Plumbers, pipefitters, welders, sprinkler fitters and HVAC service techs.
Requirements and wages are set by each local, not the international union. Official source: ua.org.
There are two doors into the UA, and which one you use depends on your experience.
If you're new to the trade, you apply for an apprenticeship through the local's Joint Apprenticeship and Training Committee (JATC) or training center. Most locals open applications on a set schedule — some year-round, some a few weeks a year — so check the local's own website or call the hall before you plan around a date.
If you already have years of verifiable experience, many locals will evaluate you for direct entry as a journeyman or an accelerated apprentice. This is often called organizing in, and the local's membership or organizing department handles it. Bring proof of hours and employers — the local decides what it accepts.
Exact requirements are set by each local's JATC, so treat this as the typical pattern, not a guarantee. Most UA apprenticeship programs ask for the items below, and many also require an aptitude test and an interview before you're ranked on an eligibility list.
Every UA local negotiates its own collective bargaining agreement with the contractors in its area, so there is no single national UA wage. The local's rate sheet lists the hourly base wage plus employer-paid fringe — health insurance, pension, and training fund contributions — and the total package is what a signatory contractor pays per hour for your work.
Apprentices are paid as a percentage of the journeyman rate, stepping up each period of the apprenticeship (for example, 40% in the first period rising to 80–90% by the last, varying by local). Wage and fringe splits change when the local's contract is renegotiated, so always check the effective date on the rate sheet.
The pay scales on this site come from published rate sheets and federal prevailing-wage determinations that name the local — each local's pay page shows its source and effective date. A published scale is the area standard, not the offer for a specific job.
UA pay scales by local · Open plumbing & pipefitting jobs · Apply with Gulfstream