Journeyman pipefitters under UA Local 486 in Baltimore, MD earn $51.13/hr in base wages, or $75.50/hr as a total package with fringe benefits, effective Jul 2026.
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UA Local 486 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 486 pay scale for 2026 is $51.13 per hour for journeymen in Baltimore, MD, or about $102,260 a year at 2,080 hours. The total package, including employer-paid fringe benefits, is $75.50 per hour. That is the rate in force for 2026, effective 7/31/26.
| Local 486 journeyman hourly wage | $51.13 / hour |
|---|---|
| Total package (wage + fringe benefits) | $75.50 / hour |
| Annualized at 2,080 hours (base wage) | $102,260 / year |
| First-period apprentice (≈45–50% of scale) | $23.01–$25.57 / hour |
| Wage sheet effective | 7/31/26 |
| Classification | Combo |
A Local 486 apprentice in Baltimore, MD starts at roughly $23.01 an hour — about 45% of the $51.13 journeyman scale — and steps up each period, reaching around $38.35 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 486 has published; confirm the exact schedule with the JATC.
| 1st period (year 1) | 45% of scale | $23.01 / hour | $46,017 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2nd period (year 2) | 55% of scale | $28.12 / hour | $56,243 |
| 3rd period (year 3) | 65% of scale | $33.23 / hour | $66,469 |
| 4th period (year 4) | 75% of scale | $38.35 / hour | $76,695 |
| 5th period (year 5) | 85% of scale | $43.46 / hour | $86,921 |
| Journeyman (turned out) | 100% of scale | $51.13 / hour | $102,260 |
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Local 486 wages: $51.13 an hour on the journeyman scale, $75.50 an hour with fringe benefits added, effective 7/31/26. That is the most recent Baltimore, MD sheet we can source; rates move with each contract cycle, so confirm with the hall before quoting.
Roughly 32% of the UA Local 486 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.
Unverified: crowd-sourced figure (unionpayscales.com), not confirmed against the local's own wage sheet
Download the UA Local 486 pay scale (PDF) — one-page printable rate sheet, effective July 31, 2026.
| Benefit & fringe contributions | $24.37/hr | Derived: total package minus base wage. This is the employer's combined hourly contribution to the funds, not take-home pay. |
|---|---|---|
| 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 486 scale used across the Baltimore, MD 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 Baltimore 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 Baltimore. We are a private recruiting firm — we do not dispatch, set, or negotiate Local 486 rates. For current Baltimore scale, dispatch standing, or apprenticeship intake, contact the hall directly.
UA Local 486 runs its own referral procedure and books are signed at the hall — call 410-866-4380 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.
UA Local 486 represents the skilled plumbers and steamfitters serving the Baltimore metropolitan area and surrounding Maryland counties. As a dominant force in the Mid-Atlantic construction market, this local provides the specialized labor required for complex mechanical systems in healthcare, higher education, and government sectors. The union maintains a strong presence in the Port of Baltimore and supports the region's significant infrastructure needs through rigorous training and safety standards. Since 2014, Gulfstream Strategic Placements has tracked the movement of talent within this jurisdiction, noting that the local's influence extends across heavy industrial projects and high-density commercial developments that define the Baltimore skyline.
The market for Local 486 members is driven by the density of federal facilities and the continuous expansion of medical research corridors in central Maryland. Signatory contractors rely on this local for a workforce capable of managing sophisticated piping systems, high-pressure steam, and medical gas installations. For the tradesperson, the Baltimore market offers a diverse range of work environments, from refinery maintenance to new hospital construction. Because this local operates in a region with high cost-of-living requirements, the collective bargaining agreements are structured to provide a competitive middle-class lifestyle, ensuring that skilled piping professionals are retained within the local economy to meet the long-term demands of Maryland's aging infrastructure.
Based on the figures effective July 31, 2026, a Journeyman in UA Local 486 earns a base hourly rate of $51.13. When including the comprehensive fringe benefit contributions, the total taxable and non-taxable package reaches $75.50 per hour. Apprentices enter the program at a percentage of the journeyman rate, typically starting around 40-45% and receiving incremental raises every six to twelve months as they complete required classroom hours and on-the-job training milestones. By the fifth year of the apprenticeship, workers generally earn approximately 80% of the full scale. These scheduled increases provide a clear financial trajectory for new entrants while ensuring that labor costs for signatory contractors remain predictable throughout the duration of a multi-year project cycle.
UA Local 486 holds jurisdiction over Baltimore City and the surrounding Maryland counties, ensuring comprehensive coverage of the central and northeastern portions of the state. The territory includes major industrial hubs and commercial centers where pipefitting, plumbing, and HVAC service work fall under the local's master agreement. Members are dispatched to job sites ranging from the Inner Harbor to the outer suburban corridors. The jurisdiction covers work on all piping systems, including process piping, refrigeration, and environmental controls. Signatory contractors operating within these boundaries must adhere to the local's work rules, which govern travel pay, shift differentials, and overtime rates, ensuring uniform labor standards across the entire Baltimore metropolitan geographical footprint.
The signatory contractor landscape for UA Local 486 is comprised of diverse mechanical entities ranging from national prime contractors to specialized local boutiques. Large mechanical firms dominate the heavy commercial and industrial sectors, handling massive projects for the state's university systems and healthcare networks. There is also a robust contingent of service-oriented contractors who focus on long-term facility maintenance and emergency repairs for the region's existing commercial building stock. For the tradesperson, this means the opportunity to move between high-intensity new construction projects and stable, long-term service roles, depending on their specific skill set and the current demands of the Baltimore construction permits and industrial pipelines.
Members have access to a wide array of industry-recognized certifications through the JATC, including ASME welding certifications, medical gas installation, backflow prevention, and various OSHA safety designations. These credentials are vital for maintaining eligibility for high-security government projects and specialized healthcare facility work common in the Baltimore and Washington D.C. orbit, ensuring that local members remain the most qualified workforce in the region.
Under the UA Local 486 agreement, travel pay and subsistence are generally determined by the distance of the job site from the local's headquarters or the member's residence, depending on the specific contract language. While much of the work is within the Baltimore beltway, projects in outlying counties may trigger specific travel stipends. Always refer to the current CBA for the exact zone maps and mileage rates.
While Local 486 primarily focuses on commercial, industrial, and institutional sectors, they may have specific sub-agreements for residential work depending on market demand. However, the majority of the training and dispatching is geared toward large-scale mechanical systems found in the building trades. Those seeking residential work should inquire specifically about the Residential Wood Frame or similar market recovery agreements that may be in effect.
Experienced tradespeople can join through a process called 'organizing' or by testing in as a journeyman. This involves a demonstration of skills and an evaluation of years in the trade. If your experience meets the local's standards, you may be initiated as a journeyman or placed at an advanced step in the apprenticeship. Contact the Local 486 organizer for a confidential assessment of your qualifications and current wage matching.
UA Local 486 is seated in Baltimore, Maryland (MD). We hold published wage sheets for 6 locals across Maryland — compare nearby scales before you take a call.
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Journeyman scales as last published by each local. Rates change every contract cycle — confirm with the hall.
The Local 486 pay scale for 2026 is $51.13 per hour for journeymen in Baltimore, MD, or about $102,260 a year at 2,080 hours. The total package, including employer-paid fringe benefits, is $75.50 per hour. That is the rate in force for 2026, effective 7/31/26.
Journeyman pipefitters under the UA Local 486 agreement make $51.13 an hour in base wages, or $75.50 an hour counting the fringe package, per the wage sheet effective 7/31/26. Overtime, shift premiums, and travel or subsistence pay are added on top under the local's CBA.
$51.13 per hour base wage and $75.50 per hour total package for a journeyman in Baltimore, MD, effective 7/31/26. Annualized at 2,080 hours that is roughly $102,260 before overtime.
A Local 486 apprentice in Baltimore, MD starts at roughly $23.01 an hour — about 45% of the $51.13 journeyman scale — and steps up each period, reaching around $38.35 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 486 has published; confirm the exact schedule with the JATC.
About $23.01 an hour, or roughly $46,017 a year at 2,080 hours, based on the standard 45% first-period step of the $51.13 journeyman rate effective 7/31/26. Apprentices also earn benefit contributions and paid classroom progression; the JATC sets the exact percentage.
Around $33.23 an hour at the standard 65% third-period step, moving to about $38.35 an hour in the fourth period and $51.13 an hour at full journeyman scale. Confirm the published step schedule with the Local 486 training center.
Local 486 wages: $51.13 an hour on the journeyman scale, $75.50 an hour with fringe benefits added, effective 7/31/26. That is the most recent Baltimore, MD sheet we can source; rates move with each contract cycle, so confirm with the hall before quoting.
The current published UA Local 486 journeyman rate is $51.13 an hour ($75.50 total package), effective 7/31/26 — roughly $102,260 a year at 2,080 hours before overtime. Confirm the effective agreement with the local.
Yes — a one-page printable UA Local 486 rate sheet is available at /rate-sheets/ua-local-486-pay-scale.pdf, showing the $51.13 hourly scale, the $75.50 total package and the 7/31/26 effective date, with the source it was read from. It is a free download — no sign-up needed.
The current UA Local 486 journeyman rate is $51.13/hour, with a total package of $75.50/hour including fringe benefits, effective 7/31/26. At 2,080 hours that works out to roughly $102,260 per year in base wages before overtime. Rates change with each CBA cycle — confirm with the Local 486 business office before relying on the figure.
The $51.13/hour figure is the base journeyman wage that lands on the paycheck. The $75.50/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 486 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 $51.13/hour journeyman rate, a first-period apprentice would be in the $23.01–$25.57/hour range. The exact percentage schedule is set by the local's JATC.
UA Local 486 is headquartered in Baltimore, MD 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 486 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 486 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 486 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 486 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 7/31/26 schedule; check with the Local 486 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 486 against neighboring jurisdictions and other plumbers & pipefitters markets.
The UA Local 486 hall is at 8100 Sandpiper Cr Ste 200 Baltimore, MD 21236, serving Baltimore, MD and the surrounding jurisdiction. Hall phone: 410-866-4380.
UA Local 486 runs its own referral procedure and books are signed at the hall. Call the hall at 410-866-4380 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 486 can be reached at 410-866-4380. Contact details are imported from the union's public directory listing — confirm hours with the hall.
$51.13/hr in base wages for combo, or $75.50/hr counting employer-paid benefits and fringes, effective July 31, 2026 per the unionpayscales.com wage sheet.
July 31, 2026. Pulled from the local's current published CBA wage sheet on unionpayscales.com and cross-checked at build time. High confidence for offer benchmarking.
No — the $51.13/hr base is wages only. Employers contribute roughly $24.37/hr more per hour worked to health and welfare, pension, annuity and training funds, which is the difference between the base and the $75.50/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 Sep 23, 2026 (7 days ago). Always confirm the current step with the hall before relying on it for an offer.