On paper, UA Local 404 is relatively young, as it was chartered in 2013, but the roots of the union go back much farther — more than a hundred years. The mission and focus of Local 404 has remained the same: Fight for the rights and safety of the members to ensure workers are fairly compensated for their skills and training.
Local 404 is a combination of UA Locals 196, 389 and 629. These unions strived to provide their members’ employment opportunities with safe working conditions and other rights.
While the union will always advocate for the well-being of its members, it is proud of the relationship it maintains with its signatory contractors — reflected by the fact the members of Local 404 have never gone on strike. The Local 404 signatory contractors continue to deliver safe working conditions, quality wages, excellent health insurance and great retirement benefits for their employees. In exchange, Local 404 delivers a highly skilled and highly trained workforce who perform quality work and finish jobs on time and at or under budget.
Serving northwest Texas in the plumbing and mechanical industries, Local 404 maintains union halls in Amarillo, Lubbock and Wichita Falls in order to serve their members throughout their massive jurisdiction best. Local 404 and its signatory contractors also have training centers in these same cities.
Building America’s fastest-growing cities with Texan pride
The journeymen and apprentices of Local 404 work in a variety of industries, including energy, heavy industrial, commercial, medical, institutional and residential. This includes pipelines carrying vital crude oil, the refineries that process the crude, manufacturing and industrial plants, hospitals, schools, office buildings, apartments and homes.
“The fastest-growing cities are still in Texas,” reports Landpoint, an environmental consulting firm. “Though the oil industry did suffer setbacks in 2020, it’s now starting to recover. This fuels the economy. More people are moving into Texas, which also means that more homes are going to be developed out of a necessity.”
The benefits of Union membership
To meet that growth, Local 404 is actively recruiting new members and apprentices to add to its growing roster of skilled labor.
Thanks to the Local’s work through collective bargaining, journeymen receive a good hourly wage, full family health care, retirement benefits and a safe work environment.
Apprentices are also covered. Through the registered apprenticeship program’s earn while you learn model, apprentices earn livable wages and are guaranteed raises as they improve their skillset. They also receive health and retirement benefits.
The Local’s JATC also offers journeyman upgrade classes, which are paid for by the signatory contractors to ensure their employees remain up-to-date on the latest techniques, technology and skills to work efficiently and safely.
