Journeyman pipefitters under UA Local 98 in Detroit, MI earn $45.34/hr in base wages, or $82.55/hr as a total package with fringe benefits, effective Jun 2024.
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The Local 98 pay scale is $45.34 per hour for journeymen in Detroit, MI, or about $90,680 a year at 2,080 hours. The total package, including employer-paid fringe benefits, is $82.55 per hour. That is the rate in force, effective 2024-06-01.
| Local 98 journeyman hourly wage | $45.34 / hour |
|---|---|
| Total package (wage + fringe benefits) | $82.55 / hour |
| Annualized at 2,080 hours (base wage) | $90,680 / year |
| First-period apprentice (≈45–50% of scale) | $20.40–$22.67 / hour |
| Wage sheet effective | 2024-06-01 |
| Classification | PLUMBER, EXCLUDES HVAC PIPE AND UNIT INSTALLATION |
Apply now — Gulfstream places plumbers & pipefitters candidates with mechanical contractors. These are direct-hire contractor roles, not union dispatch.
A Local 98 apprentice in Detroit, MI starts at roughly $20.40 an hour — about 45% of the $45.34 journeyman scale — and steps up each period, reaching around $34.01 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 98 has published; confirm the exact schedule with the JATC.
| 1st period (year 1) | 45% of scale | $20.40 / hour | $40,806 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2nd period (year 2) | 55% of scale | $24.94 / hour | $49,874 |
| 3rd period (year 3) | 65% of scale | $29.47 / hour | $58,942 |
| 4th period (year 4) | 75% of scale | $34.01 / hour | $68,010 |
| 5th period (year 5) | 85% of scale | $38.54 / hour | $77,078 |
| Journeyman (turned out) | 100% of scale | $45.34 / hour | $90,680 |
Active Gulfstream trade listings in the local's state, with Detroit listings first when available. Jobs elsewhere in the state are not necessarily near this hall. Union status is not verified for these jobs; confirm with your recruiter.
UA Local 98 runs its own dispatch and out-of-work list — hall hours above are from the local's official site; call the hall to confirm dispatch procedure, books and what to bring. Gulfstream is a private recruiter and does not control hall referral.
UA Local 98 does not post an online application we could verify; contact the hall by phone for dispatch or apprenticeship. To be considered for direct-hire roles with mechanical, electrical and sheet metal contractors in this area, apply to Gulfstream. This is not an application to the union.
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Local 98 wages for 2024: $45.34 an hour on the journeyman scale, $82.55 an hour with fringe benefits added, effective 2024-06-01. That is the most recent Detroit, MI sheet we can source; rates move with each contract cycle, so confirm with the hall before quoting.
Roughly 45% of the UA Local 98 package is employer-paid benefits and fringes rather than wages, which is why the package figure and a take-home hourly rate are not the same number.
Verified from official source: U.S. DOL Davis-Bacon General Decision MI20260101 (Building)
Download the UA Local 98 pay scale (PDF) — one-page printable rate sheet, effective June 1, 2024.
| Benefit & fringe contributions | $37.21/hr | Derived: total package minus base wage. This is the employer's combined hourly contribution to the funds, not take-home pay. |
|---|---|---|
| What the contributions fund | Health & welfare, pension, annuity, training and industry funds | Standard fund categories in mechanical and electrical agreements. The exact split between funds is set in the local's agreement — the hall or fund office publishes the schedule. |
| Paid on | Every hour worked | Fringe contributions are made per hour worked, so they scale with dispatched hours and are paid to the funds rather than to the member. |
The rates above are the UA Local 98 scale used across the Detroit, MI area. Members dispatched out of this hall work commercial mechanical and process piping, chiller and boiler work, HVAC piping and hydronics and service, retrofit and shutdown work for signatory contractors throughout the Detroit metro, so a pipefitters wage quoted locally is normally this scale plus the fringe package shown in the table.
Gulfstream recruits pipefitters talent for commercial mechanical, plumbing, piping, sheet metal and building automation contractors in and around Detroit. We are a private recruiting firm — we do not dispatch, set, or negotiate Local 98 rates. For current Detroit scale, dispatch standing, or apprenticeship intake, contact the hall directly.
UA Local 98 runs its own referral procedure and books are signed at the hall — call 248-307-9800 to confirm dispatch procedure, 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 98 represents highly skilled plumbers and pipefitters serving the greater Detroit metropolitan area and surrounding Michigan counties. Established as a cornerstone of the regional construction industry, the local provides a stabilized labor pool for large-scale commercial, industrial, and residential projects. Members are trained in high-purity piping, medical gas systems, and complex sanitary installations, ensuring that the infrastructure supporting Detroit’s automotive and healthcare sectors meets rigorous safety codes. By maintaining a centralized dispatch and training system, Local 98 ensures that signatory contractors have access to a workforce capable of executing sophisticated mechanical designs while adhering to strict project timelines.
The market for plumbing and pipefitting in Southeast Michigan is driven by a mix of institutional renovations and new industrial developments. Local 98 maintains a strong presence in the regional labor market through its rigorous Joint Apprenticeship and Training Committee (JATC) programs, which prepare the next generation of tradespeople. For contractors, partnering with this local offers a scalable labor solution that mitigates the risks associated with the skilled labor shortage. For the tradesperson, the local provides a structured career path with collectively bargained protections and benefits that typically exceed non-union standards. Gulfstream Strategic Placements has monitored this specific labor landscape since 2014 to assist in matching qualified talent with the region's leading mechanical contractors.
Because specific hourly rates are subject to periodic adjustments through collective bargaining, those seeking the current UA Local 98 pay scale or pipe fitter pay rate should contact the union’s business office directly for the most recent wage circular. The pay rates for journeymen are established in the master agreement, while apprentices earn a progressive percentage of that scale. Typically, an apprentice starts at a base percentage and receives incremental raises every six to twelve months as they complete required classroom hours and on-the-job training milestones. The total package includes the hourly base wage plus significant employer contributions to fringe benefits, which are not deducted from the gross hourly check but paid on top of it.
Because specific hourly rates are subject to periodic adjustments through collective bargaining, those seeking the current UA Local 98 pay scale or pipe fitter pay rate should contact the union’s business office directly for the most recent wage circular. The pay rates for journeymen are established in the master agreement, while apprentices earn a progressive percentage of that scale. Typically, an apprentice starts at a base percentage and receives incremental raises every six to twelve months as they complete required classroom hours and on-the-job training milestones. The total package includes the hourly base wage plus significant employer contributions to fringe benefits, which are not deducted from the gross hourly check but paid on top of it.
The jurisdiction of UA Local 98 is centered in Detroit and extends across several key counties in Southeast Michigan. This territory encompasses a diverse range of work sites, from downtown high-rises and sports stadiums to suburban hospitals and manufacturing facilities. The local’s charter covers the installation, maintenance, and repair of plumbing systems, process piping, and related mechanical components. Members dispatched within this region operate under a clear set of travel and subsistence rules defined in the collective bargaining agreement. Contractors operating within these boundaries must adhere to the local’s work rules, ensuring consistent quality and safety standards across all projects in the tri-county area and beyond.
The signatory contractor landscape for Local 98 consists of a robust mix of national mechanical primes and specialized local firms. These entities focus heavily on the institutional sector, including major healthcare networks and higher education facilities. There is also a significant concentration of contractors dedicated to the automotive manufacturing supply chain, where precision piping and industrial plumbing are critical. Hiring trends in this market often fluctuate based on large-scale municipal projects and private industrial investments. Signatory firms rely on the local’s hall to scale their crews rapidly for shutdowns or accelerated build-outs, benefiting from the standardized training provided to every dispatched member.
Because collective bargaining agreements are updated periodically, the most accurate way to obtain the current pay scale is to contact the UA Local 98 business office directly at their Madison Heights headquarters. They can provide a wage and fringe benefit breakdown that outlines the base hourly rate, vacation fund, and retirement contributions currently in effect for journeymen and apprentices.
Apprentice pay rates are calculated as a percentage of the journeyman rate. As an apprentice progresses through the five-year program, their percentage increases annually. These steps are contingent upon completing a minimum number of work hours and successfully passing their technical classroom modules. This structured progression ensures that pay remains commensurate with the individual's growing skill set and value to the contractor.
When discussing union pay rates, it is important to distinguish between the 'taxable wage' and the 'total package.' The taxable wage is what appears on your paycheck, while the total package includes employer-paid benefits like health insurance and pension contributions. For UA Local 98 members, these benefits add significant value to the base rate, often representing a substantial percentage above the hourly take-home pay.
UA Local 98 may have different classifications or addendums within their agreement for specific types of work, such as residential service or light commercial projects. However, the majority of large-scale industrial and commercial work in Detroit falls under the standard building trades agreement. You should verify with a business agent if a project-specific or market-recovery rate applies to your particular job site.
UA Local 98 is seated in Detroit, Michigan (MI). We hold published wage sheets for 25 locals across Michigan — compare nearby scales before you take a call.
Gulfstream Strategic Placements recruits mechanical construction and service staff for contractors nationwide, union and open shop. These are markets where we run the most searches: Orange County mechanical recruiter · Seattle mechanical recruiter · Inland Empire mechanical recruiter · Portland mechanical recruiter. Post a role.
We are a commercial mechanical construction recruiting firm serving Detroit and the rest of Michigan, including contractors signatory to UA Local 98. 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 98 pay scale is $45.34 per hour for journeymen in Detroit, MI, or about $90,680 a year at 2,080 hours. The total package, including employer-paid fringe benefits, is $82.55 per hour. That is the rate in force, effective 2024-06-01.
UA Local 98 wages: journeyman Plumbers & Pipefitters rate of $45.34 per hour in Detroit, MI, with a total package of $82.55 per hour including fringe benefits, effective 2024-06-01. Apprentices are paid a graduated percentage of that rate. Confirm any increase since 2024-06-01 with the UA Local 98 business office.
The UA Local 98 wage sheet on this page lists the journeyman scale of $45.34 per hour ($82.55 per hour total package), effective 2024-06-01, plus the apprentice percentage steps. The official sheet is published by the UA Local 98 business office; figures here come from that published schedule, so confirm any increase dated after 2024-06-01 with the hall.
Local 98 apprentices earn a graduated percentage of the $45.34 per hour journeyman rate — typically starting near 40–50% ($20.40–$22.67 per hour) in the first period and stepping up each period to 100% at turnout. The exact percentage schedule is set by the UA Local 98 JATC, so confirm the current apprentice sheet with the training center.
Journeyman pipefitters under the UA Local 98 agreement make $45.34 an hour in base wages, or $82.55 an hour counting the fringe package, per the wage sheet effective 2024-06-01. Overtime, shift premiums, and travel or subsistence pay are added on top under the local's CBA.
$45.34 per hour base wage and $82.55 per hour total package for a journeyman in Detroit, MI, effective 2024-06-01. Annualized at 2,080 hours that is roughly $90,680 before overtime.
A Local 98 apprentice in Detroit, MI starts at roughly $20.40 an hour — about 45% of the $45.34 journeyman scale — and steps up each period, reaching around $34.01 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 98 has published; confirm the exact schedule with the JATC.
About $20.40 an hour, or roughly $40,806 a year at 2,080 hours, based on the standard 45% first-period step of the $45.34 journeyman rate effective 2024-06-01. Apprentices also earn benefit contributions and paid classroom progression; the JATC sets the exact percentage.
Around $29.47 an hour at the standard 65% third-period step, moving to about $34.01 an hour in the fourth period and $45.34 an hour at full journeyman scale. Confirm the published step schedule with the Local 98 training center.
Local 98 wages for 2024: $45.34 an hour on the journeyman scale, $82.55 an hour with fringe benefits added, effective 2024-06-01. That is the most recent Detroit, MI sheet we can source; rates move with each contract cycle, so confirm with the hall before quoting.
The current published UA Local 98 journeyman rate is $45.34 an hour ($82.55 total package), effective 2024-06-01 — roughly $90,680 a year at 2,080 hours before overtime. It is the rate in force for 2024 unless the local has since ratified a new agreement.
Yes — a one-page printable UA Local 98 rate sheet is available at /rate-sheets/ua-local-98-pay-scale.pdf, showing the $45.34 hourly scale, the $82.55 total package and the 2024-06-01 effective date, with the source it was read from. It is a free download — no sign-up needed.
The current UA Local 98 journeyman rate is $45.34/hour, with a total package of $82.55/hour including fringe benefits, effective 2024-06-01. At 2,080 hours that works out to roughly $90,680 per year in base wages before overtime. Rates change with each CBA cycle — confirm with the Local 98 business office before relying on the figure.
The $45.34/hour figure is the base journeyman wage that lands on the paycheck. The $82.55/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 98 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 $45.34/hour journeyman rate, a first-period apprentice would be in the $20.40–$22.67/hour range. The exact percentage schedule is set by the local's JATC.
UA Local 98 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 98 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 98 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 98 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 98 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 2024-06-01 schedule; check with the Local 98 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 98 against neighboring jurisdictions and other plumbers & pipefitters markets.
Yes — the openings section on this page lists current plumbers & pipefitters roles near Detroit, MI, and you can apply directly through the apply form on this page. These are direct-hire positions with mechanical contractors that Gulfstream recruits for, not union dispatch or hall referrals. For the hall's out-of-work list, contact the Local 98 business office.
The UA Local 98 hall is at 555 Horace Brown Dr, Madison Heights, MI 48071, serving Detroit, MI and the surrounding jurisdiction. Hall phone: 248-307-9800. The hall office is open Mon–Fri 8:00 AM–4:00 PM (per the local's official site).
The UA Local 98 hall office is open Mon–Fri 8:00 AM–4:00 PM, as published on the local's official website. Dispatch and out-of-work list procedures can differ from office hours — call 248-307-9800 to confirm before traveling in.
UA Local 98 runs its own referral procedure and books are signed at the hall. Call the hall at 248-307-9800 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 98 can be reached at 248-307-9800. The hall office is open Mon–Fri 8:00 AM–4:00 PM, per the local's official site.
Apply through the local's joint apprenticeship training committee (JATC). Most programs open applications on a set schedule and require an aptitude test and interview. For UA Local 98's current application window and requirements, contact the hall at 248-307-9800.
Each Plumbers & Pipefitters local sets its own intake process, and it varies. The common paths: apprenticeship through the JATC; organizing in as an experienced worker, since journeymen and technicians already working in the trade can usually apply directly to the hall for membership; or transferring from another local of the same international with a transfer card from your current hall. For fees and requirements, contact the hall at 248-307-9800.
We haven't found an official source for UA Local 98's dues or membership rules. To confirm, contact the hall at 248-307-9800.
We haven't found an official source for UA Local 98's member benefits. To confirm, contact the hall at 248-307-9800.
UA Local 98's sourced plumber, excludes hvac pipe and unit installation union rate is $45.34/hr in base wages and $82.55/hr for the total package, effective June 1, 2024. The rate applies to the listed classification and source area; apprentice, foreman and specialty classifications may differ.
$45.34/hr in base wages for plumber, excludes hvac pipe and unit installation, or $82.55/hr counting employer-paid benefits and fringes, effective June 1, 2024 per the U.S. DOL Davis-Bacon General Decision MI20260101 (Building) wage determination.
June 1, 2024. The negotiated rate on this primary source (U.S. DOL Davis-Bacon General Decision MI20260101 (Building)) is dated more than 18 months back, so a mid-term raise may already be in effect. Confirm the current step with the local's business office before extending an offer.
No — the $45.34/hr base is wages only. Employers contribute roughly $37.21/hr more per hour worked to health and welfare, pension, annuity and training funds, which is the difference between the base and the $82.55/hr package.
No. Gulfstream Strategic Placements is a private mechanical construction recruiting firm. We are not affiliated with the local, we do not run dispatch, and we do not set or negotiate union rates. We publish the local's own sourced figures as a reference for members and contractors.
Moderate confidence — last cross-checked against the source on Oct 5, 2026 (14 days ago). Always confirm the current step with the hall before relying on it for an offer.