Journeyman pipefitters under UA Local 669 in Columbia, MD earn $60.67/hr in base wages, or $91.52/hr as a total package with fringe benefits, effective Apr 2025.
UA Local 669 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 669 pay scale for 2026 is $60.67 per hour for journeymen in Columbia, MD, or about $121,340 a year at 2,080 hours. The total package, including employer-paid fringe benefits, is $91.52 per hour. That is the rate in force for 2026, effective 4/19/25.
| Local 669 journeyman hourly wage | $60.67 / hour |
|---|---|
| Total package (wage + fringe benefits) | $91.52 / hour |
| Annualized at 2,080 hours (base wage) | $121,340 / year |
| First-period apprentice (≈45–50% of scale) | $27.30–$30.34 / hour |
| Wage sheet effective | 4/19/25 |
A Local 669 apprentice in Columbia, MD starts at roughly $27.30 an hour — about 45% of the $60.67 journeyman scale — and steps up each period, reaching around $45.50 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 669 has published; confirm the exact schedule with the JATC.
| 1st period (year 1) | 45% of scale | $27.30 / hour | $54,603 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2nd period (year 2) | 55% of scale | $33.37 / hour | $66,737 |
| 3rd period (year 3) | 65% of scale | $39.44 / hour | $78,871 |
| 4th period (year 4) | 75% of scale | $45.50 / hour | $91,005 |
| 5th period (year 5) | 85% of scale | $51.57 / hour | $103,139 |
| Journeyman (turned out) | 100% of scale | $60.67 / hour | $121,340 |
UA Local 669 runs its own referral procedure and books are signed at the hall — call 410-381-4300 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 669, headquartered in Columbia, Maryland, is a unique road local within the UA that represents sprinkler fitters across the vast majority of the United States. Unlike traditional territorial locals that cover specific metropolitan counties, Local 669 is chartered to provide skilled fire protection labor in areas not served by independent sprinkler fitter locals. This creates a standardized environment for life safety installations, ensuring that commercial, industrial, and residential fire suppression systems meet rigorous NFPA standards. The local operates through a series of districts, coordinating with signatory contractors to deploy manpower to job sites ranging from rural industrial facilities to major suburban commercial developments.
The market for Local 669 is fundamentally driven by building codes and insurance requirements that mandate fire suppression systems. Because fire protection is a highly specialized trade within the broader pipefitting industry, Local 669 members focus exclusively on the installation, maintenance, and inspection of wet, dry, pre-action, and deluge systems. Signatory contractors rely on this local for a mobile, highly trained workforce capable of executing complex piping projects across diverse geographical regions. For the skilled tradesperson, joining Local 669 offers the stability of a national agreement combined with the specialized expertise required in the fire protection sector, which remains resilient regardless of broader economic fluctuations in general construction.
As of April 19, 2025, the journeyman hourly rate for UA Local 669 is established at $60.67, with a comprehensive total package reaching $91.52 when fringes are included. This rate represents the standard for skilled sprinkler fitters under the national agreement, though specific site conditions or project types may influence total compensation. Apprentices in Local 669 follow a structured five-year progression, typically beginning at a percentage of the journeyman rate—often around 45% to 50% for first-year trainees. These wages increase in predictable steps as the apprentice completes required related instruction hours and on-the-job training milestones. By the final year of the apprenticeship, workers earn significantly closer to the full journeyman scale, reflecting their increased competency in installing and testing life safety systems across the jurisdiction.
The jurisdiction of UA Local 669 is expansive, covering large portions of the United States where no other autonomous UA sprinkler local holds a charter. Headquartered in Maryland, the local manages labor across dozens of states, divided into administrative districts to handle dispatch and member services. The work covered under this jurisdiction includes the installation, service, and repair of all fire protection and fire control systems. This encompasses overhead and underground piping, standpipes, and chemical suppression systems. Members are often required to travel to job sites within their district, as the 'road local' nature of 669 means work is frequently located outside of major metropolitan hubs where local-only unions typically operate.
The signatory contractor landscape for UA Local 669 is comprised of specialized fire protection firms ranging from national multi-state corporations to regional family-owned service providers. These contractors primarily engage in the design-build and installation phases of new construction, as well as the recurring inspection and maintenance contracts required by local fire marshals. Because the fire protection trade is distinct from general plumbing or HVAC, these firms maintain dedicated fabrication shops and design teams. Hiring typically follows project cycles, with large-scale industrial projects requiring significant manning, while service-oriented signatories maintain a steady demand for technicians capable of troubleshooting and system testing in existing facilities.
As a road local, UA Local 669 covers vast territories rather than a single city. Members should expect to travel within their designated district to reach project sites. This structure allows the union to maintain high labor standards in areas that wouldn't support a standalone local, providing members with a wider variety of job opportunities across different regions.
Local 669 wages are negotiated through a national agreement, which may differ from the localized rates of a metropolitan Plumbers & Pipefitters local. However, the total package of $91.52 effective in 2025 ensures that sprinkler fitters receive professional-grade compensation and benefits that are competitive with other major building trades in the Maryland and national markets.
Yes, sprinkler fitting is highly regulated. In addition to the UA apprenticeship, many states require specific licenses to install or inspect fire suppression systems. Local 669's JATC provides the necessary training for NFPA certifications, backflow prevention, and specialized equipment operation, ensuring all members meet state and federal safety requirements for life safety work.
Transferring is possible through the standard UA travel card or transfer card process, provided there is sufficient work in the destination district and the member is in good standing. Because 669 is a specialized sprinkler local, members from general pipefitting backgrounds may need to demonstrate specific competency in fire protection systems before being dispatched as a journeyman sprinkler fitter.
UA Local 669 is seated in Columbia, Maryland (MD). We hold published wage sheets for 6 locals across Maryland — compare nearby scales before you take a call.
We are a mechanical, plumbing and electrical construction recruiting firm serving Columbia and the rest of Maryland, including contractors signatory to UA Local 669. 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 669 pay scale for 2026 is $60.67 per hour for journeymen in Columbia, MD, or about $121,340 a year at 2,080 hours. The total package, including employer-paid fringe benefits, is $91.52 per hour. That is the rate in force for 2026, effective 4/19/25.
Journeyman pipefitters under the UA Local 669 agreement make $60.67 an hour in base wages, or $91.52 an hour counting the fringe package, per the wage sheet effective 4/19/25. Overtime, shift premiums, and travel or subsistence pay are added on top under the local's CBA.
$60.67 per hour base wage and $91.52 per hour total package for a journeyman in Columbia, MD, effective 4/19/25. Annualized at 2,080 hours that is roughly $121,340 before overtime.
A Local 669 apprentice in Columbia, MD starts at roughly $27.30 an hour — about 45% of the $60.67 journeyman scale — and steps up each period, reaching around $45.50 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 669 has published; confirm the exact schedule with the JATC.
About $27.30 an hour, or roughly $54,603 a year at 2,080 hours, based on the standard 45% first-period step of the $60.67 journeyman rate effective 4/19/25. Apprentices also earn benefit contributions and paid classroom progression; the JATC sets the exact percentage.
Around $39.44 an hour at the standard 65% third-period step, moving to about $45.50 an hour in the fourth period and $60.67 an hour at full journeyman scale. Confirm the published step schedule with the Local 669 training center.
The current UA Local 669 journeyman rate is $60.67/hour, with a total package of $91.52/hour including fringe benefits, effective 4/19/25. At 2,080 hours that works out to roughly $121,340 per year in base wages before overtime. Rates change with each CBA cycle — confirm with the Local 669 business office before relying on the figure.
The $60.67/hour figure is the base journeyman wage that lands on the paycheck. The $91.52/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 669 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 $60.67/hour journeyman rate, a first-period apprentice would be in the $27.30–$30.34/hour range. The exact percentage schedule is set by the local's JATC.
UA Local 669 is headquartered in Columbia, 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 669 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 669 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 669 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 669 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 4/19/25 schedule; check with the Local 669 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 669 against neighboring jurisdictions and other plumbers & pipefitters markets.
The UA Local 669 hall is at 7050 Oakland Mills Rd #200 Columbia, MD 21046, serving Columbia, MD and the surrounding jurisdiction. Hall phone: 410-381-4300.
UA Local 669 runs its own referral procedure and books are signed at the hall. Call the hall at 410-381-4300 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 669 can be reached at 410-381-4300. Contact details are imported from the union's public directory listing — confirm hours with the hall.