Journeyman pipefitters under UA Local 44 in Spokane, WA earn $42.23/hr in base wages, or $63.41/hr as a total package with fringe benefits, effective Sep 2023. This sheet is more than 2 years old, so confirm the current rate with the hall before quoting it.
UA Local 44 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 44 pay scale is $42.23 per hour for journeymen in Spokane, WA, or about $84,460 a year at 2,080 hours. The total package, including employer-paid fringe benefits, is $63.41 per hour. That is the last wage sheet we can source for this local — confirm the current rate with the hall.
| Local 44 journeyman hourly wage | $42.23 / hour |
|---|---|
| Total package (wage + fringe benefits) | $63.41 / hour |
| Annualized at 2,080 hours (base wage) | $84,460 / year |
| First-period apprentice (≈45–50% of scale) | $19.00–$21.12 / hour |
| Wage sheet effective | 9/30/23 |
| Classification | Combo |
A Local 44 apprentice in Spokane, WA starts at roughly $19.00 an hour — about 45% of the $42.23 journeyman scale — and steps up each period, reaching around $31.67 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 44 has published; confirm the exact schedule with the JATC.
| 1st period (year 1) | 45% of scale | $19.00 / hour | $38,007 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2nd period (year 2) | 55% of scale | $23.23 / hour | $46,453 |
| 3rd period (year 3) | 65% of scale | $27.45 / hour | $54,899 |
| 4th period (year 4) | 75% of scale | $31.67 / hour | $63,345 |
| 5th period (year 5) | 85% of scale | $35.90 / hour | $71,791 |
| Journeyman (turned out) | 100% of scale | $42.23 / hour | $84,460 |
UA Local 44 runs its own referral procedure and books are signed at the hall — call 509-624-5101 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 44 represents the skilled plumbers, pipefitters, and steamfitters serving the Inland Northwest from its headquarters in Spokane, Washington. As a central labor hub for Eastern Washington and Northern Idaho, this local provides the certified workforce necessary for the region’s critical infrastructure, including healthcare facilities, educational institutions, and industrial processing plants. Since 2014, Gulfstream Strategic Placements has monitored the regional labor market, noting that Local 44 members are essential to the specialized high-tech and agricultural processing sectors that define the Spokane economy. The organization maintains rigorous standards for safety and craftsmanship, ensuring that signatory contractors have access to a pipeline of highly trained mechanics.
The market for UA Local 44 is driven by a mix of urban redevelopment in downtown Spokane and the expansion of industrial corridors along the I-90 belt. Because the jurisdiction covers a vast geographic area, the local serves as a stabilizing force for labor costs and quality standards across both municipal plumbing projects and heavy industrial piping installations. For tradespeople, the local offers a structured path to middle-class earnings through collective bargaining, while providing contractors with a scalable workforce. This synergy between labor and management supports the long-term viability of the construction industry in the Inland Empire, making it a primary destination for those seeking career longevity in the mechanical trades.
As of September 30, 2023, the journeyman hourly rate for UA Local 44 is $42.23, contributing to a comprehensive total package of $63.41 per hour when including fringes. This $21.18 difference covers critical benefits such as health insurance and retirement contributions. Apprentices in the five-year program typically start at a percentage of the journeyman rate, often beginning around 40-50% and increasing annually or bi-annually as they complete required classroom hours and on-the-job training milestones. These scheduled increases provide a clear financial trajectory for new entrants. Skilled tradespeople moving from the non-union sector may be eligible for advanced placement based on a formal skills assessment and documented hours, allowing them to enter at a higher percentage of the full scale.
The jurisdiction of UA Local 44 encompasses a significant portion of Eastern Washington and several counties in the Idaho Panhandle. Based in Spokane, the local’s reach extends to projects in the surrounding agricultural hubs and mountainous regions where industrial piping and commercial plumbing are required. Members may be dispatched to job sites ranging from large-scale university renovations to remote municipal water treatment facilities. The territorial charter ensures that signatory contractors operating within these boundaries adhere to the same wage and benefit standards, preventing labor arbitrage. Travel pay or subsistence may apply depending on the specific distance from the Spokane dispatch hall, as outlined in the current Master Labor Agreement.
The contractor landscape for UA Local 44 is comprised of diverse signatory entities, ranging from large mechanical primes that handle multi-million dollar industrial builds to smaller, specialized plumbing shops focused on commercial service and repair. These firms rely on the local’s hiring hall to scale their workforces according to project demands, which is common in the Spokane market's fluctuating construction cycles. Signatory contractors include regional leaders in HVAC piping, medical gas systems, and process piping for the food and beverage industry. This diverse mix of employers ensures that members have opportunities across various sectors, reducing the impact of seasonal slowdowns in any single area of the construction economy.
Members of Local 44 are trained in a wide array of systems, including domestic water, sanitary waste and vent, industrial process piping, and high-pressure steam. They also handle specialized installations like medical gas in hospitals and hydronic heating and cooling systems in large commercial buildings throughout Eastern Washington and Northern Idaho.
The $42.23 journeyman rate is the hourly wage reflected on a member's paycheck before taxes. The $63.41 total package includes an additional $21.18 in employer-paid fringes, which covers health insurance, pension contributions, and training funds. These benefits are paid by the contractor on top of the hourly wage, not deducted from it.
Travel opportunities depend entirely on the current local work volume and the availability of members on the Book 1 out-of-work list. When large industrial or healthcare projects exceed local capacity, Local 44 may call for travelers through the UA dispatch system. Interested travelers should have their home local business manager contact the Spokane hall.
The local emphasizes UA welding certifications, medical gas endorsements, and backflow prevention testing. Because of the regional industrial base, specialized training in orbital welding for high-purity piping and ASME pressure vessel codes is often prioritized to meet the needs of signatory contractors in the chemical and food processing sectors.
UA Local 44 is seated in Spokane, Washington (WA). We hold published wage sheets for 11 locals across Washington — compare nearby scales before you take a call.
We are a mechanical, plumbing and electrical construction recruiting firm serving Spokane and the rest of Washington, including contractors signatory to UA Local 44. 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 44 pay scale is $42.23 per hour for journeymen in Spokane, WA, or about $84,460 a year at 2,080 hours. The total package, including employer-paid fringe benefits, is $63.41 per hour. That is the last wage sheet we can source for this local — confirm the current rate with the hall.
Journeyman pipefitters under the UA Local 44 agreement make $42.23 an hour in base wages, or $63.41 an hour counting the fringe package, per the wage sheet effective 9/30/23. Overtime, shift premiums, and travel or subsistence pay are added on top under the local's CBA.
$42.23 per hour base wage and $63.41 per hour total package for a journeyman in Spokane, WA, effective 9/30/23. Annualized at 2,080 hours that is roughly $84,460 before overtime.
A Local 44 apprentice in Spokane, WA starts at roughly $19.00 an hour — about 45% of the $42.23 journeyman scale — and steps up each period, reaching around $31.67 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 44 has published; confirm the exact schedule with the JATC.
About $19.00 an hour, or roughly $38,007 a year at 2,080 hours, based on the standard 45% first-period step of the $42.23 journeyman rate effective 9/30/23. Apprentices also earn benefit contributions and paid classroom progression; the JATC sets the exact percentage.
Around $27.45 an hour at the standard 65% third-period step, moving to about $31.67 an hour in the fourth period and $42.23 an hour at full journeyman scale. Confirm the published step schedule with the Local 44 training center.
The current UA Local 44 journeyman rate is $42.23/hour, with a total package of $63.41/hour including fringe benefits, effective 9/30/23. At 2,080 hours that works out to roughly $84,460 per year in base wages before overtime. Rates change with each CBA cycle — confirm with the Local 44 business office before relying on the figure.
The $42.23/hour figure is the base journeyman wage that lands on the paycheck. The $63.41/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 44 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 $42.23/hour journeyman rate, a first-period apprentice would be in the $19.00–$21.12/hour range. The exact percentage schedule is set by the local's JATC.
UA Local 44 is headquartered in Spokane, WA 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 44 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 44 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 44 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 44 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 9/30/23 schedule; check with the Local 44 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 44 against neighboring jurisdictions and other plumbers & pipefitters markets.
The UA Local 44 hall is at 3915 E Main Spokane, WA 99202, serving Spokane, WA and the surrounding jurisdiction. Hall phone: 509-624-5101.
UA Local 44 runs its own referral procedure and books are signed at the hall. Call the hall at 509-624-5101 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 44 can be reached at 509-624-5101. Contact details are imported from the union's public directory listing — confirm hours with the hall.