Journeyman base rates at the 10 union locals based in Los Angeles, CA run $56.46 to $67.00 an hour on the 8 published sheets we hold — roughly $118,800 a year at the midpoint, before the fringe package. HVAC union pay in Los Angeles — the sheet metal and pipefitting locals that cover commercial mechanical work — runs $56.46 to $61.73 an hour on those sheets. Each figure below shows its source and effective date.
| Local | Trade | Hall | Journeyman / hr | Total package | Effective |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| IBEW Local 40 rates in Los Angeles | Electricians | Hollywood, CA | $67.00 | $97.50 | 2/14/25 |
| IBEW Local 11 rates in Los Angeles | Electricians | Los Angeles, CA | $65.00 | $101.71 | 7/26/26 |
| UA Local 345 rates in Los Angeles | Plumbers & Pipefitters | Los Angeles, CA | $61.73 | $90.19 | 2/22/26 |
| UA Local 78 rates in Los Angeles | Plumbers & Pipefitters | Los Angeles, CA | $61.73 | $90.19 | 8/22/25 |
| SMART Local 105 rates in Los Angeles | Sheet Metal Workers | Los Angeles, CA | $59.40 | $87.77 | 1/23/25 |
| UA Local 250 rates in Los Angeles | Plumbers & Pipefitters | Los Angeles, CA | $58.28 | $80.99 | 8/18/25 |
| UA Local 761 rates in Los Angeles | Plumbers & Pipefitters | Burbank, CA | $58.28 | $84.54 | 5/26/26 |
| UA Local 709 rates in Los Angeles | Plumbers & Pipefitters | Los Angeles, CA | $56.46 | $88.26 | 4/19/25 |
| SMART Local 170 rates in Los Angeles | Sheet Metal Workers | Los Angeles, CA | No sheet published | — | — |
| SMART Local 434 rates in Los Angeles | Railroad Mechanical Workers | Los Angeles, CA | No sheet published | — | — |
Base rates only; fringes are paid on top. Sheet set last cross-checked 2026-09-23.
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$59.40 an hour journeyman base at SMART Local 105, SMART Local 170, before fringes.
$56.46–$61.73 an hour journeyman base at UA Local 345, UA Local 78, UA Local 250, UA Local 761, UA Local 709, before fringes.
$65.00–$67.00 an hour journeyman base at IBEW Local 40, IBEW Local 11, before fringes.
SMART Local 434 — no published wage sheet on file; contact the hall for current scale.
Union wages in Los Angeles sit at a $59.40 an hour median journeyman base across the 8 published sheets we hold for Los Angeles, CA — 32.6% above the $44.79 median across every local sheet on this site, and 3.8% below the $61.73 California median. Base rates only — health, pension, annuity and training are paid on top.
Published union pay rates for Los Angeles, CA run $56.46 to $67.00 an hour on journeyman base scale — about $118,800 a year at the midpoint on 2,000 hours. Every rate below is taken from the local's own wage sheet and carries its effective date; confirm the current step with the hall before you rely on it for an offer.
| Market | Median journeyman / hr | Range | Sheets | vs. this city |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Burlingame, CA union wages | $87.75 | $87.75–$87.75 | 1 | +47.7% |
| San Francisco, CA union wages | $83.40 | $62.76–$95.75 | 8 | +40.4% |
| San Jose, CA union wages | $83.40 | $76.86–$95.53 | 6 | +40.4% |
| Oakland, CA union wages | $83.40 | $83.40–$83.40 | 1 | +40.4% |
| San Mateo, CA union wages | $79.41 | $79.41–$88.00 | 2 | +33.7% |
| Vallejo-Napa, CA union wages | $71.60 | $71.60–$71.60 | 1 | +20.5% |
| Castroville, CA union wages | $70.41 | $70.41–$70.41 | 1 | +18.5% |
| Martinez, CA union wages | $68.26 | $68.26–$68.57 | 2 | +14.9% |
| Market | Median journeyman / hr | Range | Sheets | vs. this city |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Philadelphia, PA union wages | $70.32 | $66.22–$73.73 | 3 | +18.4% |
| Boston, MA union wages | $66.53 | $66.17–$70.80 | 4 | +12.0% |
| Seattle, WA union wages | $65.30 | $58.47–$76.95 | 6 | +9.9% |
| Jersey City, NJ union wages | $60.82 | $60.82–$64.96 | 2 | +2.4% |
| Portland, OR union wages | $60.77 | $54.99–$65.50 | 3 | +2.3% |
| Chicago, IL union wages | $59.11 | $53.05–$64.16 | 8 | −0.5% |
| Las Vegas, NV union wages | $58.83 | $50.00–$60.00 | 3 | −1.0% |
| New York, NY union wages | $57.08 | $42.84–$76.30 | 9 | −3.9% |
Medians are taken across the published journeyman base rates for locals based in each market. Cities differ in trade mix and agreement cycle, so compare like trades before drawing a conclusion.
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Not journeyed out yet? See Los Angeles union apprenticeships — the halls running each program, entry requirements and apprentice pay by period.
Across the 8 Los Angeles-area locals with a published wage sheet, journeyman base rates run $56.46 to $67.00 an hour, midpoint near $59.40 — about $118,800 a year at 2,000 hours. Fringes (health, pension, training) are paid on top of that base.
Of the sheets we hold, IBEW Local 40 (Electricians) shows the highest journeyman base rate at $67.00 an hour, effective 2/14/25. Rates reset each agreement cycle, so confirm with the hall before relying on the figure.
Commercial HVAC work in Los Angeles, CA is covered by the sheet metal and pipefitting locals — SMART Local 105 at $59.40/hr (effective 1/23/25), UA Local 345 at $61.73/hr (effective 2/22/26), UA Local 78 at $61.73/hr (effective 8/22/25), UA Local 250 at $58.28/hr (effective 8/18/25), UA Local 761 at $58.28/hr (effective 5/26/26), UA Local 709 at $56.46/hr (effective 4/19/25). That puts HVAC union pay in Los Angeles between $56.46 and $61.73 an hour on base scale, before the fringe package.
Only on signatory work. Sheet metal service and pipefitting/refrigeration service agreements are dispatched through the hall at the published scale; merit-shop HVAC service pay in Los Angeles, CA is set per employer and varies with EPA and controls certifications, on-call and overtime. We recruit for both.
No. The journeyman rate is the base hourly wage. Health and welfare, pension, annuity and training contributions are paid on top — that combined figure is the total package, shown where the sheet publishes it.
Apply to the local's apprenticeship or ask about journeyman organizing directly with the hall, and register on the out-of-work list if you already hold the ticket. We also place union-scale and merit-shop tradespeople with Los Angeles contractors — the openings on this page are live.
Each figure is read off that local's published wage sheet, with the source and effective date shown next to it. Our sheet set was last cross-checked 2026-09-23.
Los Angeles's median published journeyman base is $59.40 an hour, 32.6% above the $44.79 median across all local wage sheets we hold. Nearby California markets: Burlingame, CA $87.75/hr, San Francisco, CA $83.40/hr, San Jose, CA $83.40/hr, Oakland, CA $83.40/hr.
Journeyman base rates in Los Angeles, CA run $56.46 to $67.00 an hour on the 8 sheets published by locals based in the market, with the fringe package paid on top of that base. Apprentice rates are a set percentage of scale by period.
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