Journeyman pipefitters under UA Local 74 in Wilmington, DE earn $57.57/hr in base wages, or $93.81/hr as a total package with fringe benefits, effective Feb 2024.
UA Local 74 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 74 pay scale is $57.57 per hour for journeymen in Wilmington, DE, or about $115,140 a year at 2,080 hours. The total package, including employer-paid fringe benefits, is $93.81 per hour. That is the rate in force, effective 2/23/24.
| Local 74 journeyman hourly wage | $57.57 / hour |
|---|---|
| Total package (wage + fringe benefits) | $93.81 / hour |
| Annualized at 2,080 hours (base wage) | $115,140 / year |
| First-period apprentice (≈45–50% of scale) | $25.91–$28.79 / hour |
| Wage sheet effective | 2/23/24 |
A Local 74 apprentice in Wilmington, DE starts at roughly $25.91 an hour — about 45% of the $57.57 journeyman scale — and steps up each period, reaching around $43.18 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 74 has published; confirm the exact schedule with the JATC.
| 1st period (year 1) | 45% of scale | $25.91 / hour | $51,813 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2nd period (year 2) | 55% of scale | $31.66 / hour | $63,327 |
| 3rd period (year 3) | 65% of scale | $37.42 / hour | $74,841 |
| 4th period (year 4) | 75% of scale | $43.18 / hour | $86,355 |
| 5th period (year 5) | 85% of scale | $48.93 / hour | $97,869 |
| Journeyman (turned out) | 100% of scale | $57.57 / hour | $115,140 |
UA Local 74 runs its own referral procedure and books are signed at the hall — call 302-636-7400 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 74 represents a highly skilled workforce of plumbers, pipefitters, and service technicians across the State of Delaware. Headquartered in Wilmington, this local plays a critical role in the Mid-Atlantic construction corridor, supplying labor for essential infrastructure, commercial high-rises, and industrial facilities. The organization maintains rigorous standards for craft excellence, ensuring that signatory contractors have access to a pool of mechanics who are certified in advanced welding, medical gas installation, and backflow prevention. Because Local 74 operates in a region with significant pharmaceutical, chemical, and healthcare investments, the technical requirements for its members often exceed standard residential or light commercial plumbing benchmarks.
The market demand for Local 74 members is driven by the density of industrial activity along the Delaware River and the ongoing expansion of the state’s healthcare networks. As a member of the United Association, Local 74 provides its signatories with a scalable workforce capable of handling multi-million dollar mechanical contracts. The local's training center in New Castle serves as the hub for both apprenticeship training and journeyman upgrades, focusing on evolving technologies like BIM and advanced instrumentation. For the tradesperson, this means consistent access to high-value projects and a compensation structure that reflects the specialized nature of industrial pipefitting and commercial plumbing in a competitive regional economy.
As of February 23, 2024, the journeyman hourly rate for UA Local 74 is $57.57, contributing to a comprehensive total package of $93.81 per hour. This significant fringe benefit spread covers health, welfare, and multiple retirement vehicles. Apprentices enter the program at a percentage of the journeyman rate, typically starting around 40-45% and receiving incremental raises every six to twelve months as they complete required classroom hours and on-the-job training milestones. By the fifth and final year, an apprentice often earns 80% or more of the full scale. This structured progression ensures that labor costs remain predictable for contractors while providing a clear career path for new entrants. Members should verify the current taxable wage versus the total package with the financial secretary to understand exact check deductions.
UA Local 74 holds a broad jurisdiction that encompasses the entire state of Delaware and portions of the surrounding areas. The work governed by their collective bargaining agreement includes the installation and maintenance of all piping systems, ranging from high-pressure steam and process piping in industrial plants to domestic water and sanitary systems in commercial buildings. Jurisdiction also extends to HVAC refrigeration service and specialty welding applications. Members are dispatched from the Wilmington-area hall to jobsites across the state's three counties. The agreement strictly defines the scope of work to ensure that all piping systems—whether for vacuum, compressed air, or hydronic heating—are installed by qualified UA mechanics, maintaining jurisdictional integrity against non-signatory encroachment.
The signatory landscape for UA Local 74 is comprised of a diverse mix of large-scale mechanical primes and specialized service contractors. These firms range from national mechanical giants performing heavy industrial work in the chemical sector to regional plumbing companies focused on the healthcare and education markets. Because of the local's proximity to major industrial hubs, many signatories specialize in process piping and modular fabrication. The relationship between the local and its contractors is managed through collective bargaining, ensuring stable labor costs and a steady pipeline of qualified manpower. Hiring is typically managed through the union referral system, allowing contractors to scale their workforce based on project demands without the overhead of traditional recruiting.
The total package rate is $93.81 per hour. This includes the $57.57 base wage plus $36.24 in fringe benefits such as pension, healthcare, and training funds. Contractors must account for this full package when bidding work under the signatory agreement, as it represents the complete cost of labor per man-hour.
Yes, through their New Castle training facility, members obtain UA certifications in various welding processes (ASME), Med-Gas, and Backflow Prevention. These certifications are critical for the industrial and healthcare projects prevalent in the Wilmington market and are recognized by signatory contractors as the standard for high-pressure piping work.
Transfers are generally governed by the United Association's constitution regarding travel cards and book status. An out-of-state plumber must typically contact the Local 74 business manager to discuss their specific credentials, work history, and the current local manning requirements before a transfer or reciprocal work arrangement can be authorized.
Wage adjustments are dictated by the Collective Bargaining Agreement negotiated between the union and the Mechanical Contractors Association. These increases are typically scheduled annually or bi-annually throughout the life of the contract. The current $93.81 package reflects the update effective as of February 23, 2024.
UA Local 74 is seated in Wilmington, Delaware (DE). We hold published wage sheets for 2 locals across Delaware — compare nearby scales before you take a call.
We are a mechanical, plumbing and electrical construction recruiting firm serving Wilmington and the rest of Delaware, including contractors signatory to UA Local 74. Our office is in South Corona, California and we place union-scale 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 74 pay scale is $57.57 per hour for journeymen in Wilmington, DE, or about $115,140 a year at 2,080 hours. The total package, including employer-paid fringe benefits, is $93.81 per hour. That is the rate in force, effective 2/23/24.
Journeyman pipefitters under the UA Local 74 agreement make $57.57 an hour in base wages, or $93.81 an hour counting the fringe package, per the wage sheet effective 2/23/24. Overtime, shift premiums, and travel or subsistence pay are added on top under the local's CBA.
$57.57 per hour base wage and $93.81 per hour total package for a journeyman in Wilmington, DE, effective 2/23/24. Annualized at 2,080 hours that is roughly $115,140 before overtime.
A Local 74 apprentice in Wilmington, DE starts at roughly $25.91 an hour — about 45% of the $57.57 journeyman scale — and steps up each period, reaching around $43.18 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 74 has published; confirm the exact schedule with the JATC.
About $25.91 an hour, or roughly $51,813 a year at 2,080 hours, based on the standard 45% first-period step of the $57.57 journeyman rate effective 2/23/24. Apprentices also earn benefit contributions and paid classroom progression; the JATC sets the exact percentage.
Around $37.42 an hour at the standard 65% third-period step, moving to about $43.18 an hour in the fourth period and $57.57 an hour at full journeyman scale. Confirm the published step schedule with the Local 74 training center.
The current UA Local 74 journeyman rate is $57.57/hour, with a total package of $93.81/hour including fringe benefits, effective 2/23/24. At 2,080 hours that works out to roughly $115,140 per year in base wages before overtime. Rates change with each CBA cycle — confirm with the Local 74 business office before relying on the figure.
The $57.57/hour figure is the base journeyman wage that lands on the paycheck. The $93.81/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 74 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 $57.57/hour journeyman rate, a first-period apprentice would be in the $25.91–$28.79/hour range. The exact percentage schedule is set by the local's JATC.
UA Local 74 is headquartered in Wilmington, DE 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 74 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 74 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 74 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 74 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 2/23/24 schedule; check with the Local 74 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 74 against neighboring jurisdictions and other plumbers & pipefitters markets.
The UA Local 74 hall is at 201 Executive Dr Newark, DE 19702, serving Wilmington, DE and the surrounding jurisdiction. Hall phone: 302-636-7400.
UA Local 74 runs its own referral procedure and books are signed at the hall. Call the hall at 302-636-7400 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 74 can be reached at 302-636-7400. Contact details are imported from the union's public directory listing — confirm hours with the hall.