United Association - Plumbers, Gasfitters, Steamfitters & Sprinkler fitters
The United Association includes several Mid-Atlantic local unions that represent highly skilled tradespeople doing plumbing, gasfitting, steamfitting and/or sprinkler fitting work.
Whether you plan to work as a commercial plumber, pipefitter, gasfitter, welder, sprinkler fitter or HVAC installer/ technician, an apprenticeship with one of these locals is a great way to get into the mechanical trades.
Apprenticeship programs and details vary somewhat by local. Click links below to jump to details for that local.
Earn While You Learn!
Plumbers & Gasfitters Local 5
Photo: Plumbers & Gasfitters Local 5
Local 5 plumber apprentices work four days a week assisting plumbers installing and maintaining systems. In addition to this on-the-job training, apprentices attend one day of in-class training from September through July. The apprenticeship program is completed in five years.
Application Procedure
Applications must be made online at local5training.com. The Washington DC Joint Plumbing Apprenticeship Committee (JATC) accepts applications for the apprentice program all year but intakes apprentices in late winter and spring. There is an application fee.
The following documentation must be presented at time of application:
- Birth certificate or passport.
- Valid driver’s license or valid state-issued identification card.
- High school diploma or GED certificate.
- Transcript of grades (sealed school envelope, raised school seal, digital copy from school) or GED test scores.
- If you have a transcript from another country, have your embassy verify in writing that it is equivalent to U.S. high school standards.
Contact Info
Plumbers & Gasfitters Local 5
4755 Walden Lane
Lanham, MD 20706
Phone: 301-899-7861
www.local5plumbers.org
The James C. Spencer Local 5 Training Facility
5000 Forbes Blvd
Lanham, MD 20706
Phone: 301-552-3505
www.local5training.org
Great Pay
The rate for licensed journeypersons as of August 1st, 2024, is $51.25 an hour, or over $106,000 a year in your pocket. This does not include the fringe benefit package, which raises the total wage of a licensed journeyperson plumber to $74.35 an hour.
Apprentice Wage Rates
- Health insurance
- Pension plan
Photo: Plumbers & Gasfitters Local 5
Plumbers & Steamfitters Local 486
Photo: Plumbers & Steamfitters Local 486
Choose a great career, earn college credits with no tuition costs! No experience to start and get paid to learn.
The Local 486 Steamfitters apprenticeship offers a unique opportunity to blend learning skills and on-the-job PAID training into a career of a lifetime, while earning up to 45 college credits at the same time.
Since 1941, Local 486 has provided tens of thousands of hours of free instruction, on-the- job training and job opportunities to participants who go on to become expert technicians, skilled journey workers, trained managers, and high-wage earners.
Application Procedure
Five simple steps to enroll:
- Apply for admission at www.getpiping.com
- Pay $25 application fee
- Journey assessment
- Math assessment
- Interview
- Hiring & attend class
Qualifications:
- High school diploma or GED
- State-issued ID
- Reliable transportation
- Eligible to work in the United States and obtain a Maryland Plumbers and HVACR license
- Pass a math test
- Pass physical and drug screening
Contact Info
Plumbers & Steamfitters Local 486
8100 Sandpiper Circle, Suite 200
Baltimore, MD 21236
Phone: (410) 866-4380
www.ualocal486.com
Local 486 Training Center
1201 66th Street
Baltimore, MD 21237
Phone: (410) 866-5313
www.getpiping.com
Great Pay & Benefits
- Wages+benefits starting
at more than $28/hr - No tuition
- Career coaching
- Job placement
- State-of-the-art equipment
- 40-Hour work week
- Pension, medical insurance and 401k
What They Do
- Weld, rig, steamfit, install plumbing systems
- Operate hydraulic and electric controls
- Monitor digital technology control systems
- Install backflow preventers
- Install natural & medical gas systems
- Read and interpret building drawings and specifications
- And more!
Photo: Plumbers & Steamfitters Local 486
Road Sprinkler Fitters Local 669
Photo: Road Sprinkler Fitters Local 669
Road Sprinkler Fitters Local 669 is a nationwide local union. This gives the members of Local 669 the flexibility to work in almost any part of the United States.
The Local 669 apprenticeship is a five-year program with on-the-job training and a 19-course correspondence through a nationally recognized university. Once apprentices have have completed a six-month probationary period they will be become a member of Local 669.
Each six months of the apprenticeship,
participant records are reviewed to ensure satisfactory progress both on the job and in related training courses. Satisfactory progress means advancement to the next classification and a wage increase.
Application Procedure
Apply online at sprinklerfitters669.org. The Washington DC Joint Plumbing Apprenticeship Committee (JATC) accepts applications for the apprentice program all year but intakes apprentices in late winter and spring. There is an application fee.
Qualifications:
- Must be at least 18 years old.
- Must have a high school diploma or GED.
- Must be physically fit to do the work of the trade.
- Must have other than dishonorable discharge from the military (if applicable).
- Must pass appropriate drug test.
Contact Info
Road Sprinkler Fitters Local 669
7050 Oakland Mills Road, Suite 200
Columbia, MD 21046
Phone: (410) 381-4300
www.sprinklerfitters669.org
Local 669 Training Center
7050 Oakland Mills Road, Suite 200
Columbia, MD 21046
Phone: (410) 312-5202
www.sprinklerfitters669.org/jatc.aspx
Great Pay
Wage rates are determined by the “class” of the apprentice. An apprentice receives a percentage of the journeyman wage rate in the state where he/she is working. The sprinkler fitter wage rate is negotiated state-by-state, based on the economic conditions of the state.
Excellent Benefits
Local 669’s health, welfare and pension programs are among the finest in the construction industry.
Photo: Road Sprinkler Fitters Local 669
Steamfitters Local 602
Photo: Steamfitters Local 602
When you are accepted into Local 602 training program, you begin right away as an apprentice, earning good wages and working side-by-side with experienced members of the trade. You will be eligible for promotion and increased pay too. Along with this invaluable on-the-job training, you will take classes at the UA Mechanical Trade School in Landover, MD, or Manassas, VA, recognized as two of the finest institutions of their kind in the world.
Tuition for the classroom training won’t cost you a cent. That’s more than $25,000 worth of free education — and all the while you are a well-paid wage earner.
Upon graduation in five years, you’ll be a certified journeyperson steamfitter, and well on your way to a solid career in one of the most skilled and highly paid of all mechanical trades.
Application Procedure
Must provide the following documentation at time of application:
- High school diploma (or letter stating that you will be graduating by June) or GED certificate with scores.
- Official high school transcript in a sealed envelope from your high school.
- Social Security card
- Birth certificate
- Government issued photo identification (driver’s license preferred).
- DD 214 (if a veteran)
Contact Info
Steamfitters Local 602
8700 Ashwood Drive, 2nd Floor
Capitol Heights, MD 20743
Phone: (301) 333-2356
Email: info@602training.org
www.steamfitters-602.org
Local 602 Mechanical Trades School – Maryland
8509 Ardwick-Ardmore Road
Landover, MD 20785
Local 602 Mechanical Trades School – Virginia
9990 Battleview Parkway
Manassas, VA 20109
Great Pay *
- 1st year – 47% rate
$23.63/hour and $36.11 with benefits
- 2nd year – 55% rate $27.65/hour and $40.13 with benefits
- 3rd year – 65% rate $32.68/hour and $49.16 with benefits
- 4th year – 75% rate $37.70/hour and $54.18 with benefits
- 5th year – 80% rate $40.22/hour and $64.21 with benefits
- Journeyman $50.27/hour and $74.26 with benefits
Excellent Benefits
Local 602 offers self-insured medical, pension, annuity and training programs.
Photo: Steamfitters Local 602