Journeyman pipefitters under UA Local 696 in Newark, NJ earn $72.82/hr in base wages, or $94.37/hr as a total package with fringe benefits, effective Jul 2026.
UA Local 696 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 696 pay scale for 2026 is $72.82 per hour for journeymen in Newark, NJ, or about $145,640 a year at 2,080 hours. The total package, including employer-paid fringe benefits, is $94.37 per hour. That is the rate in force for 2026, effective 7/3/26.
| Local 696 journeyman hourly wage | $72.82 / hour |
|---|---|
| Total package (wage + fringe benefits) | $94.37 / hour |
| Annualized at 2,080 hours (base wage) | $145,640 / year |
| First-period apprentice (≈45–50% of scale) | $32.77–$36.41 / hour |
| Wage sheet effective | 7/3/26 |
A Local 696 apprentice in Newark, NJ starts at roughly $32.77 an hour — about 45% of the $72.82 journeyman scale — and steps up each period, reaching around $54.61 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 696 has published; confirm the exact schedule with the JATC.
| 1st period (year 1) | 45% of scale | $32.77 / hour | $65,538 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2nd period (year 2) | 55% of scale | $40.05 / hour | $80,102 |
| 3rd period (year 3) | 65% of scale | $47.33 / hour | $94,666 |
| 4th period (year 4) | 75% of scale | $54.61 / hour | $109,230 |
| 5th period (year 5) | 85% of scale | $61.90 / hour | $123,794 |
| Journeyman (turned out) | 100% of scale | $72.82 / hour | $145,640 |
UA Local 696 runs its own referral procedure and books are signed at the hall — call 973-379-7446 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 696 represents specialized plumbers and pipefitters serving the Newark, New Jersey metropolitan region. As a key affiliate of the United Association, this local is responsible for maintaining the high standards of the piping industry across industrial, commercial, and residential sectors. The Newark market remains one of the most densely populated and infrastructure-heavy regions in the Northeast, requiring a workforce capable of handling complex mechanical systems, high-pressure steam, and essential domestic water services. Local 696 members provide the technical expertise necessary to support the city's critical infrastructure, including its transportation hubs, medical facilities, and high-rise developments.
The Newark piping market is characterized by a significant volume of both new construction and institutional modernization. Because of the region's historical industrial base, there is a constant demand for skilled tradespeople who can navigate legacy systems while installing modern, high-efficiency mechanical technology. Signatory contractors rely on Local 696 to provide a steady pipeline of journey-level talent that has undergone rigorous five-year training programs. For the tradesperson, this jurisdiction offers some of the highest labor rates in the country, reflecting the high cost of living and the intense technical requirements of the New Jersey construction landscape since 2014.
The current journeyman hourly rate for UA Local 696 is $72.82, effective July 3, 2026. When accounting for the full fringe benefit contribution, the total taxable package reaches $94.37 per hour. Apprentices entering the program start at a percentage of the journeyman rate, typically beginning around 40% to 45% and receiving incremental raises every year or every 1,000 hours of successful work and classroom completion. By the fifth year, a senior apprentice will often earn 80% or more of the scale. This progression ensures that as the worker's value to the signatory mechanical prime increases, their compensation reflects their growing mastery of plumbing and pipefitting systems. All members should verify the specific breakdown of taxable versus non-taxable funds with the Newark business office.
The chartered jurisdiction for UA Local 696 is centered in Newark and extends through critical portions of Northern New Jersey. This territory covers a mix of high-density urban environments and industrial corridors where pipefitters manage everything from process piping to complex HVAC hydronic systems. Work performed under this agreement includes the installation, maintenance, and repair of all piping systems in commercial buildings, industrial plants, and public works projects. Members are dispatched to various job sites throughout Essex County and surrounding areas, requiring reliable transportation and the ability to work in diverse settings ranging from new high-rise shells to active pharmaceutical production facilities.
The contractor landscape for Local 696 is comprised of a robust mix of large-scale mechanical primes and specialized service contractors. These firms handle massive vertical construction projects in downtown Newark as well as long-term maintenance contracts for state and local government agencies. There is also a strong presence of mechanical contractors focused on the healthcare sector, where high-stakes medical gas and specialized plumbing are required. Because of the local's high standards, these signatory employers are able to bid on the region's most complex work, knowing they have access to a pool of pipefitters who are certified in the latest welding, brazing, and CAD/BIM technologies.
Yes, Local 696 pipefitters are highly trained in boiler service union work, including the installation and maintenance of high-pressure steam systems and hydronic boilers. This work is common in Newark's older industrial buildings and modern institutional facilities. Members possess the certifications required to work on burners, controls, and associated pressure vessel piping under the master labor agreement.
The total package for a journeyman is $94.37 per hour. This includes the base hourly wage of $72.82 plus all fringe benefits such as pension, health insurance, and training funds. This package ensures that members have long-term financial security and comprehensive healthcare in addition to their weekly take-home pay, reflecting the premium value of union labor in New Jersey.
While the apprenticeship provides a foundational education, members often pursue specialized certifications in welding (UA-certifications), medical gas, backflow prevention, and OSHA safety standards. These certifications make members more employable for signatory contractors who handle niche projects like pharmaceutical labs, hospitals, and heavy industrial plants within the Newark jurisdiction.
Wage increases are determined by the negotiated collective bargaining agreement between the local and their signatory contractor partners. These increases usually occur annually or every six months, as seen with the scheduled rate change on July 3, 2026. These adjustments help keep wages competitive with inflation and the rising demand for skilled mechanical labor in the Northeast.
UA Local 696 is seated in Newark, New Jersey (NJ). We hold published wage sheets for 12 locals across New Jersey — compare nearby scales before you take a call.
We are a mechanical, plumbing and electrical construction recruiting firm serving Newark and the rest of New Jersey, including contractors signatory to UA Local 696. 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 696 pay scale for 2026 is $72.82 per hour for journeymen in Newark, NJ, or about $145,640 a year at 2,080 hours. The total package, including employer-paid fringe benefits, is $94.37 per hour. That is the rate in force for 2026, effective 7/3/26.
Journeyman pipefitters under the UA Local 696 agreement make $72.82 an hour in base wages, or $94.37 an hour counting the fringe package, per the wage sheet effective 7/3/26. Overtime, shift premiums, and travel or subsistence pay are added on top under the local's CBA.
$72.82 per hour base wage and $94.37 per hour total package for a journeyman in Newark, NJ, effective 7/3/26. Annualized at 2,080 hours that is roughly $145,640 before overtime.
A Local 696 apprentice in Newark, NJ starts at roughly $32.77 an hour — about 45% of the $72.82 journeyman scale — and steps up each period, reaching around $54.61 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 696 has published; confirm the exact schedule with the JATC.
About $32.77 an hour, or roughly $65,538 a year at 2,080 hours, based on the standard 45% first-period step of the $72.82 journeyman rate effective 7/3/26. Apprentices also earn benefit contributions and paid classroom progression; the JATC sets the exact percentage.
Around $47.33 an hour at the standard 65% third-period step, moving to about $54.61 an hour in the fourth period and $72.82 an hour at full journeyman scale. Confirm the published step schedule with the Local 696 training center.
The current UA Local 696 journeyman rate is $72.82/hour, with a total package of $94.37/hour including fringe benefits, effective 7/3/26. At 2,080 hours that works out to roughly $145,640 per year in base wages before overtime. Rates change with each CBA cycle — confirm with the Local 696 business office before relying on the figure.
The $72.82/hour figure is the base journeyman wage that lands on the paycheck. The $94.37/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 696 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 $72.82/hour journeyman rate, a first-period apprentice would be in the $32.77–$36.41/hour range. The exact percentage schedule is set by the local's JATC.
UA Local 696 is headquartered in Newark, NJ 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 696 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 696 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 696 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 696 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 7/3/26 schedule; check with the Local 696 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 696 against neighboring jurisdictions and other plumbers & pipefitters markets.
The UA Local 696 hall is at 41 43 E Willow St Millburn, Nj 7041, serving Newark, NJ and the surrounding jurisdiction. Hall phone: 973-379-7446.
UA Local 696 runs its own referral procedure and books are signed at the hall. Call the hall at 973-379-7446 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 696 can be reached at 973-379-7446. Contact details are imported from the union's public directory listing — confirm hours with the hall.