Journeyman pipefitters under UA Local 459 in Missoula, MT earn $36.13/hr in base wages, or $52.11/hr as a total package with fringe benefits, effective May 2025.
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The Local 459 pay scale for 2026 is $36.13 per hour for journeymen in Missoula, MT, or about $72,260 a year at 2,080 hours. The total package, including employer-paid fringe benefits, is $52.11 per hour. That is the rate in force for 2026, effective 5/1/25.
| Local 459 journeyman hourly wage | $36.13 / hour |
|---|---|
| Total package (wage + fringe benefits) | $52.11 / hour |
| Annualized at 2,080 hours (base wage) | $72,260 / year |
| First-period apprentice (≈45–50% of scale) | $16.26–$18.07 / hour |
| Wage sheet effective | 5/1/25 |
| Classification | PLUMBER, INCLUDES HVAC PIPE INSTALLATION |
Apply now — Gulfstream places plumbers & pipefitters candidates with mechanical contractors. These are direct-hire contractor roles, not union dispatch.
A Local 459 apprentice in Missoula, MT starts at roughly $16.26 an hour — about 45% of the $36.13 journeyman scale — and steps up each period, reaching around $27.10 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 459 has published; confirm the exact schedule with the JATC.
| 1st period (year 1) | 45% of scale | $16.26 / hour | $32,517 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2nd period (year 2) | 55% of scale | $19.87 / hour | $39,743 |
| 3rd period (year 3) | 65% of scale | $23.48 / hour | $46,969 |
| 4th period (year 4) | 75% of scale | $27.10 / hour | $54,195 |
| 5th period (year 5) | 85% of scale | $30.71 / hour | $61,421 |
| Journeyman (turned out) | 100% of scale | $36.13 / hour | $72,260 |
Active Gulfstream trade listings in the local's state, with Missoula listings first when available. Jobs elsewhere in the state are not necessarily near this hall. Union status is not verified for these jobs; confirm with your recruiter.
UA Local 459 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.
UA Local 459 does not post an online application we could verify; contact the hall by phone for dispatch or apprenticeship. To be considered for direct-hire roles with mechanical, electrical and sheet metal contractors in this area, apply to Gulfstream. This is not an application to the union.
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Local 459 wages: $36.13 an hour on the journeyman scale, $52.11 an hour with fringe benefits added, effective 5/1/25. That is the most recent Missoula, MT sheet we can source; rates move with each contract cycle, so confirm with the hall before quoting.
Roughly 31% of the UA Local 459 package is employer-paid benefits and fringes rather than wages, which is why the package figure and a take-home hourly rate are not the same number.
Verified from official source: U.S. Department of Labor Davis-Bacon general wage determination MT20260032 (rev 2), building construction, PLUM0459-007 05/01/2025: base rate $36.13 plus printed fringes $15.98
Download the UA Local 459 pay scale (PDF) — one-page printable rate sheet, effective May 1, 2025.
| Benefit & fringe contributions | $15.98/hr | Printed as the fringe line on U.S. Department of Labor, Wage and Hour Division determination MT20260032, schedule PLUM0459-007. |
|---|---|---|
| What the contributions fund | Health & welfare, pension, annuity, training and industry funds | Standard fund categories in mechanical and electrical agreements. The exact split between funds is set in the local's agreement — the hall or fund office publishes the schedule. |
| Paid on | Every hour worked | Fringe contributions are made per hour worked, so they scale with dispatched hours and are paid to the funds rather than to the member. |
The rates above are the UA Local 459 scale used across the Missoula, MT area. Members dispatched out of this hall work commercial mechanical and process piping, chiller and boiler work, HVAC piping and hydronics and service, retrofit and shutdown work for signatory contractors throughout the Missoula metro, so a pipefitters wage quoted locally is normally this scale plus the fringe package shown in the table.
Gulfstream recruits pipefitters talent for commercial mechanical, plumbing, piping, sheet metal and building automation contractors in and around Missoula. We are a private recruiting firm — we do not dispatch, set, or negotiate Local 459 rates. For current Missoula scale, dispatch standing, or apprenticeship intake, contact the hall directly.
Source document: U.S. Department of Labor, Wage and Hour Division Davis-Bacon Act determination MT20260032 (mod 2), published 2026-05-18.
Schedule line PLUM0459-007 — Building construction, scope: Counties listed on MT20260032.
Classification as printed: PLUMBER, INCLUDES HVAC PIPE INSTALLATION
UA Local 459 runs its own referral procedure and books are signed at the hall — call 406-549-3479 to confirm dispatch procedure, 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 459 represents skilled plumbers, pipefitters, and service technicians across Western Montana, centered in the Missoula market. This local is vital to the region's infrastructure, providing the specialized labor required for commercial construction, healthcare facilities, and industrial projects. As part of the larger United Association, Local 459 ensures that its members adhere to the highest standards of safety and craftsmanship. The organization serves as the primary labor partner for signatory mechanical contractors who need a reliable, highly trained workforce to execute complex piping systems and mechanical installations in a challenging geographic landscape.
The Missoula market presents a unique environment for the mechanical trades, blending urban commercial development with industrial needs and institutional maintenance. Local 459 members are responsible for the installation and upkeep of essential systems, including potable water, hydronic heating, medical gas, and process piping. By maintaining a rigorous Joint Apprenticeship and Training Committee program, the local ensures a steady pipeline of talent to support the growth of Western Montana. For contractors, the local provides a scalable labor solution, while for tradespeople, it offers a pathway to sustainable wages, comprehensive benefits, and career longevity within a stable professional community.
Because specific wage figures are not publicly disclosed by the business office, workers and contractors must contact UA Local 459 directly in Missoula to obtain the current Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) scale. The total compensation package typically includes a base hourly rate plus employer-contributed fringes such as health insurance and pension credits. Apprentices start at a percentage of the journeyman rate, generally beginning around 40-50% and increasing in 5% or 10% increments as they complete required classroom hours and on-the-job training milestones. This progression ensures that as a pipefitter or plumber gains proficiency and takes on more responsibility, their compensation reflects their increased value to the signatory mechanical prime.
The jurisdiction of UA Local 459 covers a significant portion of Western Montana, extending from the Missoula metropolitan area into the surrounding mountain valleys and rural districts. This territory includes various commercial hubs and industrial sites where signatory contractors perform work under the master agreement. Members may be dispatched to projects ranging from university laboratory renovations to remote industrial facilities, requiring a commitment to travel within the chartered counties. The jurisdiction ensures that all piping work performed by signatory employers in these areas adheres to the local's high standards for quality and safety, protecting both the workers and the end-users of the mechanical systems.
The signatory contractor landscape for UA Local 459 consists of diverse mechanical firms, ranging from large-scale commercial primes to specialized a mechanical contractor contractors. These employers rely on the union to provide a steady supply of licensed plumbers and certified welders for projects in healthcare, education, and light manufacturing. The relationship between the local and its signatory partners is built on the Master Labor Agreement, which standardizes labor costs and working conditions. This stability allows contractors to bid on long-term projects with confidence, knowing they have access to a pool of vetted professionals who have been training since 2014 or earlier in specialized UA protocols.
Local 459 focuses on the installation, maintenance, and repair of all piping systems. This includes plumbing for commercial buildings, high-pressure steam lines for industrial use, medical gas systems in hospitals, and hydronic heating systems common in the Western Montana climate.
Travelers and members seeking to transfer must follow the standard UA Constitution guidelines. This generally involves contacting the Business Manager in Missoula to verify work availability and ensuring your home local's dues are current before requesting a travel card.
While standard UA certifications are recognized, many signatory contractors require specific ASME or AWS certifications for high-pressure pipe welding. The local JATC provides training and testing facilities to help members maintain and upgrade these critical certifications.
Once you have completed the apprenticeship or successfully organized into the local as a journeyman, your name is placed on an out-of-work list. Signatory contractors request labor through the hall, and members are dispatched based on their position on the list and their specific skills.
UA Local 459 is seated in Missoula, Montana (MT). We hold published wage sheets for 7 locals across Montana — compare nearby scales before you take a call.
Gulfstream Strategic Placements recruits mechanical construction and service staff for contractors nationwide, union and open shop. These are markets where we run the most searches: Inland Empire mechanical recruiter · Portland mechanical recruiter · Dallas–Fort Worth mechanical recruiter · Los Angeles mechanical recruiter. Post a role.
We are a commercial mechanical construction recruiting firm serving Missoula and the rest of Montana, including contractors signatory to UA Local 459. Our office is in South Corona, California and we place union-scale tradespeople and field leadership nationwide.
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Journeyman scales as last published by each local. Rates change every contract cycle — confirm with the hall.
The Local 459 pay scale for 2026 is $36.13 per hour for journeymen in Missoula, MT, or about $72,260 a year at 2,080 hours. The total package, including employer-paid fringe benefits, is $52.11 per hour. That is the rate in force for 2026, effective 5/1/25.
UA Local 459 wages for 2026: journeyman Plumbers & Pipefitters rate of $36.13 per hour in Missoula, MT, with a total package of $52.11 per hour including fringe benefits, effective 5/1/25. Apprentices are paid a graduated percentage of that rate. Confirm any increase since 5/1/25 with the UA Local 459 business office.
The UA Local 459 wage sheet on this page lists the journeyman scale of $36.13 per hour ($52.11 per hour total package), effective 5/1/25, plus the apprentice percentage steps. The official sheet is published by the UA Local 459 business office; figures here come from that published schedule, so confirm any increase dated after 5/1/25 with the hall.
Local 459 apprentices earn a graduated percentage of the $36.13 per hour journeyman rate — typically starting near 40–50% ($16.26–$18.07 per hour) in the first period and stepping up each period to 100% at turnout. The exact percentage schedule is set by the UA Local 459 JATC, so confirm the current apprentice sheet with the training center.
Journeyman pipefitters under the UA Local 459 agreement make $36.13 an hour in base wages, or $52.11 an hour counting the fringe package, per the wage sheet effective 5/1/25. Overtime, shift premiums, and travel or subsistence pay are added on top under the local's CBA.
$36.13 per hour base wage and $52.11 per hour total package for a journeyman in Missoula, MT, effective 5/1/25. Annualized at 2,080 hours that is roughly $72,260 before overtime.
A Local 459 apprentice in Missoula, MT starts at roughly $16.26 an hour — about 45% of the $36.13 journeyman scale — and steps up each period, reaching around $27.10 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 459 has published; confirm the exact schedule with the JATC.
About $16.26 an hour, or roughly $32,517 a year at 2,080 hours, based on the standard 45% first-period step of the $36.13 journeyman rate effective 5/1/25. Apprentices also earn benefit contributions and paid classroom progression; the JATC sets the exact percentage.
Around $23.48 an hour at the standard 65% third-period step, moving to about $27.10 an hour in the fourth period and $36.13 an hour at full journeyman scale. Confirm the published step schedule with the Local 459 training center.
Local 459 wages: $36.13 an hour on the journeyman scale, $52.11 an hour with fringe benefits added, effective 5/1/25. That is the most recent Missoula, MT sheet we can source; rates move with each contract cycle, so confirm with the hall before quoting.
The current published UA Local 459 journeyman rate is $36.13 an hour ($52.11 total package), effective 5/1/25 — roughly $72,260 a year at 2,080 hours before overtime. Confirm the effective agreement with the local.
Yes — a one-page printable UA Local 459 rate sheet is available at /rate-sheets/ua-local-459-pay-scale.pdf, showing the $36.13 hourly scale, the $52.11 total package and the 5/1/25 effective date, with the source it was read from. It is a free download — no sign-up needed.
The current UA Local 459 journeyman rate is $36.13/hour, with a total package of $52.11/hour including fringe benefits, effective 5/1/25. At 2,080 hours that works out to roughly $72,260 per year in base wages before overtime. Rates change with each CBA cycle — confirm with the Local 459 business office before relying on the figure.
The $36.13/hour figure is the base journeyman wage that lands on the paycheck. The $52.11/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 459 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 $36.13/hour journeyman rate, a first-period apprentice would be in the $16.26–$18.07/hour range. The exact percentage schedule is set by the local's JATC.
UA Local 459 is headquartered in Missoula, MT 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 459 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 459 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 459 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 459 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 5/1/25 schedule; check with the Local 459 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 459 against neighboring jurisdictions and other plumbers & pipefitters markets.
Yes — the openings section on this page lists current plumbers & pipefitters roles near Missoula, MT, and you can apply directly through the apply form on this page. These are direct-hire positions with mechanical contractors that Gulfstream recruits for, not union dispatch or hall referrals. For the hall's out-of-work list, contact the Local 459 business office.
The UA Local 459 hall is at 1026 S 5th St W Missoula, MT 59801, serving Missoula, MT and the surrounding jurisdiction. Hall phone: 406-549-3479.
UA Local 459 runs its own referral procedure and books are signed at the hall. Call the hall at 406-549-3479 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 459 can be reached at 406-549-3479. Contact details are imported from the union's public directory listing — confirm hours with the hall.
Apply through the local's joint apprenticeship training committee (JATC). Most programs open applications on a set schedule and require an aptitude test and interview. For UA Local 459's current application window and requirements, contact the hall at 406-549-3479.
Each Plumbers & Pipefitters local sets its own intake process, and it varies. The common paths: apprenticeship through the JATC; organizing in as an experienced worker, since journeymen and technicians already working in the trade can usually apply directly to the hall for membership; or transferring from another local of the same international with a transfer card from your current hall. For fees and requirements, contact the hall at 406-549-3479.
We haven't found an official source for UA Local 459's dues or membership rules. To confirm, contact the hall at 406-549-3479.
We haven't found an official source for UA Local 459's member benefits. To confirm, contact the hall at 406-549-3479.
UA Local 459's sourced plumber, includes hvac pipe installation union rate is $36.13/hr in base wages and $52.11/hr for the total package, effective May 1, 2025. The rate applies to the listed classification and source area; apprentice, foreman and specialty classifications may differ.
$36.13/hr in base wages for plumber, includes hvac pipe installation, or $52.11/hr counting employer-paid benefits and fringes, effective May 1, 2025 per the U.S. Department of Labor Davis-Bacon general wage determination MT20260032 (rev 2), building construction, PLUM0459-007 05/01/2025: base rate $36.13 plus printed fringes $15.98 wage determination.
May 1, 2025. Read directly from the primary source (U.S. Department of Labor Davis-Bacon general wage determination MT20260032 (rev 2), building construction, PLUM0459-007 05/01/2025: base rate $36.13 plus printed fringes $15.98) and cross-checked at build time. Highest confidence for offer benchmarking.
No — the $36.13/hr base is wages only. Employers contribute roughly $15.98/hr more per hour worked to health and welfare, pension, annuity and training funds, which is the difference between the base and the $52.11/hr package.
No. Gulfstream Strategic Placements is a private mechanical construction recruiting firm. We are not affiliated with the local, we do not run dispatch, and we do not set or negotiate union rates. We publish the local's own sourced figures as a reference for members and contractors.
High confidence — last cross-checked against the source on Oct 1, 2026 (18 days ago). Always confirm the current step with the hall before relying on it for an offer.