UA Local 174 Plumbers & Pipefitters

What UA Local 174 Plumbers & Pipefitters does

UA Local 174 Plumbers & Pipefitters is a regional labor union local chartered under the United Association, headquartered in Coopersville, Michigan. It represents plumbers, pipefitters, welders, and HVACR service and installation technicians across 13 counties in West Michigan, operating as a member-governed, dues-funded organization (no equity, dividends, or external capital). The local traces its lineage to Local Union #70, founded in 1891 as the first plumbing union in Michigan, and adopted its current form in July 1998 following the merger of the Grand Rapids and Muskegon locals. Its core product is skilled, certified trade labor, produced through a multi-year apprenticeship program and dispatched to signatory mechanical and HVACR contractors via the standard UA hiring-hall model.

The local's revenue mechanics are membership dues paid by journeymen, apprentices, and other affiliated workers, supplemented by initiation fees and ancillary member services. Its counterparties are signatory contractors — explicitly named in the record include Advantage Mechanical Refrigeration, Lascko Plumbing & Mechanical, Andy J Egan Co, B&V Mechanical Contractors, Mall City Mechanical, Hurst Mechanical, W. Soule Company, and CR Meyer — which agree to collective-bargaining terms and project-labor agreements in exchange for priority dispatch of qualified workers. Technology adoption is limited to standard UA association tooling: the MTPweb member portal and a mobile application handling dues, member communications, and dispatch functions.

Operationally the local runs lean, with 13 staff managing the membership, training pipeline, and contractor relations across a 13-county jurisdiction. Forward initiatives include the next apprenticeship intake scheduled for February 2026, partnerships with Helmets to Hardhats and Michigan Construction Careers to broaden apprentice recruitment (including from the veteran population), and a TikTok channel targeting younger prospective apprentices. There are no disclosed AI/ML, data, or proprietary-software capabilities; the organization's competitive position rests on training infrastructure, jurisdictional exclusivity, and contractor relationships rather than technology differentiation.

Name

UA Local 174 Plumbers & Pipefitters

Legal name

West Michigan Plumbers, Fitters and Service Trades Local Union No. 174 of The United Association of Journeymen and Apprentices of the Plumbing and Pipe Fitting Industry of the United States and Canada

Website

https://ua174.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1891

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

UA Local 174 Plumbers & Pipefitters is a United Association labor union local in Coopersville, Michigan that represents plumbers, pipefitters, welders, and HVACR technicians across 13 West Michigan counties, supplying certified trade labor to signatory mechanical contractors via a dues-funded hiring-hall model.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Coopersville

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Union Membership Dues: UA Local 174 generates revenue through membership dues paid by its members (plumbers, pipefitters, welders, and HVACR technicians). Members pay dues to maintain their union membership and access benefits including training, representation, and member services. Dues payment is managed through the MTPweb member portal.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

UA Local 174 is a labor union that represents, trains, and dispatches union plumbers, pipefitters, welders, and HVACR service technicians to signatory contractors across 13 counties in West Michigan. Its core services include the formal UA apprenticeship program, journeyman workforce dispatch through a union hiring hall, collective bargaining for wages and benefits, continuing education and certification, and member self-service via the MTPweb portal and iwantmymtp mobile app.

Product overview

UA Local 174 is a labor union organization representing plumbers, pipefitters, welders, and HVACR service technicians in West Michigan. The organization does not offer a traditional product in the SaaS sense. Its services consist of workforce representation, apprenticeship training programs, job placement assistance through signatory contractors, and member services including dues management via the MTPweb portal. The organization was formed in 1998 through a merger of the Muskegon and Grand Rapids locals and serves 13 counties in West Michigan.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• UA Apprenticeship Program Formal paid apprenticeship program training individuals age 18+ with a high school diploma or GED to become union plumbers, pipefitters, welders, or HVACR technicians. Combines classroom instruction with paid on-the-job training under the United Association curriculum.
• Journeyman Workforce Dispatch (Union Hiring Hall) Dispatch of licensed, certified union journeymen and apprentices to signatory mechanical, plumbing, HVACR, and welding contractors across 13 West Michigan counties. Workers are referred to jobs through the union hiring hall based on seniority and availability.
• Collective Bargaining Representation Negotiation of collective bargaining agreements with signatory contractors on wages, benefits, and working conditions for union members across West Michigan.
• Continuing Education and Certification Training Continuing education, certification, and skills-upgrading training for journeyman members on the latest plumbing, pipefitting, welding, and HVACR technologies, delivered by Local 174's Building Trades and Service Trades Instructors.
• MTPweb Member Portal and Mobile App Services Online self-service portal and mobile app enabling members to pay monthly dues, enroll in autopay, update personal information, and access union services and benefits.

Named customers8 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Michigan AFL-CIOcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAffiliated with Michigan AFL-CIO labor federation. The union is part of the broader AFL-CIO network connecting Michigan workers with organized labor representation and resources.
• Michigan Building and Construction Trades CouncilcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAffiliated with the Michigan Building and Construction Trades Council, connecting Local 174 with other building trades unions in Michigan for coordinated advocacy and workforce development.
• UA National (United Association of Journeymen and Apprentices of the Plumbing and Pipe Fitting Industry)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal 174 is part of the United Association, an international union. UA National provides education, certifications, training standards, and political advocacy for member locals.
• Helmets to HardhatsminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPartnership connecting military veterans with careers in the building trades. UA Local 174 participates in this program to attract transitioning service members.
• Michigan Construction CareersminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPartnership with Michigan construction industry initiative to attract workers to construction careers including plumbing, pipefitting, and HVACR trades.
• AGC of Michigan (Associated General Contractors)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerConnected to AGC of Michigan, an organization representing construction contractors. Provides networking and workforce development opportunities.
• MI Pipe Trades AssociationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with Michigan Pipe Trades Association for wage calculation tools and collective bargaining coordination across Michigan pipe trades locals.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Plumbers Local 1 (New York City): Large UA local serving NYC for plumbers, pipefitters, and HVACR technicians under UA collective bargaining agreements. Most analogous in core trade mix and apprenticeship system, though at substantially greater scale than Local 174.
• Steamfitters Local 602: United Association local covering DC/Maryland/Virginia that represents steamfitters, pipefitters, and HVACR technicians. Operates the same union hiring-hall model and apprenticeship programs as UA Local 174, but in a much larger Mid-Atlantic jurisdiction.
• Plumbers Local 130 (Chicago): UA local covering the greater Chicago area for plumbers and HVACR service techs. Comparable multi-county jurisdiction and apprenticeship-driven workforce model, organized under the same UA international collective bargaining framework.
• UA Local 85 Plumbers & Pipefitters: Atlanta-area United Association local representing plumbers, pipefitters, welders, and HVACR service techs. Same UA international affiliation, same apprenticeship and hiring-hall structure as Local 174, with comparable multi-county Southern jurisdiction.

Regional players

• Operating Engineers Local 324: Michigan-based International Union of Operating Engineers local covering heavy equipment operators across the state. Sister building trade serving overlapping West Michigan projects under the same Michigan Building Trades umbrella, but a different craft than Local 174.
• Sheet Metal Workers International Association (SMART): International union representing sheet metal workers, including HVAC fabrication/installation workforce that overlaps with UA Local 174's HVACR technician base at major mechanical contractors in West Michigan.
• International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) Local 17: Michigan-based IBEW local for electricians that works alongside UA Local 174 at shared construction job sites in West Michigan. Sister building trade with the same apprenticeship, hiring-hall, and collective bargaining model but a different craft.

Others

• Helmets to Hardhats: National program connecting military veterans to building trades apprenticeships and careers. UA Local 174 is a member participant; the program supplements its apprentice pipeline rather than competing for contractor relationships.
• United Association (UA National): International union parent of UA Local 174 providing national training standards, certifications, and collective bargaining frameworks. Acts as the governance, training, and advocacy parent rather than a direct competitor.
• Michigan Building and Construction Trades Council: Statewide umbrella coordinating affiliated building trades locals including UA Local 174 on apprenticeship standards, legislative advocacy, and coordinated dispatch. Functions as a coordinating body rather than a competing labor supplier.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/UALocal174
• Facebookfacebook.com/profile.php
• Instagraminstagram.com/ualocal174
• TikToktiktok.com/@ua174westmi
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ua-local-174-plumbers-&-pipefitters

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about UA Local 174 Plumbers & Pipefitters