Journeyman base rates at the 8 union locals based in San Francisco, CA run $62.76 to $95.75 an hour on the 8 published sheets we hold — roughly $166,800 a year at the midpoint, before the fringe package. HVAC union pay in San Francisco — the sheet metal and pipefitting locals that cover commercial mechanical work — runs $62.76 to $91.00 an hour on those sheets. Each figure below shows its source and effective date.
| Local | Trade | Hall | Journeyman / hr | Total package | Effective |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| IBEW Local 6 rates in San Francisco | Electricians | San Francisco, CA | $95.75 | $139.47 | 6/26/26 |
| UA Local 38 rates in San Francisco | Plumbers & Pipefitters | San Francisco, CA | $91.00 | $91.00 | 8/22/25 |
| IBEW Local 617 rates in San Francisco | Electricians | San Mateo, CA | $88.00 | $137.51 | 5/25/26 |
| UA Local 355 rates in San Francisco | Plumbers & Pipefitters | Burlingame, CA | $87.75 | $129.84 | 8/22/25 |
| UA Local 342 rates in San Francisco | Plumbers & Pipefitters | Oakland, CA | $83.40 | $128.40 | 7/26/26 |
| UA Local 467 rates in San Francisco | Plumbers & Pipefitters | San Mateo, CA | $79.41 | $118.16 | 5/26/24 |
| UA Local 483 rates in San Francisco | Plumbers & Pipefitters | San Francisco, CA | $78.94 | $114.69 | 4/19/25 |
| SMART Local 104 rates in San Francisco | Sheet Metal Workers | San Francisco, CA | $62.76 | $112.10 | 9/21/25 |
Base rates only; fringes are paid on top. Sheet set last cross-checked 2026-09-23.
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$62.76 an hour journeyman base at SMART Local 104, before fringes.
$78.94–$91.00 an hour journeyman base at UA Local 38, UA Local 355, UA Local 342, UA Local 467, UA Local 483, before fringes.
$88.00–$95.75 an hour journeyman base at IBEW Local 6, IBEW Local 617, before fringes.
Union wages in San Francisco sit at a $83.40 an hour median journeyman base across the 8 published sheets we hold for San Francisco, CA — 86.2% above the $44.79 median across every local sheet on this site, and 35.1% above the $61.73 California median. Base rates only — health, pension, annuity and training are paid on top.
Published union pay rates for San Francisco, CA run $62.76 to $95.75 an hour on journeyman base scale — about $166,800 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 | +5.2% |
| San Jose, CA union wages | $83.40 | $76.86–$95.53 | 6 | — |
| Oakland, CA union wages | $83.40 | $83.40–$83.40 | 1 | — |
| San Mateo, CA union wages | $79.41 | $79.41–$88.00 | 2 | −4.8% |
| Vallejo-Napa, CA union wages | $71.60 | $71.60–$71.60 | 1 | −14.1% |
| Castroville, CA union wages | $70.41 | $70.41–$70.41 | 1 | −15.6% |
| Martinez, CA union wages | $68.26 | $68.26–$68.57 | 2 | −18.2% |
| San Bernardino, CA union wages | $67.61 | $67.61–$67.61 | 1 | −18.9% |
| Market | Median journeyman / hr | Range | Sheets | vs. this city |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Philadelphia, PA union wages | $70.32 | $66.22–$73.73 | 3 | −15.7% |
| Boston, MA union wages | $66.53 | $66.17–$70.80 | 4 | −20.2% |
| Seattle, WA union wages | $65.30 | $58.47–$76.95 | 6 | −21.7% |
| Jersey City, NJ union wages | $60.82 | $60.82–$64.96 | 2 | −27.1% |
| Portland, OR union wages | $60.77 | $54.99–$65.50 | 3 | −27.1% |
| Chicago, IL union wages | $59.11 | $53.05–$64.16 | 8 | −29.1% |
| Las Vegas, NV union wages | $58.83 | $50.00–$60.00 | 3 | −29.5% |
| New York, NY union wages | $57.08 | $42.84–$76.30 | 9 | −31.6% |
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 San Francisco union apprenticeships — the halls running each program, entry requirements and apprentice pay by period.
Across the 8 San Francisco-area locals with a published wage sheet, journeyman base rates run $62.76 to $95.75 an hour, midpoint near $83.40 — about $166,800 a year at 2,000 hours. Fringes (health, pension, training) are paid on top of that base.
Of the sheets we hold, IBEW Local 6 (Electricians) shows the highest journeyman base rate at $95.75 an hour, effective 6/26/26. Rates reset each agreement cycle, so confirm with the hall before relying on the figure.
Commercial HVAC work in San Francisco, CA is covered by the sheet metal and pipefitting locals — SMART Local 104 at $62.76/hr (effective 9/21/25), UA Local 38 at $91.00/hr (effective 8/22/25), UA Local 355 at $87.75/hr (effective 8/22/25), UA Local 342 at $83.40/hr (effective 7/26/26), UA Local 467 at $79.41/hr (effective 5/26/24), UA Local 483 at $78.94/hr (effective 4/19/25). That puts HVAC union pay in San Francisco between $62.76 and $91.00 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 San Francisco, 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 San Francisco 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.
San Francisco's median published journeyman base is $83.40 an hour, 86.2% above the $44.79 median across all local wage sheets we hold. Nearby California markets: Burlingame, CA $87.75/hr, San Jose, CA $83.40/hr, Oakland, CA $83.40/hr, San Mateo, CA $79.41/hr.
Journeyman base rates in San Francisco, CA run $62.76 to $95.75 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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