Journeyman pipefitters under UA Local 55 in Cleveland, OH earn $44.86/hr in base wages, or $73.46/hr as a total package with fringe benefits, effective Dec 2025.
UA Local 55 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 55 pay scale for 2026 is $44.86 per hour for journeymen in Cleveland, OH, or about $89,720 a year at 2,080 hours. The total package, including employer-paid fringe benefits, is $73.46 per hour. That is the rate in force for 2026, effective 12/6/25.
| Local 55 journeyman hourly wage | $44.86 / hour |
|---|---|
| Total package (wage + fringe benefits) | $73.46 / hour |
| Annualized at 2,080 hours (base wage) | $89,720 / year |
| First-period apprentice (≈45–50% of scale) | $20.19–$22.43 / hour |
| Wage sheet effective | 12/6/25 |
| Classification | Plumbers |
A Local 55 apprentice in Cleveland, OH starts at roughly $20.19 an hour — about 45% of the $44.86 journeyman scale — and steps up each period, reaching around $33.64 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 55 has published; confirm the exact schedule with the JATC.
| 1st period (year 1) | 45% of scale | $20.19 / hour | $40,374 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2nd period (year 2) | 55% of scale | $24.67 / hour | $49,346 |
| 3rd period (year 3) | 65% of scale | $29.16 / hour | $58,318 |
| 4th period (year 4) | 75% of scale | $33.64 / hour | $67,290 |
| 5th period (year 5) | 85% of scale | $38.13 / hour | $76,262 |
| Journeyman (turned out) | 100% of scale | $44.86 / hour | $89,720 |
UA Local 55 runs its own referral procedure and books are signed at the hall — call 216-459-0099 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 55 serves as the primary labor organization for the plumbing trade within the greater Cleveland metropolitan area and surrounding Northeast Ohio counties. Since 2014, our firm has observed the critical role this local plays in maintaining the skilled labor pool required for the region’s complex healthcare, commercial, and residential infrastructure. The market is defined by a rigorous focus on technical proficiency, specifically regarding the installation and maintenance of sanitary drainage, storm piping, domestic water systems, and specialized gas delivery. Members operate under a collective bargaining agreement that ensures uniform quality standards across all signatory job sites in the Cuyahoga County region.
The Cleveland market is unique due to its dense concentration of medical facilities and aging industrial assets that require constant renovation and modernization. UA Local 55 members provide the essential technical expertise for large-scale institutional projects, ensuring that plumbing systems meet strict Ohio building codes and public health requirements. For contractors, the local represents a streamlined source of pre-vetted, highly trained manpower that can scale according to project demands. For the tradesperson, it offers a structured career path with clear wage benchmarks and robust benefit protections that are among the most competitive in the Midwest construction industry, particularly when considering the regional cost of living.
Effective December 6, 2025, the Journeyman hourly rate for UA Local 55 is established at $44.86, with a total taxable and fringe package reaching $73.46 per hour. This significant $28.60 difference covers essential employer-paid benefits. Apprentices enter the program at a percentage of the journeyman rate—often starting near 45% to 50%—and receive incremental raises every six to twelve months as they complete required classroom hours and on-the-job training milestones. By the fifth and final year, an apprentice typically earns 80% to 90% of the full scale. This progression ensures that labor costs for signatory contractors remain proportional to the skill level and productivity of the workforce on site, while providing a clear financial incentive for apprentices to reach full licensure.
The jurisdiction for UA Local 55 is centered in Cleveland and covers the entirety of Cuyahoga County, along with designated portions of surrounding Northeast Ohio territories as defined by the United Association charter. The local manages dispatch for all plumbing-related work, including commercial new construction, industrial maintenance, and large-scale residential developments. Members are expected to travel within this footprint to various job sites, ranging from the downtown Cleveland core to the suburban periphery. The agreement covers the installation, assembly, and service of all piping systems used for water, waste, and gas, as well as the fixtures and appliances connected to these systems in compliance with the local plumbing code.
The signatory landscape for UA Local 55 includes a diverse mix of large-scale mechanical primes, specialized plumbing subcontractors, and service-oriented firms. These contractors handle everything from multi-story hospital expansions and university renovations to municipal utility projects and high-rise residential plumbing stacks. Hiring typically follows the project cycle, with significant spikes in demand during the spring and summer construction seasons. Because the local provides a standardized training curriculum through the JATC, signatory contractors can bid on complex technical projects with the assurance that their field labor possesses current certifications in medical gas, welding, and backflow prevention, reducing the risk of code violations or rework.
While both operate in the Cleveland market, UA Local 55 specifically represents the plumbing trade. UA Local 120 represents pipefitters, HVAC service technicians, and sprinklers fitters. If your work involves domestic water, sanitary systems, or medical gas fixtures, you typically fall under Local 55's jurisdiction. Many large projects will have members from both locals working side-by-side for the same mechanical contractor.
Yes, experienced plumbers working for non-signatory contractors can often join through a process known as organizing. The local's business agents evaluate the individual's years of experience and current licensure level. Depending on the evaluation and current market demand, an experienced plumber may be brought in at a journeyman or advanced apprentice level to fill immediate needs at signatory firms.
The Joint Apprenticeship and Training Committee emphasizes the Ohio Plumbing License, ASSE Medical Gas certification, and Backflow Prevention testing. Because of Cleveland's large healthcare sector, having a Med-Gas card is a significant asset for dispatch. The program also provides safety training including OSHA 30, rigging, and aerial lift operation to ensure all members meet modern job site safety requirements.
The $44.86 journeyman rate is the taxable hourly wage reflected on a paycheck. The total package of $73.46 includes an additional $28.60 per hour in employer-paid fringes. These fringes are not deducted from the hourly wage; they are paid by the contractor on top of the wage to fund healthcare and retirement. This represents a substantial indirect compensation that is often overlooked in non-union comparisons.
UA Local 55 is seated in Cleveland, Ohio (OH). We hold published wage sheets for 30 locals across Ohio — compare nearby scales before you take a call.
We are a mechanical, plumbing and electrical construction recruiting firm serving Cleveland and the rest of Ohio, including contractors signatory to UA Local 55. 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 55 pay scale for 2026 is $44.86 per hour for journeymen in Cleveland, OH, or about $89,720 a year at 2,080 hours. The total package, including employer-paid fringe benefits, is $73.46 per hour. That is the rate in force for 2026, effective 12/6/25.
Journeyman pipefitters under the UA Local 55 agreement make $44.86 an hour in base wages, or $73.46 an hour counting the fringe package, per the wage sheet effective 12/6/25. Overtime, shift premiums, and travel or subsistence pay are added on top under the local's CBA.
$44.86 per hour base wage and $73.46 per hour total package for a journeyman in Cleveland, OH, effective 12/6/25. Annualized at 2,080 hours that is roughly $89,720 before overtime.
A Local 55 apprentice in Cleveland, OH starts at roughly $20.19 an hour — about 45% of the $44.86 journeyman scale — and steps up each period, reaching around $33.64 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 55 has published; confirm the exact schedule with the JATC.
About $20.19 an hour, or roughly $40,374 a year at 2,080 hours, based on the standard 45% first-period step of the $44.86 journeyman rate effective 12/6/25. Apprentices also earn benefit contributions and paid classroom progression; the JATC sets the exact percentage.
Around $29.16 an hour at the standard 65% third-period step, moving to about $33.64 an hour in the fourth period and $44.86 an hour at full journeyman scale. Confirm the published step schedule with the Local 55 training center.
The current UA Local 55 journeyman rate is $44.86/hour, with a total package of $73.46/hour including fringe benefits, effective 12/6/25. At 2,080 hours that works out to roughly $89,720 per year in base wages before overtime. Rates change with each CBA cycle — confirm with the Local 55 business office before relying on the figure.
The $44.86/hour figure is the base journeyman wage that lands on the paycheck. The $73.46/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 55 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 $44.86/hour journeyman rate, a first-period apprentice would be in the $20.19–$22.43/hour range. The exact percentage schedule is set by the local's JATC.
UA Local 55 is headquartered in Cleveland, OH 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 55 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 55 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 55 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 55 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 12/6/25 schedule; check with the Local 55 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 55 against neighboring jurisdictions and other plumbers & pipefitters markets.
The UA Local 55 hall is at 980 Keynote Cr Brooklyn Heights, OH 44131, serving Cleveland, OH and the surrounding jurisdiction. Hall phone: 216-459-0099.
UA Local 55 runs its own referral procedure and books are signed at the hall. Call the hall at 216-459-0099 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 55 can be reached at 216-459-0099. Contact details are imported from the union's public directory listing — confirm hours with the hall.