UA Local 21

What UA Local 21 does

UA Local 21, formally Plumbers & Steamfitters Local Union 21, is a chartered labor union affiliated with the United Association (UA) that represents plumbers, steamfitters, and HVAC-R service technicians across the Hudson Valley region of New York State (Dutchess, Putnam, Ulster, and Westchester counties). The organization traces its operating history to 1896 and its current charter to a 1997 consolidation of seven predecessor local unions. It operates a single physical union hall and Benefits Office at 1024 McKinley Street in Peekskill, NY, alongside member-only and contractor-only online portals and a mobile app, with the underlying technology stack functioning as a union membership management and benefits administration platform rather than a customer-facing software product.

The union's core services are a state-registered five-year apprenticeship program (minimum 8,500 hours of on-the-job training plus at least 246 hours of annual classroom instruction, earning 45 college credits toward an Associates Degree) and journeyman continuing education covering OSHA, CFC Refrigerant Handling, Medical Gas, orbital welding, UA Welding Certifications, and Foreman Certification. Member benefits are administered through four jointly trusteed funds — Welfare (medical via Anthem, Rx via OptumRx, HRA via Progressive Benefit Solutions, EAP via Lower Hudson Valley, life/AD&D via Mutual of Omaha), Annuity (Empower Retirement), Pension (with Zone 1/Zone 2 merged effective January 1, 2022), and Education — plus a Vacation Account serviced by US Alliance Financial Credit Union.

UA Local 21 monetizes through recurring member dues calculated per hours worked and hourly employer contributions to benefit funds under collective bargaining agreements with signatory contractors. It is governed as a nonprofit labor organization (EIN 13-4017983) with a Business Manager (Tom O'Brien), Business Agents, and dedicated fund administrators; revenue is not publicly disclosed. Customer segments are a hybrid of individual union members and the signatory plumbing/mechanical contractors who employ them, with membership effectively confined to the four-county jurisdiction.

Name

UA Local 21

Legal name

Plumbers & Steamfitters Local Union 21

Website

https://local21union.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1896

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1,001–5,000 employees

Short description

UA Local 21 is a nonprofit United Association labor union representing plumbers, steamfitters, and HVAC-R technicians across the Hudson Valley counties of Dutchess, Putnam, Ulster, and Westchester in New York, funded by member dues and employer contributions under collective bargaining agreements.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Peekskill

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Member Dues: Members pay union dues based on hours worked, as negotiated through collective bargaining agreements with signatory contractors.
2. Employer Contributions: Signatory contractors make hourly contributions to various benefit funds including Welfare, Pension, Annuity, and Vacation funds as required by collective bargaining agreements.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

UA Local 21 is a labor union representing plumbers, steamfitters, and HVAC-R service technicians in New York's Hudson Valley region. It delivers a five-year registered apprenticeship program, journeyman continuing-education and certification training, and administers four member benefit funds (Welfare, Annuity, Pension, and Education/Vacation). It also negotiates and enforces collective bargaining agreements with signatory mechanical and plumbing contractors.

Product overview

UA Local 21 is a labor union serving Plumbers, Steamfitters, and HVAC-R Service Technicians in New York's Hudson Valley region. Rather than a technology product company, the organization provides union membership services including a five-year registered apprenticeship program, journeyman training and certification programs, and manages member benefits through four distinct funds: the Welfare Fund, Annuity Fund, Pension Fund, and Education Fund. The organization also provides a mobile application (UA Local 21) for member access and maintains an Employee Assistance Program through Lower Hudson Valley EAP.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• UA Local 21 Joint Apprenticeship Committee: Training program for apprentices including five-year apprenticeship registered with the New York State Department of Labor
• Plumbers and Steamfitters Local 21 Health and Welfare Fund
• Plumbers and Steamfitters Local 21 Pension Fund

Products and services

• Five-Year Apprenticeship Program A five-year registered apprenticeship registered with the New York State Department of Labor, providing a minimum of 246 hours annually of classroom instruction plus a minimum of 8,500 hours of on-the-job training, and earning 45 college credits toward an Associate's Degree in Applied Science. For individuals entering the plumbing and steamfitting trade.
• Journeyman Training Programs Continuing-education courses for journey-level members covering specialized certifications such as OSHA safety, CFC Refrigerant Handler, Medical Gas System Installation, Orbital Welding, UA Welding Certifications, and Foreman Certification Training.
• Welfare Fund Health and welfare benefits for active and retired participants, including medical (through Anthem BlueCross BlueShield), prescription drug (through OptumRx), life and AD&D insurance, vision benefits, Health Reimbursement Account, and Employee Assistance Program access.
• Annuity Fund A profit-sharing defined-contribution retirement plan administered in partnership with Empower Retirement (formerly MassMutual), providing retirement savings, termination, loan, and hardship benefits to members.
• Pension Fund Defined-benefit retirement pension for all Local 21 members, with Zone 1 and Zone 2 Pension Funds merged effective January 1, 2022 into a single merged pension plan.
• UA Local 21 Mobile Application Mobile application available on Google Play Store and Apple App Store for member access to union services, news, and information.
• Lower Hudson Valley Employee Assistance Program Union-sponsored program providing members and their dependents with personal and family assistance resources, accessible via mobile app and website.
• Vacation Account Collectively bargained vacation account funded through hourly employer deductions and remitted to members through US Alliance Financial Credit Union.
• NY Backflow School Specialty backflow prevention testing and certification training for plumbing trade members to obtain New York State Backflow credentials.

Quantifiable outcome

• 45 college credits earned through five-year apprenticeship program
• +1 more outcomes

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Empower Retirement (formerly MassMutual)coreOthersEmpower Retirement administers the Annuity Plan for Local 21 members. Representatives help establish accounts and provide information on investment options, risk profiles, historical returns, and investment-related fees. Members can manage investments through the Retiresmart website or app.
• OptumRxcoreOthersOptumRx manages prescription drug benefits for the Welfare Fund. They handle formulary management, prior authorization, drug quantity management, and step therapy programs. Contact: 866-863-1408.
• Anthem BlueCross BlueShield (Empire)coreOthersAnthem provides hospital and medical benefits for active and retired participants. Members can access their Anthem card and explanation of benefits through the empireblue.com portal.
• US Alliance Financial Credit UnioncoreOthersCollective bargaining agreements provide for Vacation Account deductions through US Alliance Credit Union. Vacation contributions are remitted by employers and transferred weekly to member accounts.
• Plumbing & Mechanical Contractors Association (PMCA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUA Local 21 has an agreement with the PMCA to operate daytime apprenticeship programs in New York State at their state-of-the-art training facility.
• United Association, InternationalcoreOthersUA Local 21 offers an associate's degree program through the United Association, International, in addition to their five-year apprenticeship programs.
• Progressive Benefit Solutions (PBS)minorOthersPBS administers the Health Reimbursement Account (HRA) for Local 21 members. Contact: 888-333-3901 or [email protected].
• Lower Hudson Valley Employee Assistance ProgramminorOthersA union-sponsored Employee Assistance Program designed to help members and their dependents with personal or family problems. Available via phone at 800-EAP-2799 or lowerhudsonvalleyeap.com.
• Mutual of OmahaminorOthersMutual of Omaha provides Life and Accidental Death and Dismemberment Insurance for Welfare Fund participants.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Northeast Regional Council of Carpenters: Regional carpenters union covering much of the same Hudson Valley / downstate NY construction market. Comparable model: apprenticeship training, signatory contractor system, jointly trusteed benefit funds, and collective bargaining for skilled-trade members.
• International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) Local 3: The largest IBEW local, covering NYC and the Hudson Valley region — overlapping jurisdiction with UA Local 21. Comparable as a building trades union delivering apprenticeship training, negotiated wages, and multi-fund benefits to members in the same regional construction market.
• Plumbers Local Union No. 1 (NYC): The largest UA plumbers local in the U.S., serving NYC. Directly comparable as a UA-affiliated plumbers local with the same trade mix, apprenticeship program, and benefit fund structure, though materially larger and serving a different geography.
• Plumbers & Steamfitters Local 22 (Buffalo): UA-affiliated plumbers and steamfitters local serving the Buffalo/Niagara region of New York. Same international affiliation, same trades (plumbing, steamfitting, HVAC-R), and same benefit fund structure, providing a same-state comparable.
• Steamfitters Local 475 (New Jersey): UA steamfitters local serving central and northern New Jersey. Directly comparable in trade focus (steamfitting/HVAC), training program structure, and benefit fund administration; serves an adjacent regional market to Local 21.
• Steamfitters Local Union 638 (NYC): UA steamfitters local serving NYC and surrounding counties. Operates an identical trade and benefit-fund model (welfare, pension, annuity, vacation) and runs a comparable apprenticeship pipeline, making it the closest functional analog to Local 21.
• Sheet Metal Workers Local 28 (NYC): A building trades union in the same Hudson Valley / NYC regional construction ecosystem. Comparable as a skilled-trades union with apprenticeship training, multi-fund benefits, and signatory contractor relationships — though covering sheet metal rather than plumbing/mechanical.

Emerging players

• Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC): National trade association representing open-shop (non-union) contractors. Direct structural competitor to UA-affiliated building trades unions like Local 21, advocating for and training the non-union contractor workforce that competes for the same mechanical construction work.
• National Center for Construction Education and Research (NCCER): Non-union craft training and credentialing organization widely adopted by open-shop contractors and merit-shop training programs. Competes with UA apprenticeship curricula for talent pipeline legitimacy and contractor adoption.

Broad incumbents

• United Association (UA International): The international union to which Local 21 belongs. Operates 400+ training facilities, coordinates collective bargaining standards, and centralizes training investment (>$100M annually) across all UA locals in the U.S. and Canada — the umbrella incumbent above Local 21.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 records

Subsidiaries4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about UA Local 21