Last updated 2026 Davis-Bacon determinations
Median union journeyman scale across the 4 Massachusetts UA locals with a published 2026 determination is $60.79/hr — 32% above the national median. Below: every local's own rate, apprentice pay where it's published, and which Massachusetts locals are taking applications now.
Journeyman base and total package for every Massachusetts local with a 2026 union wage determination. For a union classification the Davis-Bacon rate is the local's negotiated CBA rate, because DOL adopts collective bargaining rates wholesale — these are real scales, not estimates.
| Local | Journeyman | With benefits | Determination |
|---|---|---|---|
| Local 12 — Boston | $69.84 | $106.27 | MA20260001 |
| Local 537 — Boston | $66.58 | $105.80 | MA20260001 |
| Local 4 — West Boylston | $55.00 | $86.57 | MA20260001 |
| Local 104 — Holyoke | $52.26 | $83.31 | MA20260003 |
1 more Massachusetts local in the directory with no published union rate: Local 550 (Boston (West Roxbury)). Their counties are covered by DOL wage surveys rather than union agreements, and a survey rate is not union scale — so we show their application windows and leave the wage blank rather than print a number we can't defend.
Status as re-verified by our daily cron across all 5 Massachusetts locals. A window can close on short notice — always confirm on the local's own site before making plans.
| Local | Trades | Status | Last verified |
|---|---|---|---|
| Local 4 — West Boylston | Plumber, Pipefitter, HVAC/R | Always accepting | August 23, 2026 |
| Local 12 — Boston | Plumber | Watching | August 25, 2026 |
| Local 104 — Holyoke | Plumber, Pipefitter, HVAC/R | Watching | August 24, 2026 |
| Local 537 — Boston | Pipefitter, HVAC/R | Closed | August 23, 2026 |
| Local 550 — Boston (West Roxbury) | Sprinkler Fitter | Watching | August 23, 2026 |
Across the 4 UA locals in Massachusetts with a published 2026 union wage determination, the median journeyman base is $60.79 an hour — roughly $126,400 a year at 2,080 hours. Rates run from $52.26 to $69.84 an hour depending on the local, which is 32% above the $46.10 national median across all 170 rated UA locals.
Plumbers & Gasfitters UA Local 12 in Boston carries the highest published journeyman base in Massachusetts at $69.84 an hour, $106.27 with fringe benefits. The lowest of the 4 rated locals is Plumbers & Pipefitters UA Local 104 in Holyoke at $52.26. Pay follows the local's collective bargaining agreement, so it tracks the cost of construction in that jurisdiction rather than the state as a whole.
5 UA locals in our directory cover Massachusetts, of which 4 publish a union journeyman rate through a Davis-Bacon determination. The other 1 sit in counties whose determinations are wage surveys rather than union agreements, so we don't publish a rate we can't stand behind.
Yes — 1 of the 5 Massachusetts locals is accepting applications as of our last check: Local 4 (West Boylston). Windows can close on short notice, so confirm on the local's own site.
Compare against national union plumber pay, the full 170-local pay table, or UA apprentice pay scales.
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