Journeyman pipefitters under UA Local 625 in Charleston, WV earn $34.54/hr in base wages, or $52.13/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.
UA Local 625 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 625 pay scale is $34.54 per hour for journeymen in Charleston, WV, or about $69,080 a year at 2,080 hours. The total package, including employer-paid fringe benefits, is $52.13 per hour. That is the last wage sheet we can source for this local — confirm the current rate with the hall.
| Local 625 journeyman hourly wage | $34.54 / hour |
|---|---|
| Total package (wage + fringe benefits) | $52.13 / hour |
| Annualized at 2,080 hours (base wage) | $69,080 / year |
| First-period apprentice (≈45–50% of scale) | $15.54–$17.27 / hour |
| Wage sheet effective | 10/21/22 |
| Classification | Combo |
A Local 625 apprentice in Charleston, WV starts at roughly $15.54 an hour — about 45% of the $34.54 journeyman scale — and steps up each period, reaching around $25.91 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 625 has published; confirm the exact schedule with the JATC.
| 1st period (year 1) | 45% of scale | $15.54 / hour | $31,086 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2nd period (year 2) | 55% of scale | $19.00 / hour | $37,994 |
| 3rd period (year 3) | 65% of scale | $22.45 / hour | $44,902 |
| 4th period (year 4) | 75% of scale | $25.91 / hour | $51,810 |
| 5th period (year 5) | 85% of scale | $29.36 / hour | $58,718 |
| Journeyman (turned out) | 100% of scale | $34.54 / hour | $69,080 |
UA Local 625 runs its own referral procedure and books are signed at the hall — call 304-744-3881 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.
UA Local 625 represents the skilled plumbing and pipefitting workforce across the greater Charleston, West Virginia metropolitan area. Since 2014, our recruitment team has tracked the evolution of this local as a critical labor provider for the Kanawha Valley's industrial and commercial sectors. The local serves as the primary source for certified welders, licensed plumbers, and HVAC-R technicians who maintain the region's essential infrastructure. Because Charleston serves as a hub for chemical processing and state government operations, the demand for Union labor in this territory remains consistent for both new construction and long-term facility maintenance.
The market covered by Local 625 is characterized by a high concentration of industrial activity along the Kanawha River, requiring specialized piping expertise for complex processing plants. Beyond industrial work, the local provides manpower for healthcare expansions, educational facilities, and large-scale public works projects. Members are trained at the local's Joint Apprenticeship and Training Committee facility to ensure they meet rigorous safety and technical standards. This commitment to training makes Local 625 a vital partner for signatory mechanical contractors looking to staff projects with a workforce that minimizes liability and maximizes productivity in a high-stakes environment.
["Based on the scale effective October 21, 2022, the journeyman hourly rate for UA Local 625 is $34.54, with a total package of $52.13 when including fringe benefits. This $17.59 difference covers essential employer-paid contributions to pension, healthcare, and training funds. Apprentices enter the program at a percentage of the journeyman rate, typically starting around 45% to 50% and receiving incremental raises every year or 1,000 hours worked. Progression is contingent upon both successful on-the-job training and the completion of classroom modules. By the final year of the five-year apprenticeship, a member's wage closely approximates the full journeyman rate, ensuring a sustainable path to middle-class earnings in the West Virginia market."]
["The jurisdiction for UA Local 625 is centered in Charleston, West Virginia, and extends throughout several surrounding counties in the state's central and western portions. This territory includes the heavy industrial corridors and the state capital district, where members are dispatched to various jobsites under the master labor agreement. The local manages dispatch for a wide array of work, including high-pressure steam systems, medical gas piping in regional hospitals, and domestic water systems. Contractors operating within this footprint must adhere to the local's work rules, which govern travel pay, shift differentials, and overtime rates to ensure uniform labor costs across the jurisdictional boundary."]
["The signatory contractor landscape for UA Local 625 consists of a mix of regional mechanical primes and specialized industrial piping firms. These companies primarily focus on heavy industrial maintenance within the chemical plants and refineries that dot the Kanawha Valley, as well as commercial HVAC and plumbing for public sector buildings. Hiring typically fluctuates based on major plant shutdowns and the legislative budget for capital improvements. Because the local provides a deep bench of ASME-certified welders and licensed professionals, signatory contractors are well-positioned to bid on projects requiring high levels of certification and safety compliance that non-union firms may struggle to staff."]
UA Local 625 represents a diverse group of pipe trades professionals including plumbers, pipefitters, steamfitters, and HVAC-R technicians. Their members work on everything from residential service and high-rise commercial plumbing to complex industrial piping systems in the chemical and energy sectors found throughout the Charleston metro area.
While having a state license is beneficial, it is not a prerequisite for entering the apprenticeship. The JATC program is designed to provide the necessary hours and education required to sit for the West Virginia Journeyman Plumber exam. Experienced workers seeking to transfer as journeymen must typically demonstrate proof of licensure or equivalent experience.
Wage rates are determined by the Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) negotiated between the union and signatory contractors. These usually feature scheduled annual increases. The current journeyman rate of $34.54 was established in October 2022; members should check for subsequent circulars that may have updated these figures.
Yes, Local 625 maintains a rigorous training and certification program for various welding processes, including TIG, MIG, and Stick welding on different alloys. These UA certifications are nationally recognized and are often a requirement for members working in the industrial plants and refineries within the local's jurisdiction.
UA Local 625 is seated in Charleston, West Virginia (WV). We hold published wage sheets for 8 locals across West Virginia — compare nearby scales before you take a call.
We are a mechanical, plumbing and electrical construction recruiting firm serving Charleston and the rest of West Virginia, including contractors signatory to UA Local 625. 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 625 pay scale is $34.54 per hour for journeymen in Charleston, WV, or about $69,080 a year at 2,080 hours. The total package, including employer-paid fringe benefits, is $52.13 per hour. That is the last wage sheet we can source for this local — confirm the current rate with the hall.
Journeyman pipefitters under the UA Local 625 agreement make $34.54 an hour in base wages, or $52.13 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.
$34.54 per hour base wage and $52.13 per hour total package for a journeyman in Charleston, WV, effective 10/21/22. Annualized at 2,080 hours that is roughly $69,080 before overtime.
A Local 625 apprentice in Charleston, WV starts at roughly $15.54 an hour — about 45% of the $34.54 journeyman scale — and steps up each period, reaching around $25.91 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 625 has published; confirm the exact schedule with the JATC.
About $15.54 an hour, or roughly $31,086 a year at 2,080 hours, based on the standard 45% first-period step of the $34.54 journeyman rate effective 10/21/22. Apprentices also earn benefit contributions and paid classroom progression; the JATC sets the exact percentage.
Around $22.45 an hour at the standard 65% third-period step, moving to about $25.91 an hour in the fourth period and $34.54 an hour at full journeyman scale. Confirm the published step schedule with the Local 625 training center.
The current UA Local 625 journeyman rate is $34.54/hour, with a total package of $52.13/hour including fringe benefits, effective 10/21/22. At 2,080 hours that works out to roughly $69,080 per year in base wages before overtime. Rates change with each CBA cycle — confirm with the Local 625 business office before relying on the figure.
The $34.54/hour figure is the base journeyman wage that lands on the paycheck. The $52.13/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 625 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 $34.54/hour journeyman rate, a first-period apprentice would be in the $15.54–$17.27/hour range. The exact percentage schedule is set by the local's JATC.
UA Local 625 is headquartered in Charleston, WV 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 625 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 625 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 625 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 625 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 10/21/22 schedule; check with the Local 625 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 625 against neighboring jurisdictions and other plumbers & pipefitters markets.
The UA Local 625 hall is at 3611 James St Charleston, WV 25387, serving Charleston, WV and the surrounding jurisdiction. Hall phone: 304-744-3881.
UA Local 625 runs its own referral procedure and books are signed at the hall. Call the hall at 304-744-3881 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 625 can be reached at 304-744-3881. Contact details are imported from the union's public directory listing — confirm hours with the hall.