Journeyman base rates across the Houston market run $29.31 to $40.28 an hour on the 5 published sheets we hold, before the fringe package. Every figure below shows its source and effective date.
| Local | Trade | Hall | Journeyman / hr | Total package | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UA Local 68 rates | Plumbers & Pipefitters | Houston, TX | $40.28 | $52.84 | unionpayscales.com — effective 10/4/25 |
| UA Local 211 rates | Plumbers & Pipefitters | Houston, TX | $40.25 | $51.76 | unionpayscales.com — effective 10/04/25 |
| IBEW Local 716 rates | Electricians | Houston, TX | $38.50 | $48.82 | unionpayscales.com — effective 9/7/25 |
| IBEW Local 527 rates | Electricians | Galveston County, TX | $35.63 | $49.90 | U.S. Department of Labor Davis-Bacon general wage determination TX20260248 (rev 1), building construction, ELEC0527-002 09/26/2025: base rate $35.63 plus printed fringes $14.27 — effective 9/26/25 |
| SMART Local 54 rates | Sheet Metal Workers | Houston, TX | $29.31 | $43.80 | SMACNA Houston / SMART Local 54 Basic Union Agreement, Addendum #1 — effective 4/1/22 |
Base rates only; fringes are paid on top. Agreements reset on their own cycles — confirm the current rate with the hall.
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Across the 5 Houston-area locals with a published wage sheet, journeyman base rates run $29.31 to $40.28 an hour, with a midpoint near $38.50 — roughly $77,000 a year at 2,000 hours. Base rate is before the fringe package (health, pension, training), which is paid on top.
Of the sheets we hold, UA Local 68 (Plumbers & Pipefitters) shows the highest journeyman base rate at $40.28 an hour, effective 10/4/25. Rates reset each agreement cycle, so confirm with the hall before relying on the figure.
No. The journeyman rate is the base hourly wage. Health and welfare, pension, annuity and training contributions are paid on top of it — that combined figure is the total package, shown where the sheet publishes it.
Union scale is a published, area-wide floor, while merit-shop pay in Houston is negotiated per employer and varies widely by certification, shift and overtime. We recruit for both, and the openings on this page list the range each employer is working with.
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.
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