Journeyman pipefitters under UA Local 538 in Johnson City, TN earn $33/hr in base wages, or $44.59/hr as a total package with fringe benefits, effective Oct 2022. This sheet is more than 2 years old, so confirm the current rate with the hall before quoting it.
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The Local 538 pay scale is $33.00 per hour for journeymen in Johnson City, TN, or about $66,000 a year at 2,080 hours. The total package, including employer-paid fringe benefits, is $44.59 per hour. That is the last wage sheet we can source for this local, confirm the current rate with the hall.
| Local 538 journeyman hourly wage | $33.00 / hour |
|---|---|
| Total package (wage + fringe benefits) | $44.59 / hour |
| Annualized at 2,080 hours (base wage) | $66,000 / year |
| First-period apprentice (≈45 to 50% of scale) | $14.85 to $16.50 / hour |
| Wage sheet effective | 10/21/22 |
| Classification | Combo |
Apply now | Gulfstream places plumbers & pipefitters candidates with mechanical contractors. These are direct-hire contractor roles, not union dispatch.
A Local 538 apprentice in Johnson City, TN starts at roughly $14.85 an hour, about 45% of the $33.00 journeyman scale, and steps up each period, reaching around $24.75 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 538 has published; confirm the exact schedule with the JATC.
| 1st period (year 1) | 45% of scale | $14.85 / hour | $29,700 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2nd period (year 2) | 55% of scale | $18.15 / hour | $36,300 |
| 3rd period (year 3) | 65% of scale | $21.45 / hour | $42,900 |
| 4th period (year 4) | 75% of scale | $24.75 / hour | $49,500 |
| 5th period (year 5) | 85% of scale | $28.05 / hour | $56,100 |
| Journeyman (turned out) | 100% of scale | $33.00 / hour | $66,000 |
Active Gulfstream trade listings in the local's state, with Johnson City 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 538 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 538 pay rates and union rules
UA Local 538 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 538 wages: $33.00 an hour on the journeyman scale, $44.59 an hour with fringe benefits added, effective 10/21/22. That is the most recent Johnson City, TN sheet we can source; rates move with each contract cycle, so confirm with the hall before quoting.
UA Local 538 has not published a current wage sheet to the public rate sources we track, so the figure above is the reporting-wide pipefitters average, not this hall's own scale. 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 Johnson City, TN area, and local scale in the Johnson City market is normally set by the hall's current collective bargaining agreement, confirm it with the business office before quoting.
Gulfstream recruits pipefitters talent for commercial mechanical, electrical, plumbing, piping, sheet metal and building automation contractors in and around Johnson City. We are a private recruiting firm, we do not dispatch, set, or negotiate Local 538 rates. For current Johnson City scale, dispatch standing, or apprenticeship intake, contact the hall directly.
UA Local 538 runs its own referral procedure and books are signed at the hall, call 423-928-5751 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 538 represents skilled plumbers, pipefitters, and steamfitters serving the Tri-Cities region and surrounding areas of Northeast Tennessee. Headquartered in Johnson City, this local is central to the industrial and commercial infrastructure of the Appalachian Highlands. The membership provides specialized labor for a variety of critical environments, including healthcare facilities, educational institutions, and manufacturing plants.
The market surrounding Johnson City is characterized by a mix of steady institutional growth and a robust industrial base. Local 538 members are instrumental in maintaining the mechanical systems that power the region's economy, from high-pressure steam systems to medical gas installations. The local operates a Joint Apprenticeship and Training Committee (JATC) to ensure that every journeyworker meets rigorous national standards. This commitment to training makes the local a primary labor source for signatory mechanical primes who require a high degree of precision and safety compliance. For contractors, partnering with this local provides access to a scalable, drug-free workforce capable of executing large-scale capital projects or long-term facility maintenance.
Based on the figures effective October 20, 2022, the journeyman hourly rate for UA Local 538 is $33.00. When including the fringe benefit package, the total hourly compensation reaches $44.59. Apprentices in the five-year program typically start at a percentage of the journeyman rate, often beginning around 50% and increasing annually or semi-annually as they complete required classroom hours and on-the-job training milestones. These scheduled increases provide a clear path to the full $33.00 hourly scale. Journeyworkers and apprentices should verify current rates with the union hall, as these figures represent the base building trades scale and may differ for specialized service or residential agreements. The $11.59 difference between the check and the package covers critical health, retirement, and training investments.
The contractor landscape for UA Local 538 is comprised of several long-standing signatory mechanical primes and specialized a mechanical contractor firms. These contractors typically handle the region's largest mechanical contracts, ranging from university expansions to chemical processing plant maintenance. There is also a strong presence of HVAC service contractors who utilize the local's trained technicians for sophisticated climate control and refrigeration work. Hiring activity often follows the cycle of institutional budgets and industrial shutdowns. For tradespeople, this provides a mix of stable, long-term project work and high-intensity short-term industrial assignments. Contractors benefit from a centralized dispatch system that ensures all personnel have the necessary certifications for specialized job site requirements.
Members have access to a variety of United Association certifications, including ASME pressure vessel welding, medical gas installation, and backflow prevention. The training center also offers OSHA safety courses and specialized rigging certifications. These credentials are recognized nationally across all UA locals, allowing for increased mobility and employment opportunities in the industrial sector.
While the local focus is on the Northeast Tennessee market, members in good standing may have the opportunity to travel to other jurisdictions when local work is slow. This is handled through the UA's reciprocal system, allowing members to work for signatory contractors in other states while maintaining their home local benefits and pension credits.
Wage adjustments are determined by the collective bargaining agreement negotiated between the local and signatory contractors. These usually occur annually on a set date, such as October or May. These adjustments account for cost-of-living changes and the competitive landscape of the mechanical construction industry in the Tennessee Valley.
Yes, pipe welding is a core competency of Local 538. Welders who pass specific UA weld tests are highly sought after for industrial projects, particularly in the chemical and manufacturing sectors prevalent in the Kingsport area. The local provides booth time and instructor support for members to maintain and upgrade their welding certifications.
UA Local 538 is seated in Johnson City, Tennessee (TN). We hold published wage sheets for 15 locals across Tennessee, compare nearby scales before you take a call.
Gulfstream Strategic Placements recruits mechanical, electrical and plumbing staff for contractors nationwide, union and open shop. These are markets where we run the most searches: Las Vegas mechanical recruiter · Sacramento mechanical recruiter · Denver mechanical recruiter · Orange County mechanical recruiter. Post a role.
We are a commercial MEP recruiting firm serving Johnson City and the rest of Tennessee, including contractors signatory to UA Local 538. Our office is in South Corona, California and we place 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 to Friday, 7:00 AM to 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 538 pay scale is $33.00 per hour for journeymen in Johnson City, TN, or about $66,000 a year at 2,080 hours. The total package, including employer-paid fringe benefits, is $44.59 per hour. That is the last wage sheet we can source for this local, confirm the current rate with the hall.
UA Local 538 wages: journeyman Plumbers & Pipefitters rate of $33.00 per hour in Johnson City, TN, with a total package of $44.59 per hour including fringe benefits, effective 10/21/22. Apprentices are paid a graduated percentage of that rate. Confirm any increase since 10/21/22 with the UA Local 538 business office.
The UA Local 538 wage sheet on this page lists the journeyman scale of $33.00 per hour ($44.59 per hour total package), effective 10/21/22, plus the apprentice percentage steps. The official sheet is published by the UA Local 538 business office; figures here come from that published schedule, so confirm any increase dated after 10/21/22 with the hall.
Local 538 apprentices earn a graduated percentage of the $33.00 per hour journeyman rate, typically starting near 40 to 50% ($14.85 to $16.50 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 538 JATC, so confirm the current apprentice sheet with the training center.
Journeyman pipefitters under the UA Local 538 agreement make $33.00 an hour in base wages, or $44.59 an hour counting the fringe package, per the wage sheet effective 10/21/22. Overtime, shift premiums, and travel or subsistence pay are added on top under the local's CBA.
$33.00 per hour base wage and $44.59 per hour total package for a journeyman in Johnson City, TN, effective 10/21/22. Annualized at 2,080 hours that is roughly $66,000 before overtime.
A Local 538 apprentice in Johnson City, TN starts at roughly $14.85 an hour, about 45% of the $33.00 journeyman scale, and steps up each period, reaching around $24.75 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 538 has published; confirm the exact schedule with the JATC.
About $14.85 an hour, or roughly $29,700 a year at 2,080 hours, based on the standard 45% first-period step of the $33.00 journeyman rate effective 10/21/22. Apprentices also earn benefit contributions and paid classroom progression; the JATC sets the exact percentage.
Around $21.45 an hour at the standard 65% third-period step, moving to about $24.75 an hour in the fourth period and $33.00 an hour at full journeyman scale. Confirm the published step schedule with the Local 538 training center.
Local 538 wages: $33.00 an hour on the journeyman scale, $44.59 an hour with fringe benefits added, effective 10/21/22. That is the most recent Johnson City, TN sheet we can source; rates move with each contract cycle, so confirm with the hall before quoting.
Yes, a one-page printable UA Local 538 rate sheet is available at /rate-sheets/ua-local-538-pay-scale.pdf, showing the $33.00 hourly scale, the $44.59 total package and the 10/21/22 effective date, with the source it was read from. It is a free download, no sign-up needed.
The current UA Local 538 journeyman rate is $33.00/hour, with a total package of $44.59/hour including fringe benefits, effective 10/21/22. At 2,080 hours that works out to roughly $66,000 per year in base wages before overtime. Rates change with each CBA cycle, confirm with the Local 538 business office before relying on the figure.
The $33.00/hour figure is the base journeyman wage that lands on the paycheck. The $44.59/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 538 agreement are paid a graduated percentage of the journeyman rate, typically starting near 40 to 50% in the first period and stepping up each six-month or annual period until reaching 100% at turnout. Against the current $33.00/hour journeyman rate, a first-period apprentice would be in the $14.85 to $16.50/hour range. The exact percentage schedule is set by the local's JATC.
UA Local 538 is headquartered in Johnson City, TN 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 538 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 538 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 538 training center directly.
Plumbers & Pipefitters apprenticeships generally run four to five years, roughly 8,000 to 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 538 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 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 10/21/22 schedule; check with the Local 538 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 538 against neighboring jurisdictions and other plumbers & pipefitters markets.
Yes, the openings section on this page lists current plumbers & pipefitters roles near Johnson City, TN, 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 538 business office.
The UA Local 538 hall is at 2404 S Roan St Johnson City, TN 37601, serving Johnson City, TN and the surrounding jurisdiction. Hall phone: 423-928-5751.
UA Local 538 runs its own referral procedure and books are signed at the hall. Call the hall at 423-928-5751 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 538 can be reached at 423-928-5751. 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 538's current application window and requirements, contact the hall at 423-928-5751.
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 423-928-5751.
We haven't found an official source for UA Local 538's dues or membership rules. To confirm, contact the hall at 423-928-5751.
We haven't found an official source for UA Local 538's member benefits. To confirm, contact the hall at 423-928-5751.
Coverage unverified, contact the hall. No reviewed published boundary is held for this local; office location does not establish jurisdiction.
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No comparable official rate held. No trade average or another hall’s rate is substituted.
Confirm the current agreement, classification, zone and effective schedule with the hall; a package is not take-home pay.
Membership fees, dues and admission rules are not verified in our held official records. Confirm directly with the hall.
Rates and sources · Membership and apprenticeship · Official hall contact · Send a recruiting inquiry to Gulfstream · Compare Rates
Recruiting inquiries go to Gulfstream, not UA Local 538. Membership, dispatch and apprenticeship applications must go directly to the hall. Gulfstream is union-independent and recruits for commercial mechanical, electrical and plumbing contractors.
We fill union-covered and salaried roles for union and merit-shop mechanical contractors: project managers, superintendents, estimators and service staff. Hall dispatch stays with the local.