What are typical pipefitter salaries?

Do some companies pay a lot more for this position than others? What does a top earner make in this field?

What skills should you learn to increase your salary?

Depending on where you live the salaries differ. Union Pipefitters that work through the United Association of Plumbers and Pipefitters (UA). The UA offers top wages, top insurance, pension, and extensive training. In a Union, as long as your doing a fairs days work and doing it properly, your going to be getting yearly raises. Here in Ohio Journeyman wages are around $30/hour.

In Chicago I see 42 an hour on my check, I get one dollar an hour that goes directly into 401k, Full health/dental/vison, and I get 1/10 of a pension point for every hundred hours I work, and our points are currently at I believe $74 per point.

Anything past 8 hours is time and a half, all sat are time and a half, sundays are double. Anything on unscheduled hours are time and a half, and second shift, if there is no first shift is time and a half, regular if there is a first.

I am a member of Local 597 out of Chicago. We are of course in the UA.

Host said: Do some companies pay a lot more for this position than others? What does a top earner make in this field?

What skills should you learn to increase your salary?

a pipefitter/welder is 35.00 hr in wilkes barre/scranton pa

How much doe pipefitters make in Houston, TX?

Yes it matters in Houston, Texas said: How much doe pipefitters make in Houston, TX?

my husband is starting his 3rd year and makes about 18-19/hour. 1st years start at 13.50, or at least they did when he started. might have gone up a bit since then. its a $2 raise per year completed in school and some pay increases throughout the year. full health/dental/vision and a vacation savings/ retirement account.

I work out of local 459 missoula MT and have averaged about 60k + bennies, Montana midian income is about 25k for the general population. The income varies with the job for me, I went to Puerto Rico on an Alstom job and made 30k in 60 days. I did a NIH lab at home and broke 80k in a year at home. It all depends on where you are at and what you do.

Larry A Robinson in Missoula, Montana said: I work out of local 459 missoula MT and have averaged about 60k + bennies, Montana midian income is about 25k for the general population. The income varies with the job for me, I went to Puerto Rico on an Alstom job and made 30k in 60 days. I did a NIH lab at home and broke 80k in a year at home. It all depends on where you are at and what you do.

Hi Larry, My husband is a pipefitter out of Sacramento 447. We wanting to know how does it look up there now and for the future? We have property in Stevensville and are curious about our options. Are there a lot of men on the board or has it been pretty consistent? My husband is a General Foreman now making 100k but we would be willing to make far less to live there.

Regret to inform you that the local work is almost nonexistent. Smurfit Stone, a large paper mill in Missoula just shut down and it was our primary heavy industry in the local area. Billings has refinery work. If you want a good job in Montana you travel to work.

Tampa, FL 33619 Employee Type: Full-TimeIndustry: Agriculture
Manufacturing
Other Great IndustriesManages Others: YesJob Type: Manufacturing
FacilitiesEducation: 2 Year DegreeExperience: At least 3 year(s)Relocation Covered: NoPost Date: 5/17/2010Contact Information Fax: eight one three six two six ninety four twenty nine.someone get that job from here hopefully.good luck.

i've been fitting for about 10 years. i have my nccer and twic cards.I needto find work. i am currently in corpus christi texas but will travel. please letme know. thanks

In the oil and gas in Canada you can make 40-50K as a labourer. $22 starting, $25 first year, $29 second year, $44 as journeyman. Not a union job. No guaranteed hours. Summer can be slow (which has its advantages), but don't book any holidays in the winter. 90 hours per WEEK are not uncommon and days off are few and far between. I'm relatively new and the most I've worked is 107 hours in a week and 53 days straight. Pretty crumby social life! $150 K for a journeyman in a BUSY year, but it obviously has some drawbacks. Oh ya, it usually drops to -30 or -40 F for a few days every winter

Richard Boxler in Chicago, Illinois said: In Chicago I see 42 an hour on my check, I get one dollar an hour that goes directly into 401k, Full health/dental/vison, and I get 1/10 of a pension point for every hundred hours I work, and our points are currently at I believe $74 per point.

Anything past 8 hours is time and a half, all sat are time and a half, sundays are double. Anything on unscheduled hours are time and a half, and second shift, if there is no first shift is time and a half, regular if there is a first.

I am a member of Local 597 out of Chicago. We are of course in the UA.

Richard, is it difficult to get into the union? Not sure if it helps but i have a Bachelors in Applied Science, what that help if i applied??

Thanks for your time

Hi im 20 years old and am looking to pursue a career in the union pipefitting. Does anyone have any advice for me?

No a bachelors degree will not help...you have to apply the first wed of every month...www.pftf597.org/application.html

After that you take the general aptitude test that all different trades have to take...all applicants are tested in january...they only test once a year...after the test you get a interview and your combined score from the test and the interview is the score that tells if you get in or not...I believe the cutoff is 85%...also it is not true that you have to know someone to get in...I didn't know anybody and I scored high enough to get in

Corey in Virden, Illinois said: Hi im 20 years old and am looking to pursue a career in the union pipefitting. Does anyone have any advice for me?

Go back to school...this is tough work...if I could talk to my 20 year old self i would tell him to go back to school...the money is good but you'll never be rich trading hours for dollars

My husband works so hard. Yes, we live well but not only, trading hours for dollars, it is hard work with some health risks. My son is 7 and wants so badly to be like his a dad and his dad's dad. We say of course you can be a pipe fitter but you first you will go to college, then decide to join the trades. Either way your golden and will only be 27 years old with many more opportunities within the trade.

My thoughts, hope they help! Good Luck-

works drying up out there.i was a traveler for 30 years.you that got jobs you know you want to keep it.those who don't ,well they want one..this is a dying industry.America is no longer building for the economy.it has been shipped over seas.the 70's 80's some 90's were great.then it seem to drop off the grid.maybe some maintaince jobs out there,but nothing like the booming days.study computers or something thats the only way you might have a chance in this age.itt kinda stuff..good luck

Go back to school!!!!!! My husband is a pipefitter and he has be desperate for work.

Work here in Chicago is alright from what I hear/see...we had 250 out of 8000 on the bench this summer which is pretty good if you ask me. But, go to school for construction management if you want to be a pipefitter...they are starting the kids out of college here at 40-50k.

fitter in Penn Laird, Virginia said: Go back to school!!!!!! My husband is a pipefitter and he has be desperate for work.

Here in Alberta, they where getting desperate for qualified tradesman and a lot of company's instituted a "Bounty" program. If you could get someone you know hired on, you would get $500 for an apprentice and $1000 for a journeyman. In our case being a gas compressor shop, we needed welders, pipefitters, instrumentation techs & electricians. I thought it was just the energy sector that was doing the bounty program but talking to my uncle in Edmonton, he said they had the same thing in his cabinet making shop. plus he knew a lot of autobody shops where doing the same. Seems a lot of their workers tried there luck in the better paying energy industry.

Biggest reason for the shortage of tradesman they figured was because kids where being encouraged to go to post secondary education and avoid the trades. For a few years prior to the recession hitting, trade representatives where going to the high schools to try and convince them that trades is a viable alternative. I would say they had some limited success with that. We did end up getting a few guys fresh out of school willing to try an apprenticeship. Unfortunately, they must of been told that they where set for life once they got hired on because for the most part, they had huge attitude problems and quite often, where missing time on a regular basis with some pretty ridiculous excuses. The frustrating part of it was that we couldn't lay these troublemakers off. Our HR department wouldn't let us. Of course once the recession started to have it's affect up here, that all changed. Those snot nosed kids are gone with "never to be re-hired" tags by their names. Things are starting to ramp up pretty good and they are once again forecasting a huge shortage in tradesman coming up in the next few years. Wages are great. Very sporadic business though so be prepared for the slow downs.

Host said: Do some companies pay a lot more for this position than others? What does a top earner make in this field?

What skills should you learn to increase your salary?

that is awsome
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50.50 per hr in NY & double time

Rob in Calgary, Alberta said: Here in Alberta, they where getting desperate for qualified tradesman and a lot of company's instituted a "Bounty" program. If you could get someone you know hired on, you would get $500 for an apprentice and $1000 for a journeyman. In our case being a gas compressor shop, we needed welders, pipefitters, instrumentation techs & electricians. I thought it was just the energy sector that was doing the bounty program but talking to my uncle in Edmonton, he said they had the same thing in his cabinet making shop. plus he knew a lot of autobody shops where doing the same. Seems a lot of their workers tried there luck in the better paying energy industry.

Biggest reason for the shortage of tradesman they figured was because kids where being encouraged to go to post secondary education and avoid the trades. For a few years prior to the recession hitting, trade representatives where going to the high schools to try and convince them that trades is a viable alternative. I would say they had some limited success with that. We did end up getting a few guys fresh out of school willing to try an apprenticeship. Unfortunately, they must of been told that they where set for life once they got hired on because for the most part, they had huge attitude problems and quite often, where missing time on a regular basis with some pretty ridiculous excuses. The frustrating part of it was that we couldn't lay these troublemakers off. Our HR department wouldn't let us. Of course once the recession started to have it's affect up here, that all changed. Those snot nosed kids are gone with "never to be re-hired" tags by their names. Things are starting to ramp up pretty good and they are once again forecasting a huge shortage in tradesman coming up in the next few years. Wages are great. Very sporadic business though so be prepared for the slow downs.

HI Rob and THANKS for writing that...Can I have your email to contact you pls?

Does anyone know what the options are for someone who is in the union (out of Chicago) but needs to leave the state for 2 years or so? Is it possible to pay dues from afar and then rejoin a union shop when you get back?

David Gallegos in Corpus Christi, Texas said: i've been fitting for about 10 years. i have my nccer and twic cards.I needto find work. i am currently in corpus christi texas but will travel. please letme know. thanks

west con based out of bizmark north dakota has a lot of work right now give them a call

Demars in Alberta said: In the oil and gas in Canada you can make 40-50K as a labourer. $22 starting, $25 first year, $29 second year, $44 as journeyman. Not a union job. No guaranteed hours. Summer can be slow (which has its advantages), but don't book any holidays in the winter. 90 hours per WEEK are not uncommon and days off are few and far between. I'm relatively new and the most I've worked is 107 hours in a week and 53 days straight. Pretty crumby social life! $150 K for a journeyman in a BUSY year, but it obviously has some drawbacks. Oh ya, it usually drops to -30 or -40 F for a few days every winter

Working in canada has so many perks though ! Sure its cold but its good pay , huge amounts of hours in winter 100 + and you can't beat the people you work with, its been really nice this winter though in rainbow lake alberta !

curtis in East Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania said: 50.50 per hr in NY & double time

yes, if your lucky or connected with a BA to work. The average 638 fitter has to beg to get work and travel out of statet to be able to pay bills. That is if the BA at large returns your phone call and he does his job so a person can get a job out of state. These unions are not unions anymore, they are starting to really suck.

Anyone looking to enhnace their value in the industry by improving productivity. Grab you smartphone and checkout the Pocket Pipe Calculator on the android and iphone markets. Will calculate rolling offsets, equal spread offsets, odd angle fitting, how to custom cut fittings, piping data and more. There are also apps available like the fishmouth/ Lateral app that could save you hours of calculation and reduce it to seconds.
www.pipefittercalculator.com

I'm not sure what to do...to start with, I'm 58 yo!
I've read ALL the listing from skilled pipefitters; and it sounds like a somewhat good employment career.
Problem: I have a shot (interview) for a position as an entry-level pipefitter. I do have a Bachelors degree in management and working on my Masters in project management. Last employment opportunity was in IT, but unfortunately, company let me go because I didn't have the 'certifications' required for computer help desk/service technician. I'm 'financially challenged' right now, and even though I require employment/money, my though is to take the pipefitters employment (if offered). My issue is it sounds like hard work (90+/hrs/wk), and I'm past that, but willing to do what's necessary to live. Will still pursue my Masters degree and the IT certifications.I'm so confused, need feedback. Thanks!