Last updated 2026 Davis-Bacon determinations
Median union journeyman scale across the 5 New Jersey UA locals with a published 2026 determination is $57.97/hr — 26% above the national median. Below: every local's own rate, apprentice pay where it's published, and which New Jersey locals are taking applications now.
Journeyman base and total package for every New Jersey 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 24 — West Caldwell | $62.09 | $107.14 | NJ20260026 |
| Local 9 — Englishtown | $46.23–$59.57 | $106.02 | NJ20260027 |
| Local 274 — Parsippany | $57.97 | $98.19 | NJ20260026 |
| Local 475 — Warren | $56.34 | $107.14 | NJ20260031 |
| Local 322 — Winslow | $56.30 | $107.06 | NJ20260025 |
1 more New Jersey local in the directory with no published union rate: Local 696 (Newark). 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.
UA locals do not share a national percentage ladder — each local negotiates its own — so these are the New Jersey locals whose published schedule we verified. Apprentices earn from day one; there is no tuition.
Starts at 35% of journeyman scale and rises to 75% by the final period.
Status as re-verified by our daily cron across all 6 New Jersey 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 9 — Englishtown | Plumber, Pipefitter, HVAC/R | Closed | October 25, 2026 |
| Local 24 — West Caldwell | Plumber | Closed | October 24, 2026 |
| Local 274 — Parsippany | Pipefitter, Steamfitter | Closed | October 23, 2026 |
| Local 322 — Winslow | Plumber, Pipefitter, HVAC/R | Closed | October 22, 2026 |
| Local 475 — Warren | Steamfitter, HVAC/R | Closed | October 24, 2026 |
| Local 696 — Newark | Sprinkler Fitter | Closed | October 24, 2026 |
Across the 5 UA locals in New Jersey with a published 2026 union wage determination, the median journeyman base is $57.97 an hour — roughly $120,600 a year at 2,080 hours. Rates run from $56.30 to $62.09 an hour depending on the local, which is 26% above the $46.10 national median across all 170 rated UA locals.
Plumbers UA Local 24 in West Caldwell carries the highest published journeyman base in New Jersey at $62.09 an hour, $107.14 with fringe benefits. The lowest of the 5 rated locals is UA Local 322 Plumbers, Pipefitters & HVAC Service Technicians in Winslow at $56.30. 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.
6 UA locals in our directory cover New Jersey, of which 5 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.
None of the 6 New Jersey locals we track is showing an open window as of our last check. Most UA locals recruit on a fixed annual or biannual schedule, so the answer changes — we re-verify every day and can email you when one opens.
Compare against national union plumber pay, the full 170-local pay table, or UA apprentice pay scales.
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