NYC Construction Trades by Borough: A Geographic Guide

Labor jurisdiction in New York City is not purely a matter of which trade does what — it is also a question of where. Borough boundaries, bridge and tunnel work, marine construction, and specialty infrastructure each trigger different union jurisdiction rules that can affect your project's labor cost and crew sourcing strategy.

Geographic Jurisdiction: The Basics

Every union local has a defined geographic jurisdiction specified in its charter and CBA. In NYC, jurisdiction typically maps to one of these structures:

Citywide Jurisdiction

Most specialty trades — IBEW Local 3 (inside electrical), Plumbers Local 1, Steamfitters Local 638

The local covers all five boroughs. One CBA, one rate schedule applies regardless of which borough the project sits in.

Manhattan-Focused / Outer Borough Variants

Some trades maintain different rates or separate locals for Manhattan vs. outer borough work

This is less common for major trades but does occur in certain specialty categories. Always verify the applicable local when the project is outside of Manhattan on a first engagement.

Regional Jurisdiction

Some locals cover NYC plus adjacent suburban counties (Nassau, Westchester, Rockland)

Relevant for projects near city boundaries or for crews commuting from the suburbs. The NYC prevailing wage rate still applies to City-funded work regardless of where the worker lives.

Work-Type Jurisdiction

Dock Builders, Bridge Painters, Marine Divers have specialized jurisdiction

These trades are defined not by geography but by the type of structure being built or maintained. Waterfront, bridge, and tunnel projects trigger specific locals.

Key Trades and Their NYC Presence

Below is an overview of the major NYC construction trades, their primary locals, and any notable geographic nuances:

Trade	Primary Local(s)	Notes
Electrician (Inside Wire)	IBEW Local 3	Citywide; also covers telecom Local 3CX and sound Local 25
Plumber	UA Local 1	Citywide for commercial; residential work may vary
Steamfitter / Pipefitter	UA Local 638	HVAC piping, steam, and process piping citywide
Carpenter	NYCDCC (District Council)	Multiple locals under the NYCDCC umbrella
Laborer	Mason Tenders DC, Laborers Local 79, Local 731	Excavation, demolition, mason tender work
Iron Worker (Structural)	Ironworkers Local 40 & 361	Local 40 Manhattan; Local 361 outer boroughs
Ironworker (Reinforcing)	Ironworkers Local 46	Rebar and post-tension work, citywide
Operating Engineer	IUOE Local 14, 15, 825	Heavy equipment; local varies by machine type and project size
Teamster	IBT Local 282	Construction material hauling and on-site trucking
Elevator Constructor	IUEC Local 1	Citywide; highly specialized with significant ratio requirements
Painter	IUPAT DC 9	District Council covering all five boroughs
Sheet Metal Worker	SMWIA Local 28	HVAC ductwork and metal fabrication citywide

Using the WageHound Map for Project Planning

The WageHound NYC Map provides an interactive view of all tracked unions, filterable by trade and overlaid on a borough map. Practical applications:

Identify the applicable local before bidding

Filter by trade and locate the union(s) whose jurisdiction covers your project address. If multiple locals appear, cross-reference their jurisdiction descriptions to confirm the correct one.

Compare rates across boroughs

If you see two locals for the same trade in different boroughs, click each one to compare their current rates and benefit packages. Rate differences can inform which phase of a multi-site program has higher labor cost.

Find unions by specialty

For unusual scope items (e.g., bridge painting, marine piers, tunnel boring), use the map to identify specialty trades whose standard office locations may not be obvious from a trade-name search alone.

Support contractor procurement

When soliciting bids from new trade contractors, use the map to identify all locals with jurisdiction over the project scope. Share this list with procurement so that bid packages are sent to the right union halls for referral.

Outer Borough vs. Manhattan: What Actually Differs

For most major trades, the prevailing wage rate is uniform across all five boroughs — the Comptroller's 220 Schedule does not have borough-level rate variations for the primary construction trades. Where geographic differences do emerge:

Travel time and show-up pay: Some CBAs include provisions for travel time pay when workers are dispatched to jobs in outer boroughs or below specific density thresholds. This is a CBA-level provision, not reflected in the base prevailing rate.
Ironworker local split: Structural iron is divided between Local 40 (Manhattan) and Local 361 (outer boroughs and Long Island). The rates are similar but the benefit fund structures may differ, affecting your total package calculation.
Specialty infrastructure: Work on bridges (e.g., the Verrazzano, the Whitestone, the Williamsburg) falls under bridge-specific locals — not the standard building construction trades. These projects require Dock Builders or Bridge Painters with jurisdiction over that infrastructure type.
Residential vs. commercial classification: Outer borough residential projects may qualify for the lower Residential prevailing wage schedule vs. the General (commercial) schedule. This distinction is determined by building type and use, not simply by borough location.

✓ Geographic Labor Planning Checklist

Confirm the project address and borough before looking up union locals.
Use the WageHound map to identify all applicable locals — filter by each trade in your scope.
For outer borough projects, verify whether the Residential or General prevailing wage schedule applies.
Check for any Ironworker local splits (Local 40 vs. 361) if structural steel is in scope.
For waterfront or infrastructure work, identify the specialty trade locals (Dock Builders, Bridge Painters, etc.).
Confirm CBA travel pay provisions for outer borough dispatch, if applicable.

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