has published; confirm the exact schedule with the JATC.
| 1st period (year 1) | 45% of scale | $13.28 / hour | $26,550 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2nd period (year 2) | 55% of scale | $16.23 / hour | $32,450 |
| 3rd period (year 3) | 65% of scale | $19.18 / hour | $38,350 |
| 4th period (year 4) | 75% of scale | $22.13 / hour | $44,250 |
| 5th period (year 5) | 85% of scale | $25.08 / hour | $50,150 |
| Journeyman (turned out) | 100% of scale | $29.50 / hour | $59,000 |
UA Local 404 runs its own referral procedure and books are signed at the hall — call 806-744-3835 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 404 serves the plumbing, pipefitting, and HVAC service industries throughout Northwest Texas. Based in Lubbock, this local union provides the skilled labor force necessary for the region's diverse infrastructure needs, ranging from healthcare facilities and educational institutions to industrial processing plants. Since 2014, Gulfstream Strategic Placements has monitored this market as a hub for commercial mechanical construction and essential industrial maintenance. The local ensures that signatory contractors have access to a pool of highly trained mechanics who adhere to rigorous safety and quality standards across the Texas Panhandle and South Plains.
The Northwest Texas market presents unique challenges, including extreme weather variations and a dispersed geography that requires a mobile and versatile workforce. Local 404 addresses these demands by training multi-craft professionals capable of handling complex piping systems and mechanical equipment. Because the region serves as a major agricultural and energy center, the work often involves specialized process piping and large-scale climate control systems. For tradespeople, this local offers a structured pathway to career stability through collective bargaining, ensuring that wages and benefits remain competitive with the regional cost of living while maintaining high productivity for signatory mechanical primes.
As of September 5, 2024, the Journeyman hourly rate for UA Local 404 is set at $29.50, contributing to a total compensation package of $39.10 per hour when including fringes. This $9.60 difference covers critical benefits such as healthcare and retirement funds. Apprentices within Local 404 typically start at a percentage of the journeyman rate, often beginning around 50% and receiving incremental raises every six to twelve months as they complete required classroom hours and on-the-job training milestones. These scheduled increases provide a transparent path toward the full scale. By the final year of the five-year apprenticeship, members generally earn 80% to 90% of the journeyman wage. All members should verify their specific classification and current step with the Lubbock business office to ensure accurate payroll accounting.
The jurisdiction of UA Local 404 covers a vast territory in Northwest Texas centered around Lubbock and extending across numerous surrounding counties. This charter includes the installation, maintenance, and repair of all piping systems, plumbing fixtures, and mechanical HVAC equipment within its designated boundaries. Travel is a standard component of work in this region due to the distance between major municipality centers and outlying industrial sites. Members are dispatched from the Lubbock hall to projects ranging from high-rise commercial builds to specialized food processing facilities. The local maintains jurisdiction over both new construction and service-oriented contracts, providing a comprehensive labor solution for the region's specialized mechanical needs.
["The signatory contractor landscape for UA Local 404 consists of a mix of regional mechanical primes and specialized service providers. These firms focus heavily on public works, including K-12 and university expansions, as well as the robust medical district in Lubbock. There is also a significant presence of contractors specializing in industrial refrigeration and process piping to support the local agricultural economy. Hiring typically follows the project cycle, with peaks during large-scale institutional developments. Contractors in this jurisdiction rely on the union’s referral hall to scale their workforces quickly, ensuring that even remote projects in the Panhandle are staffed with qualified, drug-tested professionals who meet UA standards."]
Local 404 focuses on UA-standard certifications including Med-Gas, Various ASME welding procedures, and OSHA safety protocols. Because of the regional industrial base, there is also a strong emphasis on backflow prevention and specialized refrigeration certifications to ensure members can service both commercial and agricultural facilities safely and efficiently.
Travelers looking to work in the Lubbock area must first report to their home local's business manager to request a travel letter. Permanent transfers, or 'clearing in,' are subject to the discretion of the Local 404 business manager and are typically dependent on the current volume of work and the local's long-term manpower requirements.
While markets like Dallas or Houston see more high-density residential and massive corporate headquarters, the Lubbock jurisdiction is characterized by institutional stability and industrial processing. The cost of living is generally lower, and the work often involves long-term maintenance contracts for universities and hospitals, providing a different type of job security for local members.
Yes, the local provides extensive welding training at their JATC facility. Signatory contractors frequently require certified welders for high-pressure steam lines, process piping in food production plants, and chilled water systems. Members are encouraged to maintain multiple UA welding certifications to increase their dispatch opportunities across different industrial and commercial sectors.
UA Local 404 is seated in Northwest Texas, 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 Northwest Texas and the rest of Texas, including contractors signatory to UA Local 404. 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 404 pay scale is $29.50 per hour for journeymen in Northwest Texas, TX, or about $59,000 a year at 2,080 hours. The total package, including employer-paid fringe benefits, is $39.10 per hour. That is the rate in force, effective 9/5/24.
Journeyman pipefitters under the UA Local 404 agreement make $29.50 an hour in base wages, or $39.10 an hour counting the fringe package, per the wage sheet effective 9/5/24. Overtime, shift premiums, and travel or subsistence pay are added on top under the local's CBA.
$29.50 per hour base wage and $39.10 per hour total package for a journeyman in Northwest Texas, TX, effective 9/5/24. Annualized at 2,080 hours that is roughly $59,000 before overtime.
A Local 404 apprentice in Northwest Texas, TX starts at roughly $13.28 an hour — about 45% of the $29.50 journeyman scale — and steps up each period, reaching around $22.13 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 404 has published; confirm the exact schedule with the JATC.
About $13.28 an hour, or roughly $26,550 a year at 2,080 hours, based on the standard 45% first-period step of the $29.50 journeyman rate effective 9/5/24. Apprentices also earn benefit contributions and paid classroom progression; the JATC sets the exact percentage.
Around $19.18 an hour at the standard 65% third-period step, moving to about $22.13 an hour in the fourth period and $29.50 an hour at full journeyman scale. Confirm the published step schedule with the Local 404 training center.
The current UA Local 404 journeyman rate is $29.50/hour, with a total package of $39.10/hour including fringe benefits, effective 9/5/24. At 2,080 hours that works out to roughly $59,000 per year in base wages before overtime. Rates change with each CBA cycle — confirm with the Local 404 business office before relying on the figure.
The $29.50/hour figure is the base journeyman wage that lands on the paycheck. The $39.10/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 404 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 $29.50/hour journeyman rate, a first-period apprentice would be in the $13.28–$14.75/hour range. The exact percentage schedule is set by the local's JATC.
UA Local 404 is headquartered in Northwest Texas, 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 404 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 404 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 404 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 404 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 9/5/24 schedule; check with the Local 404 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 404 against neighboring jurisdictions and other plumbers & pipefitters markets.
The UA Local 404 hall is at 510 Ave G Lubbock, TX 79401, serving Northwest Texas, TX and the surrounding jurisdiction. Hall phone: 806-744-3835.
UA Local 404 runs its own referral procedure and books are signed at the hall. Call the hall at 806-744-3835 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 404 can be reached at 806-744-3835. Contact details are imported from the union's public directory listing — confirm hours with the hall.