Journeyman pipefitters under UA Local 597 in Chicago, IL earn $55/hr in base wages, or $93.62/hr as a total package with fringe benefits, effective Jun 2023. 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 597 pay scale is $55.00 per hour for journeymen in Chicago, IL, or about $110,000 a year at 2,080 hours. The total package, including employer-paid fringe benefits, is $93.62 per hour. That is the last wage sheet we can source for this local, confirm the current rate with the hall.
| Local 597 journeyman hourly wage | $55.00 / hour |
|---|---|
| Total package (wage + fringe benefits) | $93.62 / hour |
| Annualized at 2,080 hours (base wage) | $110,000 / year |
| First-period apprentice (≈45 to 50% of scale) | $24.75 to $27.50 / hour |
| Wage sheet effective | 06/01/2023 |
| Classification | Pipefitter (Cook County determination) |
Apply now | Gulfstream places plumbers & pipefitters candidates with mechanical contractors. These are direct-hire contractor roles, not union dispatch.
A Local 597 apprentice in Chicago, IL starts at roughly $24.75 an hour, about 45% of the $55.00 journeyman scale, and steps up each period, reaching around $41.25 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 597 has published; confirm the exact schedule with the JATC.
| 1st period (year 1) | 45% of scale | $24.75 / hour | $49,500 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2nd period (year 2) | 55% of scale | $30.25 / hour | $60,500 |
| 3rd period (year 3) | 65% of scale | $35.75 / hour | $71,500 |
| 4th period (year 4) | 75% of scale | $41.25 / hour | $82,500 |
| 5th period (year 5) | 85% of scale | $46.75 / hour | $93,500 |
| Journeyman (turned out) | 100% of scale | $55.00 / hour | $110,000 |
Active Gulfstream trade listings in the local's state, with Chicago 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 597 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 597 pay rates and union rules
UA Local 597 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 597 wages for 2023: $55.00 an hour on the journeyman scale, $93.62 an hour with fringe benefits added, effective 06/01/2023. That is the most recent Chicago, IL sheet we can source; rates move with each contract cycle, so confirm with the hall before quoting.
Roughly 41% of the UA Local 597 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. DOL Davis-Bacon determination IL20260009, rev. 3
Download the UA Local 597 pay scale (PDF), one-page printable rate sheet, effective June 1, 2023.
| Benefit & fringe contributions | $38.62/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 597 scale used across the Chicago, IL 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 Chicago 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, electrical, plumbing, piping, sheet metal and building automation contractors in and around Chicago. We are a private recruiting firm, we do not dispatch, set, or negotiate Local 597 rates. For current Chicago scale, dispatch standing, or apprenticeship intake, contact the hall directly.
UA Local 597 runs its own referral procedure and books are signed at the hall, call 312-829-4191 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.
Pipefitters Local 597 represents the pipefitting industry in the Chicago metropolitan area and across Northwest Indiana. The local covers a diverse array of specialized scopes including heating, air conditioning, refrigeration, and process piping systems. Because the Chicago market is a hub for industrial manufacturing, pharmaceutical production, and high-rise commercial development, the demand for highly skilled pipefitters remains consistent.
The strength of Local 597 lies in its centralized dispatch and robust training infrastructure, which supports both the building trades and service sectors. In this region, the pipefitting trade is distinct from plumbing, focusing heavily on hydronic systems, steam power, and industrial chemical transport. The local works in tandem with the Mechanical Contractors Association of Chicago to maintain a stable labor-management environment. For contractors, this relationship provides a predictable labor cost structure and a reliable pipeline of certified welders and HVACR technicians. For the tradesperson, the local offers a clear career path through an intensive five-year apprenticeship that transforms entry-level applicants into master-level journeypersons recognized throughout the industry since 2014.
Effective June 15, 2025, the journeyman hourly rate for UA Local 597 is established at $58.50, contributing to a total compensation package of $98.00 per hour when including fringes. This total package represents the employer's full cost of labor and the member's comprehensive benefit value. Apprentices progress through a multi-year wage schedule, typically starting at a set percentage of the journeyman rate—often beginning around 40-45% and increasing annually or bi-annually as they complete required classroom hours and on-the-job training milestones. By the fifth year, apprentices earn a significantly higher percentage as they approach full journeyman status. These incremental raises are contingent upon satisfactory performance in the JATC program and documented work hours, ensuring that pay increases are commensurate with the individual's growing technical proficiency and field experience.
The contractor landscape for Local 597 is comprised of a wide range of signatory employers, from massive multi-national mechanical firms to specialized local service shops. These contractors operate primarily in the commercial and industrial sectors, handling large-scale HVAC installations and complex process piping for the region's heavy industry. The service sector is also a major component, with many signatory firms focusing exclusively on the long-term maintenance of refrigeration and climate control systems in Chicago's skyline. Hiring is typically managed through the union's referral system, though service technicians often find long-term stability with a single contractor. The diversity of the signatory pool provides members with opportunities in diverse environments, including cleanrooms, power houses, and commercial construction sites.
While both fall under the Local 597 umbrella, Pipefitters generally focus on the installation of new piping systems and heavy industrial welding on construction sites. Service Technicians focus on the maintenance, diagnostic repair, and emergency service of existing HVACR systems in commercial and industrial buildings. The apprenticeship tracks for these two paths involve different specialized coursework tailored to their specific field applications.
No, you do not need a pre-existing welding certification to join the apprenticeship. The JATC provides comprehensive welding training in various processes, including TIG and Stick, allowing apprentices to earn their UA certifications as they progress. However, experienced welders looking to organize into the union may be required to pass a weld test as part of their entry or placement process.
Wage rates for Local 597 are typically negotiated in multi-year Collective Bargaining Agreements. These agreements usually include scheduled annual increases to the total package, which are then allocated between the check and various fringe funds by a vote of the membership. The June 15th effective date is the standard anniversary for these economic adjustments in this jurisdiction.
Travel cards and permanent transfers are governed by the United Association Constitution. A member in good standing from another local may work in 597's jurisdiction if there is a shortage of local labor, but permanent transfers (travel cards) usually require the approval of the Business Manager and are dependent on the current work outlook and the member's specific skill set.
UA Local 597 is seated in Chicago, Illinois (IL). We hold published wage sheets for 42 locals across Illinois, compare nearby scales before you take a call.
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We are a commercial MEP recruiting firm serving Chicago and the rest of Illinois, including contractors signatory to UA Local 597. Our office is in South Corona, California and we place 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 597 pay scale is $55.00 per hour for journeymen in Chicago, IL, or about $110,000 a year at 2,080 hours. The total package, including employer-paid fringe benefits, is $93.62 per hour. That is the last wage sheet we can source for this local, confirm the current rate with the hall.
UA Local 597 wages: journeyman Plumbers & Pipefitters rate of $55.00 per hour in Chicago, IL, with a total package of $93.62 per hour including fringe benefits, effective 06/01/2023. Apprentices are paid a graduated percentage of that rate. Confirm any increase since 06/01/2023 with the UA Local 597 business office.
The UA Local 597 wage sheet on this page lists the journeyman scale of $55.00 per hour ($93.62 per hour total package), effective 06/01/2023, plus the apprentice percentage steps. The official sheet is published by the UA Local 597 business office; figures here come from that published schedule, so confirm any increase dated after 06/01/2023 with the hall.
Local 597 apprentices earn a graduated percentage of the $55.00 per hour journeyman rate, typically starting near 40 to 50% ($24.75 to $27.50 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 597 JATC, so confirm the current apprentice sheet with the training center.
Journeyman pipefitters under the UA Local 597 agreement make $55.00 an hour in base wages, or $93.62 an hour counting the fringe package, per the wage sheet effective 06/01/2023. Overtime, shift premiums, and travel or subsistence pay are added on top under the local's CBA.
$55.00 per hour base wage and $93.62 per hour total package for a journeyman in Chicago, IL, effective 06/01/2023. Annualized at 2,080 hours that is roughly $110,000 before overtime.
A Local 597 apprentice in Chicago, IL starts at roughly $24.75 an hour, about 45% of the $55.00 journeyman scale, and steps up each period, reaching around $41.25 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 597 has published; confirm the exact schedule with the JATC.
About $24.75 an hour, or roughly $49,500 a year at 2,080 hours, based on the standard 45% first-period step of the $55.00 journeyman rate effective 06/01/2023. Apprentices also earn benefit contributions and paid classroom progression; the JATC sets the exact percentage.
Around $35.75 an hour at the standard 65% third-period step, moving to about $41.25 an hour in the fourth period and $55.00 an hour at full journeyman scale. Confirm the published step schedule with the Local 597 training center.
Local 597 wages for 2023: $55.00 an hour on the journeyman scale, $93.62 an hour with fringe benefits added, effective 06/01/2023. That is the most recent Chicago, IL sheet we can source; rates move with each contract cycle, so confirm with the hall before quoting.
The current published UA Local 597 journeyman rate is $55.00 an hour ($93.62 total package), effective 06/01/2023, roughly $110,000 a year at 2,080 hours before overtime. It is the rate in force for 2023 unless the local has since ratified a new agreement.
Yes, a one-page printable UA Local 597 rate sheet is available at /rate-sheets/ua-local-597-pay-scale.pdf, showing the $55.00 hourly scale, the $93.62 total package and the 06/01/2023 effective date, with the source it was read from. It is a free download, no sign-up needed.
The current UA Local 597 journeyman rate is $55.00/hour, with a total package of $93.62/hour including fringe benefits, effective 06/01/2023. At 2,080 hours that works out to roughly $110,000 per year in base wages before overtime. Rates change with each CBA cycle, confirm with the Local 597 business office before relying on the figure.
The $55.00/hour figure is the base journeyman wage that lands on the paycheck. The $93.62/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 597 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 $55.00/hour journeyman rate, a first-period apprentice would be in the $24.75 to $27.50/hour range. The exact percentage schedule is set by the local's JATC.
UA Local 597 is headquartered in Chicago, IL 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 597 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 597 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 597 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 597 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 06/01/2023 schedule; check with the Local 597 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 597 against neighboring jurisdictions and other plumbers & pipefitters markets.
Yes, the openings section on this page lists current plumbers & pipefitters roles near Chicago, IL, 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 597 business office.
The UA Local 597 hall is at 45 N Ogden Ave Chicago, IL 60607, serving Chicago, IL and the surrounding jurisdiction. Hall phone: 312-829-4191.
UA Local 597 runs its own referral procedure and books are signed at the hall. Call the hall at 312-829-4191 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 597 can be reached at 312-829-4191. 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 597's current application window and requirements, contact the hall at 312-829-4191.
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 312-829-4191.
We haven't found an official source for UA Local 597's dues or membership rules. To confirm, contact the hall at 312-829-4191.
We haven't found an official source for UA Local 597's member benefits. To confirm, contact the hall at 312-829-4191.
UA Local 597's sourced pipefitter (cook county determination) union rate is $55.00/hr in base wages and $93.62/hr for the total package, effective June 1, 2023. The rate applies to the listed classification and source area; apprentice, foreman and specialty classifications may differ.
$55.00/hr in base wages for pipefitter (cook county determination), or $93.62/hr counting employer-paid benefits and fringes, effective June 1, 2023 per the U.S. DOL Davis-Bacon determination IL20260009, rev. 3 wage determination.
June 1, 2023. U.S. DOL Davis-Bacon determination IL20260009, rev. 3 still carries this rate, but the negotiated line is over three years old and a new CBA cycle is almost certainly in force. Treat it as a floor, not a quote, call the local for the current step.
No, the $55.00/hr base is wages only. Employers contribute roughly $38.62/hr more per hour worked to health and welfare, pension, annuity and training funds, which is the difference between the base and the $93.62/hr package.
No. Gulfstream Strategic Placements is a private MEP 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.
Stale, verify, last cross-checked against the source on Oct 5, 2026 (1 month ago). Always confirm the current step with the hall before relying on it for an offer.
Coverage unverified, contact the hall. No reviewed published boundary is held for this local; office location does not establish jurisdiction.
Coverage map and city lookup · Hall contact
Pipefitter (Cook County determination) · Effective 06/01/2023 · Base wage $55.00/hr · Published package $93.62/hr
U.S. DOL Davis-Bacon determination IL20260009, rev. 3
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 597. 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.