UnionInsulators Local 16 wages 2026 (California)
The hourly rates, overtime, shift, vacation and per diem rules of Insulators Local 16 in California, read from the two agreements built into the Insulator app. An independent guide: the agreement and your hall have the final word.
Northern California, zone 1
Heat and Frost Insulators Local 16 agreement (Northern California, zone 1), per California DIR determination NC-3-16-1-2026-2
$98.16an hour
Journeyman, Northern California, zone 1
From August 3, 2026. No later step published.
| Classification | From August 3, 2026 |
|---|---|
| Journeyman (mechanic)base rate | $98.16 |
| Hazardous material handler | $46.69 |
- Overtime
- Overtime (DIR notes e, f, h): the first 2 overtime hours on a weekday and the first 10 hours on a Saturday are time and a half; all other overtime is double time; Sundays and holidays are double time; Labor Day is triple time.
- Per diem and travel
- Subsistence county: $140 per diem a day worked.
Northern California, zone 2
Heat and Frost Insulators Local 16 agreement (Northern California, zone 2), per California DIR determination NC-3-16-1-2026-2
$74.91 an hour, journeyman (mechanic), from August 3, 2026.
| Classification | From August 3, 2026 |
|---|---|
| Journeyman (mechanic)base rate | $74.91 |
| Hazardous material handler | $45.69 |
- Overtime
- Overtime (DIR notes e, f, h): the first 2 overtime hours on a weekday and the first 10 hours on a Saturday are time and a half; all other overtime is double time; Sundays and holidays are double time; Labor Day is triple time.
- Per diem and travel
- Subsistence county: $140 per diem a day worked.
One 40-hour week, worked out
Week of October 25, 2026Journeyman (mechanic), Northern California, zone 1
Example| Day | Sun | Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hours | 0 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 0 |
| Earnings | |
| Regular40 h × 98.16 | 3,926.40 |
| Gross pay | 3,926.40 |
| Deductions | |
| Field dues8% of gross wages | −314.11 |
| Social Security6.2% | −243.44 |
| Medicare1.45% | −56.93 |
| CA SDI | −51.04 |
| Federal income taxestimate (W-4) | −725.68 |
| California income taxestimate | −315.07 |
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:
- Northern California, zone 1. The hazardous material handler's earlier rate isn't published, so the app uses $46.69 for earlier weeks too. On August 2 2027 the package goes up $5.65 an hour, to be allocated: the app keeps the 2026 rates until your new rate is out, then type it under Enter my own rate.
- Northern California, zone 1. The app has no triple-time rate, so Labor Day hours show at double time, a third short of what's owed. On a make-up Saturday the hours past the week's 40 are paid at time and a half, even past 10 hours in the day.
- Northern California, zone 1. Local 16's dues and other deductions aren't published. The app takes 8% of gross wages as dues, the highest working-dues rate any insulators' local publishes (Local 40's work assessment), so the take-home shown is on the low side: type your local's % on the Settings tab.
- Northern California, zone 1. No vacation is taken off, so if your stub shows vacation withheld, your take-home is lower than shown by that amount.
- Northern California, zone 1. The provisions don't say how they're taxed: the app adds the daily travel to taxable pay (a flat daily amount is normally taxable wages under IRS rules), with no dues on it, and treats the $140 subsistence as a tax-free per diem. The $60 in and out, parking and mileage aren't added: type them in the week's reimbursement box.
- Northern California, zone 2. The hazardous material handler's earlier rate isn't published, so the app uses $45.69 for earlier weeks too. On August 2 2027 the package goes up $4.75 an hour, to be allocated: the app keeps the 2026 rates until your new rate is out, then type it under Enter my own rate.
- Northern California, zone 2. The app has no triple-time rate, so Labor Day hours show at double time, a third short of what's owed. On a make-up Saturday the hours past the week's 40 are paid at time and a half, even past 10 hours in the day.
- Northern California, zone 2. Local 16's dues and other deductions aren't published. The app takes 8% of gross wages as dues, the highest working-dues rate any insulators' local publishes (Local 40's work assessment), so the take-home shown is on the low side: type your local's % on the Settings tab.
- Northern California, zone 2. No vacation is taken off, so if your stub shows vacation withheld, your take-home is lower than shown by that amount.
- Northern California, zone 2. The provisions don't say how they're taxed: the app adds the daily travel to taxable pay (a flat daily amount is normally taxable wages under IRS rules), with no dues on it, and treats the $140 subsistence as a tax-free per diem. The $60 in and out, parking and mileage aren't added: type them in the week's reimbursement box.
Enter your own hours in the Insulator app: it applies these rates, the overtime and holiday rules, dues and tax, and keeps a year of paychecks. Free for a month.
Your agreement isn't here, or a number is wrong? 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 16 journeyman (mechanic) make in 2026?
$98.16 an hour under the Heat and Frost Insulators Local 16 agreement (Northern California, zone 1), per California DIR determination NC-3-16-1-2026-2, from August 3, 2026. The other agreements on this page: Northern California, zone 2 $74.91.
When is the next Local 16 raise?
No later step is published in the data for the Northern California, zone 1 agreement. Rates usually change once a year; check the schedule before you count on a raise.
Does Local 16 pay a per diem?
Subsistence county: $140 per diem a day worked.
How is Local 16 overtime paid?
Overtime (DIR notes e, f, h): the first 2 overtime hours on a weekday and the first 10 hours on a Saturday are time and a half; all other overtime is double time; Sundays and holidays are double time; Labor Day is triple time.
What is the take-home on a 40-hour week?
About $2,220.13 for a journeyman (mechanic) on 5×8 Mon–Fri, after Social Security, Medicare and income tax, with no overtime, shift premium or per diem. An example from the app: your own paycheck depends on your deductions.
Sources
The agreements and schedules these numbers were read from. Built October 15, 2026 from the Insulator app, version 0.1.0.
Independent. Not affiliated with any union. Check your agreement.