UnionPipefitters DC 16 wages 2026 (California)
The hourly rates, overtime, shift, vacation and per diem rules of UA DC 16 in California, read from the one agreement built into the Pipefitter app. An independent guide: the agreement and your hall have the final word.
Southern California Master Agreement (12 locals)
Master Agreement for the Plumbing and Piping Industry of Southern California 2026–2029 (CPMCA / Independent and District Council No. 16), with the September 1 2026 to August 31 2027 wage sheet
$61.28an hour
Journeyman, Southern California Master Agreement (12 locals)
From September 1, 2026. No later step published.
| Classification | From September 1, 2026 |
|---|---|
| Journeymanbase rate | $61.28 |
| Industrial welder or EPRI level 2 instrument technicianJM + 10% | $67.41 |
| Orbital welderJM + 5% | $64.34 |
| ForemanJM + 15% | $70.47 |
| General foremanJM + 25% | $76.60 |
| Journeyman, military base zone IJM + $4.50 | $65.78 |
| Journeyman, military base zone IIJM + $7.00 | $68.28 |
| Journeyman, military base zone IIIJM + $10.50 | $71.78 |
| Apprentice, 5th year80% | $49.02 |
| Apprentice, 4th year70% | $42.90 |
| Apprentice, 3rd year60% | $36.77 |
| Apprentice, 2nd year50% | $30.64 |
| Apprentice, 1st year45% | $27.58 |
- Overtime
- Double time for every hour over 10 a day Monday to Saturday, and on Sundays and holidays; every other overtime hour is time and a half, so the 9th and 10th hours on a weekday and the first 10 on a Saturday are time and a half. 4×10 (Sec. 4.4.1.4, with the Business Manager's permission): 10 hours Monday to Thursday at straight time, Friday time and a half for 10 hours, double time past 10 hours a day and on Saturday, Sunday and holidays.
- Shift premium
- 15% of the rate on every hour worked on shift.
- Vacation and holiday pay
- Vacation & holiday (V&H, in your taxable pay): paid with wages and sent to the fund, deducted after tax.
- Per diem and travel
- 50 miles or more, staying away from home: $75 per diem a day; 100 air miles or more, staying away from home: $110 per diem a day.
One 40-hour week, worked out
Week of October 25, 2026Journeyman, Southern California Master Agreement (12 locals)
Example| Day | Sun | Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hours | 0 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 0 |
| Earnings | |
| Regular40 h × 61.28 | 2,451.20 |
| Vacation & holiday (V&H, in your taxable pay)40 h paid, taxable | 142.00 |
| Gross pay | 2,593.20 |
| Deductions | |
| V&H sent to the Southern California Pipe Trades trustafter tax | −142.00 |
| District Council dues check-off40 h | −50.00 |
| Local duesper hour | −28.00 |
| UA organizing duesper hour | −4.00 |
| Social Security6.2% | −160.78 |
| Medicare1.45% | −37.60 |
| CA SDI | −33.71 |
| Federal income taxestimate (W-4) | −405.71 |
| California income taxestimate | −178.68 |
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:
- Weeks before January 1 2026 use the January 2026 rates, and the orbital welder rate is worked out (+ 5%, rounded to the cent). The package goes up $4.03 on September 1 2027 and again on September 1 2028, split by the union, so the app keeps the September 2026 rates until the new sheet.
- The agreement pays V&H at time and a half on every overtime hour (Sec. E.2.1); the app doubles it on double-time hours, which only raises the tax withheld a little (it comes back off anyway). The apprentices' V&H is published only as a range ($2.06 to $3.25), so the app uses $2.06 for 1st-year apprentices and $3.25 for the other years ($1.96 and $3.15 before September 2026), and the journeyman's for orbital welders and zone wages.
- The app marks that Friday and not the Saturday, so tick Holiday on the Saturday too if you work it; Independence Day and Veterans Day on a Saturday stay on the Saturday (Independence Day 2026), as the agreement moves only Christmas and New Year's.
- The app adds 15% of the straight-time rate for every hour worked on a night, so a 3rd shift is 5% short, and an overtime hour gets 15% of the straight-time rate rather than of the overtime rate.
- The app takes the September 2026 check-off for January to August 2026 too ($0.05 an hour more than was taken). Not taken: the 401(k) auto-enrolment of $0.50 an hour before tax unless you opted out (if it's on your stub, your take-home is a little under $0.50 an hour lower than shown), and the voluntary $0.05 and $0.01 political education check-offs from the V&H.
- The agreement doesn't say how it's taxed, so the app treats it as a tax-free per diem when you stay away from home overnight and as taxable wages when you drive home each day (IRS rules for travel away from home).
Enter your own hours in the Pipefitter 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 DC 16 journeyman make in 2026?
$61.28 an hour under the Master Agreement for the Plumbing and Piping Industry of Southern California 2026–2029 (CPMCA / Independent and District Council No. 16), with the September 1 2026 to August 31 2027 wage sheet, from September 1, 2026.
When is the next DC 16 raise?
No later step is published in the data for the Southern California Master Agreement (12 locals) agreement. Rates usually change once a year; check the schedule before you count on a raise.
What do DC 16 apprentices make?
Apprentice, 5th year $49.02 (80%), Apprentice, 4th year $42.90 (70%), Apprentice, 3rd year $36.77 (60%), Apprentice, 2nd year $30.64 (50%) and Apprentice, 1st year $27.58 (45%) an hour from September 1, 2026.
Does DC 16 pay a per diem?
50 miles or more, staying away from home: $75 per diem a day; 100 air miles or more, staying away from home: $110 per diem a day.
How is DC 16 overtime paid?
Double time for every hour over 10 a day Monday to Saturday, and on Sundays and holidays; every other overtime hour is time and a half, so the 9th and 10th hours on a weekday and the first 10 on a Saturday are time and a half. 4×10 (Sec. 4.4.1.4, with the Business Manager's permission): 10 hours Monday to Thursday at straight time, Friday time and a half for 10 hours, double time past 10 hours a day and on Saturday, Sunday and holidays.
Sources
The agreements and schedules these numbers were read from. Built October 15, 2026 from the Pipefitter app, version 0.1.0.
Independent. Not affiliated with any union. Check your agreement.