What PLUMBERS AND PIPEFITTERS LOCAL 520 does

Plumbers and Pipefitters UA Local 520 is a labor union local headquartered at 7193 Jonestown Road, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, founded in 1914 as a chapter of the United Association of Journeymen and Apprentices of the Plumbing and Pipe Fitting Industry of the United States and Canada. The union represents plumbers, pipefitters, pipe welders, and HVACR technicians across 23 Central Pennsylvania counties including Adams, Cumberland, Dauphin, Lancaster, Lebanon, and York. It operates as a non-profit member-run organization with 16 staff, led by Business Manager James Enders, Financial Secretary Chris Edenbo, and President Nick DePhillips, supported by four Business Agents and a Training Coordinator.

The union's core offerings center on workforce development and labor representation. Its primary products include a Joint Apprenticeship Training Committee (JATC) apprenticeship program with annual intake cycles (online applications in September, testing late September), tuition-free earn-while-you-learn training accredited by the Council on Occupational Education, journeyman upgrade and continuing education programs, a member benefits portal with Summary Plan Descriptions, a searchable contractor directory of 50+ signatory contractors organized across nine specialty categories, a JOBS NOW placement service, and a Local 520 Political Action Committee (P.A.C.). The technology footprint is intentionally modest — standard member/contractor web portals, online application forms, and an RSS news feed — with the underlying capability sourced from the United Association's national training infrastructure, which spends over $100 million annually across 400+ training facilities and trains approximately 100,000 journeymen and apprentices per year.

Revenue is generated through member dues (not publicly disclosed) and a $50 apprenticeship application fee, supplemented by allocations from the parent United Association for training and benefits administration. The union's go-to-market is twofold: outreach to non-union workers via organizing campaigns emphasizing a 28% wage premium and benefits package, and ongoing relationships with signatory contractors across residential, commercial, industrial, design-build, automated temperature controls, natural gas, and service refrigeration specialties. The union maintains an active digital presence including website news, YouTube video content, scholarship programs (Wright Thing To Do Scholarship Trust and Pennsylvania AFL-CIO contests), and a Jobs Now recruitment link driving applicants across 10+ Central Pennsylvania cities.

Name

PLUMBERS AND PIPEFITTERS LOCAL 520

Legal name

Plumbers and Pipefitters UA Local 520

Website

https://local520.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1914

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Plumbers and Pipefitters UA Local 520 is a labor union local in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, founded 1914, representing plumbers, pipefitters, and HVACR technicians across 23 Central Pennsylvania counties through collective bargaining, accredited apprenticeship training, and signatory contractor relationships with 50+ employers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Labor Union Services

NAICS

Plumbing, Heating, and Air-Conditioning Contractors (238220)

SIC

Construction - Special Trade Contractors (1700)

akta.pro primary industry

Plumbing & Pipefitting Contracting (IMAFALAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Pipefitting & Steamfitting (EDAOACAB), Pipe Welding & Industrial Piping Fabrication Training (EDAOADAB), Pipe Installation, Repair & Repiping (HSAOAAAB)

Keywords

• Skilled trades training
• Labor union services
• Apprenticeship programs
• Contractor referrals
• Collective bargaining

Headquarters

HQ city

Harrisburg

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Pricing tiers

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Plumbers and Pipefitters UA Local 520 is a labor union local representing plumbers, pipefitters, and HVACR technicians across 23 counties in Central Pennsylvania. The union provides apprenticeship training through its Joint Apprenticeship Training Committee (JATC), continuing education for journeymen, benefits administration via a member portal, signatory contractor referral services, and political advocacy for members' jobs, healthcare, and retirement.

Product overview

Plumbers and Pipefitters UA Local 520 is a labor union offering a unified suite of services centered on membership representation and workforce development. The core offerings include union membership with benefits administration, an apprenticeship program (JATC) for training new plumbers and pipefitters, continuing education for journeymen, a contractor directory connecting members with signatory employers, a benefits office portal, job placement services, and a political action committee. The union serves Central Pennsylvania's piping industry through its training facilities and organizational infrastructure.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Apprenticeship Program (JATC)

Quantifiable outcome

• Union members earn 28 percent more than nonunion workers according to organizing page

Segments8 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Sheet Metal Workers International Association (SMWIA): Building trades union representing sheet metal workers, including those heavily involved in HVAC fabrication and installation - directly adjacent to Local 520's HVACR service tech membership. Operates JATC-style apprenticeship programs and signatory contractor networks.
• United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners of America: Large building trades union with a structured apprenticeship program, signatory contractor network, and political/collective bargaining apparatus directly comparable to UA Local 520's operating model across the same construction end-markets.
• International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW): Closely affiliated building trades union that runs its own JATC apprenticeship programs and supplies skilled workers to signatory electrical contractors. Mirrors Local 520's union structure, collective bargaining model, apprenticeship training, and political action committee - differing only in the trade represented.
• International Association of Heat and Frost Insulators and Allied Workers: Specialized building trades union with mechanical insulation expertise that frequently partners with (and competes for adjacency to) Local 520's pipefitting and HVACR members on industrial and commercial mechanical projects. Same union operating model and apprenticeship structure.
• International Union of Bricklayers and Allied Craftworkers (BAC): Building trades union running apprenticeship training and signatory contractor agreements across masonry, tile, plaster, and restoration - parallel structure to Local 520 in organizing, training, and collective bargaining for skilled construction trades.
• Laborers' International Union of North America (LiUNA): Large building trades union that supplies laborers to many of the same construction projects where Local 520 pipefitters are deployed. Directly comparable in union structure, apprenticeship training, signatory contractor model, and political engagement on construction jobsites.
• International Association of Bridge, Structural, Ornamental and Reinforcing Iron Workers: Building trades union with overlapping construction-industry jurisdiction, an apprenticeship/JATC infrastructure, and a network of signatory contractors. Directly comparable to Local 520 in operating model, workforce development, and collective bargaining function.

Broad incumbents

• United Association of Journeymen and Apprentices of the Plumbing and Pipe Fitting Industry: National parent organization of Local 520, representing the same plumbing/pipefitting/HVACR trades across the U.S. and Canada through 400+ local training facilities and joint apprenticeship programs. Operates at a national scale, providing the curricula, training investment, and political infrastructure that Local 520 draws from.
• Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC): The principal open-shop (non-union) trade association representing merit-shop contractors who compete directly against UA Local 520's signatory contractors on commercial and industrial bids. Relevant as the strategic counterpart on workforce, training, and political advocacy dimensions.

Emerging players

• National Center for Construction Education and Research (NCCER): Accredited craft training, assessment, and certification organization serving both union and open-shop construction programs. Comparable to Local 520's JATC training function as a credentialing and curriculum provider, although NCCER is industry-wide rather than union-specific.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/watch?v=e00tDr4CR2k
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/plumbers-and-pipefitters-local-520

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles15 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about PLUMBERS AND PIPEFITTERS LOCAL 520