UnionPile Drivers Southern California wages 2026 (California)
The hourly rates, overtime, shift, vacation and per diem rules of Pile Drivers Southern 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.
Pile drivers and divers (11 southern counties and San Diego)
Carpenters (S. CA) Master Labor Agreement 2026–2030, Appendix A (pile drivers) and Appendix G (divers), as published by California's Department of Industrial Relations (SC-23-31-2-2026-2 for Imperial, Inyo, Kern, Los Angeles, Mono, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara and Ventura counties; SD-23-31-4-2026-2 for San Diego County)
$54.54an hour
Pile driverman, derrick bargeman, rockslinger, bridge or dock carpenter, cable splicer, Pile drivers and divers (11 southern counties and San Diego)
From July 1, 2026. No later step published.
| Classification | From July 1, 2026 |
|---|---|
| Pile driverman, derrick bargeman, rockslinger, bridge or dock carpenter, cable splicerbase rate | $54.54 |
| Pile driver foremanJM + $3.00 | $57.54 |
| Head rockslinger | $54.64 |
| Rock bargeman or scowman | $54.44 |
| Diver (wet), up to 50 feet | $114.91 |
| Diver (stand-by) | $58.57 |
| Diver's tender | $57.54 |
| Apprentice, period 890% | $49.09 |
| Apprentice, period 780% | $43.63 |
| Apprentice, period 675% | $40.91 |
| Apprentice, period 570% | $38.18 |
| Apprentice, period 465% | $35.45 |
| Apprentice, period 360% | $32.72 |
| Apprentice, period 2 (600 hours)50% | $27.27 |
| Apprentice, period 1 (first 1,000 hours)state floor | $21.97 |
- Overtime
- Overtime (DIR footnotes): Monday to Friday, the first 4 hours past 8 are time and a half and every hour past 12 is double time; Saturday's first 8 hours are time and a half, then double time; Sundays and holidays are double time.
- Per diem and travel
- Beyond 90 road miles: $100 a work day; Divers beyond the free zone: $110 a work day.
One 40-hour week, worked out
Week of November 8, 2026Pile driverman, derrick bargeman, rockslinger, bridge or dock carpenter, cable splicer, Pile drivers and divers (11 southern counties and San Diego)
Example| Day | Sun | Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hours | 0 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 0 |
| Earnings | |
|---|---|
| Regular32 h × 54.54 | 1,745.28 |
| Double time 2×8 h × 109.08 | 872.64 |
| Vacation and supplemental dues (taxable)40 h × 7.57 | 302.80 |
| Gross pay | 2,920.72 |
| Deductions | |
| Vacation and supplemental dues (to the fund and the union)per hour | −302.80 |
| Social Security6.2% | −181.08 |
| Medicare1.45% | −42.35 |
| CA SDI | −37.97 |
| Federal income taxestimate (W-4) | −484.32 |
| California income taxestimate | −212.19 |
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:
- DIR prints no foreman rate; the app uses the journeyman + $3.00 of the San Diego agreement and AGC San Diego's sheets ($57.54, the same as DIR's diver's tender row, which Appendix G pays at the foreman's scale). In San Diego County a period-1 apprentice was paid $23.57 (45%) before July 1 2026: use Enter my own rate for those weeks.
- The splits aren't published, so the app keeps the 2026 rates after July 1 2027: then type your new rate under Enter my own rate.
- The split for 2026 isn't published (San Diego's January 2026 sheet split $7.46 as $5.00 vacation and $2.46 supplemental dues), so the app adds the whole $7.57 to your taxable pay and takes it back off after tax, for every class and every week; apprentices in periods 1 to 3 are paid $8.57 (higher supplemental dues), which the app doesn't follow.
- Working dues beyond the supplemental dues aren't published; if your stub shows a percentage, type it on the Settings tab.
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.
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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 Southern California journeyman make in 2026?
$54.54 an hour under the Carpenters (S. CA) Master Labor Agreement 2026–2030, Appendix A (pile drivers) and Appendix G (divers), as published by California's Department of Industrial Relations (SC-23-31-2-2026-2 for Imperial, Inyo, Kern, Los Angeles, Mono, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara and Ventura counties; SD-23-31-4-2026-2 for San Diego County), from July 1, 2026.
When is the next Southern California raise?
No later step is published in the data for the Pile drivers and divers (11 southern counties and San Diego) agreement. Rates usually change once a year; check the schedule before you count on a raise.
What do Southern California apprentices make?
Apprentice, period 8 $49.09 (90%), Apprentice, period 7 $43.63 (80%), Apprentice, period 6 $40.91 (75%), Apprentice, period 5 $38.18 (70%), Apprentice, period 4 $35.45 (65%), Apprentice, period 3 $32.72 (60%), Apprentice, period 2 (600 hours) $27.27 (50%) and Apprentice, period 1 (first 1,000 hours) $21.97 (state floor) an hour from July 1, 2026.
Does Southern California pay a per diem?
Beyond 90 road miles: $100 a work day; Divers beyond the free zone: $110 a work day.
How is Southern California overtime paid?
Overtime (DIR footnotes): Monday to Friday, the first 4 hours past 8 are time and a half and every hour past 12 is double time; Saturday's first 8 hours are time and a half, then double time; Sundays and holidays are double time.
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 SC-23-31-2-2026-2 (Carpenter and related trades, 11 southern counties: pile driverman p.1, divers p.2)
- CA DIR determination SC-23-31-2-2025-2
- CA DIR predetermined increases
- CA DIR holiday provisions
- CA DIR travel and subsistence provisions (Appendix A and G)
- CA DIR scope of work (welding, creosote)
- CA DIR apprentice rates, Pile Driver, 11 southern counties (2026-2)
- CA DIR apprentice rates (2025-2)
- CA DIR determination SD-23-31-4-2026-2 (San Diego County, pile driver p.1)
- AGC San Diego carpenters' engineering sheet, January 2026 (foreman + $3.00, vacation and supplemental dues split)
- Western States Carpenters, local merger FAQs (Local 91)
Independent. Not affiliated with any union. Check your agreement.