UnionCrane Operators Local 98 wages 2026 (Massachusetts)
The hourly rates, overtime, shift, vacation and per diem rules of IUOE Local 98 in Massachusetts, read from the one agreement built into the Crane Operator app. An independent guide: the agreement and your hall have the final word.
Western Massachusetts heavy & highway (CIM)
Massachusetts Heavy & Highway Agreement 2024–2028 between Hoisting and Portable Engineers Locals 98, 98A, 98B and 98K and the Labor Relations Division of the Construction Industries of Massachusetts, with the June 1 2026 rate sheet
$51.05an hour
Class 10: all cranes, Western Massachusetts heavy & highway (CIM)
From June 1, 2026. No later step published.
| Classification | From June 1, 2026 |
|---|---|
| Class 10: all cranes (crawler and truck cranes, derricks, tower cranes, hydraulic cranes, boom trucks)base rate | $51.05 |
| Class 10A: crane with boom and jib over 150 ft+ $1.00 | $52.05 |
| Class 10B: crane with boom and jib over 200 ft+ $2.50 | $53.55 |
| Class 10C: crane with boom and jib over 250 ft+ $3.50 | $54.55 |
| Class 10D: crane with boom and jib over 300 ft+ $4.50 | $55.55 |
| Class 10E: crane with boom and jib over 350 ft+ $6.00 | $57.05 |
| Class 7: truck crane operator, daily basisClass 10 + $8.00 | $59.05 |
| Class 8: truck crane oiler, daily basisClass 6 + $8.00 | $48.73 |
| Class 6: oiler | $40.73 |
| Class 1: second engineer on a big tower, lattice or hydraulic crane | $47.55 |
| Apprentice, 0 to 1,000 hours60% of Class 1 | $28.53 |
| Apprentice, 1,001 to 2,000 hours70% | $33.29 |
| Apprentice, 2,001 to 4,000 hours80% | $38.04 |
| Apprentice, 4,001 to 6,000 hours90% | $42.80 |
- Overtime
- Time and a half over 8 hours a day and on Saturday (a weather make-up Saturday is straight time); Sundays are double time, and so is overtime where the other trades on the job get double time.
- Shift premium
- No shift premium is published for this agreement, so the app adds none for night work.
- Vacation and holiday pay
- Paid holidays (p.6, p.8): New Year's Day, Presidents' Day, Memorial Day, the Fourth of July, Labor Day, Columbus Day, Veterans Day, Thanksgiving and Christmas, 8 hours' holiday pay whatever day the holiday falls; ordered to report, at least 8 hours at time and a half plus the holiday pay.
- Per diem and travel
- No per diem: when you're required to stay away from home overnight, reasonable room and board are reimbursed (p.11), a reimbursement, not wages.
One 40-hour week, worked out
Week of November 8, 2026Class 10: all cranes (crawler and truck cranes, derricks, tower cranes, hydraulic cranes, boom trucks), Western Massachusetts heavy & highway (CIM)
Example| Day | Sun | Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hours | 0 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 0 |
| Earnings | |
|---|---|
| Regular32 h × 51.05 | 1,633.60 |
| Overtime 1.5×8 h × 76.575 | 612.60 |
| Gross pay | 2,246.20 |
| Deductions | |
| Field dues1.75% of wages (1.75% of the whole package) | −39.31 |
| Dues on the fringe package (1.75% of the fringes, each hour paid)per hour | −22.97 |
| Social Action Fundper hour | −4.00 |
| Social Security6.2% | −139.26 |
| Medicare1.45% | −32.57 |
| MA paid leave | −10.33 |
| Federal income taxestimate (W-4) | −324.36 |
| Massachusetts income taxestimate | −103.72 |
What's missing
Where the app can't follow a rule to the letter yet, its notes say so, and say how to allow for it when you enter your hours. From this page's agreements:
- The apprentice dollars are Class 1 times the percentage, rounded to the cent (the agreement prints the percentages), and the next steps (December 1 2026 + $1.96, June 1 2027 + $1.65, December 1 2027 + $1.64) are package totals not yet split, so the app keeps the June 2026 rates after December 1 2026: then type your new rate under Enter my own rate.
- The 40-hour guarantee, broken-time pay (2 hours for reporting, 4 for starting, 8 after the 4th hour) and the broken-time premium (Classes 1 to 6 from December 1 to March 31, + $3.75 an hour in 2026) aren't worked out: enter the hours and rate you're paid.
- The app pays the 8 hours when the holiday is on a weekday (a Saturday holiday on the Friday before, a Sunday one on the Monday after), and on a holiday you work it pays the hours at time and a half but not the 8 hours' holiday pay on top: your stub will show that too.
- The fringes before December 1 2025 aren't in our sources, so the app uses the December 2025 total ($32.30) for those weeks too, and apprentices' fringes (and so their dues) are taken as the journeyman's.
Enter your own hours in the Crane Operator app: it applies these rates, the overtime and holiday rules, dues and tax, and keeps a year of paychecks. Free for a month.
A number on this page is wrong? Report a wrong rate: it opens the app's feedback box with this page named, no email needed.
Between jobs? Open the job-call board: public union hall job calls from across the US in one place, rebuilt every night.
Your agreement isn't here? Send us your agreement from the app's Settings tab. If the app doesn't have it yet, you get a free year when it's added.
Questions
What does a Local 98 journeyman make in 2026?
$51.05 an hour under the Massachusetts Heavy & Highway Agreement 2024–2028 between Hoisting and Portable Engineers Locals 98, 98A, 98B and 98K and the Labor Relations Division of the Construction Industries of Massachusetts, with the June 1 2026 rate sheet, from June 1, 2026.
When is the next Local 98 raise?
No later step is published in the data for the Western Massachusetts heavy & highway (CIM) agreement. Rates usually change once a year; check the schedule before you count on a raise.
What do Local 98 apprentices make?
Apprentice, 0 to 1,000 hours $28.53 (60% of Class 1), Apprentice, 1,001 to 2,000 hours $33.29 (70%), Apprentice, 2,001 to 4,000 hours $38.04 (80%) and Apprentice, 4,001 to 6,000 hours $42.80 (90%) an hour from June 1, 2026.
Does Local 98 pay a per diem?
No per diem: when you're required to stay away from home overnight, reasonable room and board are reimbursed (p.11), a reimbursement, not wages.
How is Local 98 overtime paid?
Time and a half over 8 hours a day and on Saturday (a weather make-up Saturday is straight time); Sundays are double time, and so is overtime where the other trades on the job get double time.
Sources
The agreements and schedules these numbers were read from. Built October 25, 2026 from the Crane Operator app, version 0.1.0.
Independent. Not affiliated with any union. Check your agreement.