Union wages. Union protection. Union respect.
Union-only listings across the trades — pension, healthcare, and a wage floor that non-union shops can't touch. This guide breaks down real pay by experience level and what actually moves the number.
Union Trades
Union pay works differently than open-shop pay, and that difference is the entire point. Your wage isn't individually negotiated — it's set by your local's collective bargaining agreement, and it applies equally to every worker at your tier. BLS wage surveys only capture base hourly pay, which means published median wages for union-heavy trades consistently understate real union compensation once pension and annuity contributions are added.
Entry (Set by local wage scale) — union apprenticeship wage scales are published and fixed, not something you negotiate on day one.
Journeyman (Set by local wage scale) — full scale for your local, the same rate every journeyman in that local earns for that classification.
Master / Top End (Set by local wage scale + pension) — full scale plus employer pension and annuity contributions, which can add the equivalent of several dollars an hour in value beyond the wage itself.
Union pay isn't negotiated per-worker — it's set by the collective bargaining agreement your local negotiates, and it applies equally to everyone at your tier.
Union total compensation includes employer pension and annuity contributions on top of the hourly wage — often the equivalent of several dollars an hour in value BLS wage data doesn't capture.
Union apprenticeships (IBEW, UA, and others) follow a fixed, published progression — no guessing what your next raise looks like.
Wage scales vary significantly by geographic local — a journeyman's rate in one city's local can differ substantially from another's.
“Same scale as the guy who's been in 20 years. Same benefits. Same seat at the table.”
— A day in the life, Union Trades
Two-way street. Workers get matched to real openings. Employers get first look at qualified union trades talent before we go public with the board.
Jobs In UnionTrades is one of 13 trade-specific sites in the Careers In Trades network.