Journeyman pipefitters under UA Local 704 in Detroit, MI earn $51.57/hr in base wages, or $82.82/hr as a total package with fringe benefits, effective Apr 2025.
UA Local 704 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 704 pay scale for 2026 is $51.57 per hour for journeymen in Detroit, MI, or about $103,140 a year at 2,080 hours. The total package, including employer-paid fringe benefits, is $82.82 per hour. That is the rate in force for 2026, effective 4/19/25.
| Local 704 journeyman hourly wage | $51.57 / hour |
|---|---|
| Total package (wage + fringe benefits) | $82.82 / hour |
| Annualized at 2,080 hours (base wage) | $103,140 / year |
| First-period apprentice (≈45–50% of scale) | $23.21–$25.79 / hour |
| Wage sheet effective | 4/19/25 |
A Local 704 apprentice in Detroit, MI starts at roughly $23.21 an hour — about 45% of the $51.57 journeyman scale — and steps up each period, reaching around $38.68 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 704 has published; confirm the exact schedule with the JATC.
| 1st period (year 1) | 45% of scale | $23.21 / hour | $46,413 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2nd period (year 2) | 55% of scale | $28.36 / hour | $56,727 |
| 3rd period (year 3) | 65% of scale | $33.52 / hour | $67,041 |
| 4th period (year 4) | 75% of scale | $38.68 / hour | $77,355 |
| 5th period (year 5) | 85% of scale | $43.83 / hour | $87,669 |
| Journeyman (turned out) | 100% of scale | $51.57 / hour | $103,140 |
UA Local 704 runs its own referral procedure and books are signed at the hall — call 248-474-7553 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 704 represents the skilled plumbers and pipefitters serving the Greater Detroit metropolitan area and surrounding Michigan counties. As a cornerstone of the regional construction industry, this local provides the specialized labor force required for high-complexity plumbing systems, medical gas installations, and industrial process piping. The organization operates a comprehensive training infrastructure designed to meet the rigorous demands of Michigan's industrial and commercial sectors. Members are deployed across a diverse range of environments including automotive manufacturing plants, healthcare facilities, and high-rise commercial developments that define the Detroit skyline. Gulfstream Strategic Placements has monitored this labor market since 2014 to assist contractors and tradespeople in navigating the regional workforce landscape.
The Detroit market is characterized by a high demand for licensed journeyworkers who can navigate the technical specifications of both new construction and large-scale renovation projects. Local 704 maintains a robust signatory contractor base that relies on a steady pipeline of apprentices and seasoned mechanics to execute projects safely and efficiently. Because Detroit serves as a global hub for automotive engineering and advanced manufacturing, the local's jurisdiction involves critical infrastructure work that requires precision and adherence to strict building codes. The stability of this local is reinforced by long-standing collective bargaining agreements that ensure competitive compensation and comprehensive benefits for the membership, making it a primary destination for career-minded pipe trades professionals in the Midwest.
Effective April 19, 2025, the journeyman hourly rate for UA Local 704 is $51.57, contributing to a total compensation package of $82.82 per hour. This significant fringe benefit spread of $31.25 covers essential protections including healthcare and retirement security. Apprentices entering the program typically start at a percentage of the journeyman rate, often beginning around 40-45% and receiving incremental increases every six to twelve months based on successful completion of classroom hours and on-the-job training milestones. By the fifth year, senior apprentices earn near-journeyman wages as they prepare for the Michigan state licensing examinations. These rates are standardized across the jurisdiction for all building trades work, providing a predictable labor cost for signatory mechanical primes and a clear financial trajectory for those entering the trade through the JATC.
The chartered jurisdiction of UA Local 704 centers on Wayne County and extends into several adjacent counties in Southeast Michigan. This territory encompasses the entire city of Detroit and its surrounding suburbs, reaching into industrial corridors where heavy manufacturing and commercial development are most concentrated. Members dispatched within this region work under the Master Labor Agreement, which governs travel pay, shift differentials, and overtime rules. The jurisdiction covers a vast array of piping systems, including potable water, sanitary drainage, storm piping, and specialized process systems for industrial applications. Contractors operating within these boundaries must adhere to the local's dispatch procedures, ensuring that all work is performed by qualified individuals who meet the specific licensing requirements of the State of Michigan and the local municipality.
The signatory landscape for UA Local 704 is composed of a diverse mix of mechanical contractors ranging from national primes to specialized local firms. These employers include large-scale mechanical contractors who manage multi-million dollar industrial installations and commercial HVAC-plumbing systems. Additionally, the local supports a significant number of service and maintenance contractors who provide 24-hour support to Detroit’s hospitals, schools, and municipal buildings. Hiring fluctuates based on regional project cycles, particularly in the automotive and healthcare sectors. Contractors benefit from the local's referral system, which provides a pre-vetted pool of licensed professionals, while members gain access to steady work opportunities across the varied industrial landscape of Southeast Michigan.
Plumbing work generally focuses on potable water systems, sewage, and drainage in residential, commercial, and institutional buildings, requiring a specific state license. Pipefitting typically involves high-pressure steam, chemical, or hydraulic systems found in power plants and automotive factories. Local 704 members are often trained in both disciplines to maximize their versatility across Detroit's diverse industrial and commercial project sites.
Members from other UA locals looking to work in Detroit must report to the Local 704 business office with a valid travel card and current dues receipt. Travelers are dispatched according to the 'Book 2' system after local members have been given priority. All travelers must comply with Michigan state licensing laws and may need to provide proof of specific certifications for specialized project sites.
Yes, many signatory contractors in the Detroit market require specific certifications such as OSHA 30, Med-Gas, or various ASME welding certifications. The JATC provides ongoing training for journeymen to obtain and maintain these credentials. Having these certifications often leads to more consistent employment opportunities, especially on large-scale automotive shutdowns or healthcare facility expansions.
Experienced non-union plumbers and pipefitters can apply for membership through a process often called 'organized' entry. This typically involves an evaluation of your work history and a skills assessment to determine your placement within the journeyman or apprentice scale. You must demonstrate that your technical proficiency aligns with UA standards and meet all Michigan state licensing requirements for the plumbing trade.
UA Local 704 is seated in Detroit, Michigan (MI). We hold published wage sheets for 22 locals across Michigan — compare nearby scales before you take a call.
We are a mechanical, plumbing and electrical construction recruiting firm serving Detroit and the rest of Michigan, including contractors signatory to UA Local 704. 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 704 pay scale for 2026 is $51.57 per hour for journeymen in Detroit, MI, or about $103,140 a year at 2,080 hours. The total package, including employer-paid fringe benefits, is $82.82 per hour. That is the rate in force for 2026, effective 4/19/25.
Journeyman pipefitters under the UA Local 704 agreement make $51.57 an hour in base wages, or $82.82 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.
$51.57 per hour base wage and $82.82 per hour total package for a journeyman in Detroit, MI, effective 4/19/25. Annualized at 2,080 hours that is roughly $103,140 before overtime.
A Local 704 apprentice in Detroit, MI starts at roughly $23.21 an hour — about 45% of the $51.57 journeyman scale — and steps up each period, reaching around $38.68 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 704 has published; confirm the exact schedule with the JATC.
About $23.21 an hour, or roughly $46,413 a year at 2,080 hours, based on the standard 45% first-period step of the $51.57 journeyman rate effective 4/19/25. Apprentices also earn benefit contributions and paid classroom progression; the JATC sets the exact percentage.
Around $33.52 an hour at the standard 65% third-period step, moving to about $38.68 an hour in the fourth period and $51.57 an hour at full journeyman scale. Confirm the published step schedule with the Local 704 training center.
The current UA Local 704 journeyman rate is $51.57/hour, with a total package of $82.82/hour including fringe benefits, effective 4/19/25. At 2,080 hours that works out to roughly $103,140 per year in base wages before overtime. Rates change with each CBA cycle — confirm with the Local 704 business office before relying on the figure.
The $51.57/hour figure is the base journeyman wage that lands on the paycheck. The $82.82/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 704 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 $51.57/hour journeyman rate, a first-period apprentice would be in the $23.21–$25.79/hour range. The exact percentage schedule is set by the local's JATC.
UA Local 704 is headquartered in Detroit, MI 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 704 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 704 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 704 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 704 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 704 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 704 against neighboring jurisdictions and other plumbers & pipefitters markets.
The UA Local 704 hall is at 23475 Northwestern Hwy Southfield, MI 48075, serving Detroit, MI and the surrounding jurisdiction. Hall phone: 248-474-7553.
UA Local 704 runs its own referral procedure and books are signed at the hall. Call the hall at 248-474-7553 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 704 can be reached at 248-474-7553. Contact details are imported from the union's public directory listing — confirm hours with the hall.