UnionPile Drivers Northern California wages 2026 (California)
The hourly rates, overtime, shift, vacation and per diem rules of Carpenters Northern California in California, read from the one agreement built into the Pile Driver app. An independent guide: the agreement and your hall have the final word.
Bridge builder, highway carpenter (46 northern counties)
Carpenters 46 Northern California Counties Master Agreement, Bridge Builder/Highway Carpenter, as published by California's Department of Industrial Relations (NC-23-31-1-2026-1A), the rate DIR names for the 'Pile Driver - Bridge Builder'
$70.26an hour
Bridge builder, highway carpenter, Bridge builder, highway carpenter (46 northern counties)
From July 1, 2026. No later step published.
| Classification | From July 1, 2026 |
|---|---|
| Bridge builder, highway carpenterbase rate | $70.26 |
| Bridge builder, special single shiftJM + 12.5% | $79.04 |
- Overtime
- Overtime (DIR footnotes, heavy and highway work): the first 4 overtime hours in a day are time and a half, then double time; Saturday's first 10 hours are time and a half, then double time; Sundays and holidays are double time.
- Shift premium
- 7.5 hours worked on shift are paid as 8.
- Per diem and travel
- 50 road miles or more: $75 subsistence a day worked.
One 40-hour week, worked out
Week of November 8, 2026Bridge builder, highway carpenter, Bridge builder, highway carpenter (46 northern counties)
Example| Day | Sun | Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hours | 0 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 0 |
| Earnings | |
|---|---|
| Regular40 h × 70.26 | 2,810.40 |
| Vacation and work fee (taxable)40 h × 6.28 | 251.20 |
| Gross pay | 3,061.60 |
| Deductions | |
| Work fee (union dues)per hour | −111.20 |
| Vacation sent to the fundper hour | −140.00 |
| Social Security6.2% | −189.82 |
| Medicare1.45% | −44.39 |
| CA SDI | −39.80 |
| Federal income taxestimate (W-4) | −518.13 |
| California income taxestimate | −226.60 |
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 app treats every night as a 2nd shift (7½ for 8), so on a 3rd shift your stub pays a little more. A highway special shift is the special single shift rate (+12.5%): pick that class.
- A holiday on a Saturday or Sunday stays on its date (the page doesn't say it moves).
- The split isn't printed; the work fee is a 1st-period carpenter apprentice's amount and the vacation the rest.
Enter your own hours in the Pile Driver 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 Northern California journeyman make in 2026?
$70.26 an hour under the Carpenters 46 Northern California Counties Master Agreement, Bridge Builder/Highway Carpenter, as published by California's Department of Industrial Relations (NC-23-31-1-2026-1A), the rate DIR names for the 'Pile Driver - Bridge Builder', from July 1, 2026.
When is the next Northern California raise?
No later step is published in the data for the Bridge builder, highway carpenter (46 northern counties) agreement. Rates usually change once a year; check the schedule before you count on a raise.
Does Northern California pay a per diem?
50 road miles or more: $75 subsistence a day worked.
How is Northern California overtime paid?
Overtime (DIR footnotes, heavy and highway work): the first 4 overtime hours in a day are time and a half, then double time; Saturday's first 10 hours are time and a half, then double time; Sundays and holidays are double time.
What is the take-home on a 40-hour week?
About $1,791.66 for a journeyman 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 25, 2026 from the Pile Driver app, version 0.1.0.
- CA DIR determination NC-23-31-1-2026-1A (Bridge Builder/Highway Carpenter, p.6-7)
- CA DIR determination NC-23-31-1-2025-1A
- CA DIR shift provisions, Carpenter 23-31-1
- CA DIR holiday provisions (carpenter)
- CA DIR travel and subsistence provisions (carpenter)
- CA DIR determination NC-23-31-11-2026-1 (the bridge builder note, p.2)
Independent. Not affiliated with any union. Check your agreement.