Straight answers for members, apprentices, prospective apprentices, and contractors. If your question isn't here, call the hall.
Section
§ 01 · Joining Local 474
§ Joining
No. Most apprentices start with zero construction experience. What we want to see is that you'll show up, work hard, and take instruction. If you've got a driver's license and a clean drug test, we'll teach you the rest.
Eighteen at the time you start work. Applications are accepted from anyone 17 or older.
Yes. Every hour on the job is paid at your year's apprentice wage, plus health & welfare and pension credit. Classroom training is scheduled around your work.
Four years for piledriver and wharf-builder craft, with the option to progress into commercial diving after journeyman status. Divers add a separate training track through the Commercial Dive Center.
Classroom and skill training runs through the EAS Carpenters Technical College in Hammonton, NJ, plus the Commercial Dive Center. On-the-job hours are logged wherever you're dispatched — Delaware River, Chesapeake Bay, anywhere the local works.
Absolutely. Local 474 recruits and trains women in every craft. Sisters in the Brotherhood — active program at UBC — supports women members across the local and the wider council.
§ 02 · Dispatch
Mix 20/20
How does dispatch work?
Members call the Mix 20/20 hotline to sign in as work-ready. When contractors call for a crew, dispatch pulls from the current roll — first-in, first-out, by craft.
Sign-in cadence
How often do I sign in?
At minimum every 30 days. If you don't renew, you drop off the work-ready list until you call back in.
Lost PIN
Can't log in?
Call the hall in Philadelphia. Ask for Jessica Daley or Patricia McGuinness — they'll reset your PIN and put you back on the roll.
Craft dispatch
Which list am I on?
The craft(s) you've certified in — journeyman divers on the dive list, riggers on the rigger list, welders on the weld list, and so on. Add a craft by logging hours + passing the qualifying test.
§ 03 · Dues
Dues fund the local's operations: dispatch, contract negotiation, organizing, training-center subsidies, legal representation, and the Michael J. Dooley Scholarship. Dues do not fund political activity — those come from separate voluntary contributions.
Dues vary by tier — apprentice, journeyman, retiree, early retiree, disabled. See the dues page for current tier amounts.
Union dues paid by employees are generally not deductible on federal income taxes (since the 2017 tax law), but state law varies. Ask a tax professional.
Online through the dues portal, by mail with a check, or in person at the hall. See the dues page for the current payment link.
Call the hall — talk to Patricia McGuinness. There are procedures for members in hardship. Don't let dues lapse to the point where you're facing suspension — call early.
Yes, at the retiree rate — significantly reduced. Early-retiree and disabled-member tiers are also available. See the dues page.
§ 04 · Benefits
Fund office
Who tracks my hours?
PA · NJ · DE: Carpenters Combined Funds (215·568·0430). DC · MD · VA: Zenith American Solutions (301·839·8800). Different jurisdictions — same union family.
Reciprocals
Working out of jurisdiction?
Hours generally reciprocate back to your home local. Call your fund office to make sure it's set up right.
Health & welfare
When am I covered?
Coverage kicks in after you meet the hours threshold. Ask the fund office for your current status & the exact requirements.
Pension & annuity
When can I retire?
The pension has both age and service requirements. See the retirees page for the pre-retirement checklist and call your fund office for a projection.
§ 05 · Trades & certifications
Piledrivers install foundation systems — timber, steel, concrete piles — usually from above the water. Commercial divers work underwater on the same infrastructure: inspection, welding, salvage, cutting. Many Local 474 members work both.
No. The dive program is a separate progression track. Members can spend a whole career on piledriving, dock building, wharf construction, rigging, or welding without ever going underwater.
Depends on the work you want. AWS structural welding opens more jobs than almost anything else in this local. NCCCO rigger & signal-person tickets open crane work. GWO Basic Safety is required for offshore wind. Ask your rep what's in demand right now.
Yes. The training center runs journey-upgrade classes throughout the year. Sign up through the EAS Carpenters Tech College or ask at the next meeting.
§ 06 · Still have a question?
Anything not covered here — dispatch, dues, benefits, trades, training, apprenticeship — is one phone call away.
