SMART Local 25 · Northern New Jersey

This Is Sheet Metal Done Right.

Local 25 trains the most skilled sheet metal workers in Northern New Jersey, so the contractors who hire them build with confidence. See what union craftsmanship delivers.

  • Four-Year Paid Apprenticeship

  • Eight-County NJ Jurisdiction
  • SMART & AFL-CIO Affiliated
  • JATC-Certified Training

  • Current Application Window: OPEN!

Our most recent window opened Sept. 7, 2026. Deadline for Applications is Oct. 4, 2026. Learn more here.

Why Local 25

What Stands Behind the Local 25 Name

For more than a century, Local 25 has trained the sheet metal workers and supplied the union craftsmanship that built Northern New Jersey. Whether you’re starting a career, hiring a workforce or counting on the benefits you’ve earned — here’s what stands behind the Local 25 name.

For Apprentices

A Career, Not a Job

Four years of paid apprenticeship. Real wages. Real benefits. A trade that builds real careers across HVAC, fabrication and architectural sheet metal.

For Contractors

Skill You Can Trust

Every Local 25 member trains to the highest standards in the industry. When you hire union, you hire skill, safety and accountability.

For Members

Protection That Lasts

Wages, healthcare, pension, legal services and a brotherhood and sisterhood that has your back — for your career and your family.

We Are Sheet Metal Workers Local 25

There Is a Difference Among Sheet Metal Unions, and It Matters.

When you’re choosing a union contractor, compare apples to apples. Local 25 is a proud member of the New Jersey State Building & Construction Trades Council, affiliated with the AFL-CIO, and a member of the International Association of Sheet Metal, Air, Rail and Transportation Workers (SMART) — a continentwide union with locals across the United States and Canada.

That means when you hire Local 25, you’re hiring a workforce backed by the most established, accountable and well-trained union network in the trade.

Watch the President’s Message

100+

Years of the Trade

President’s Message

A Career That Lasts a Lifetime

Joe Demark Jr., President and Business Manager of Local 25, on the work, the wages and the benefits that take Local 25 members from their first day as an apprentice through retirement — what he calls a great living, cradle to grave.

$51.80

Journeyperson Hourly Wage

8

NJ Counties Covered

150K

SMART Members Across N. America

4-Year

Paid Apprenticeship

Industry Spotlight

There Is a Difference Among Sheet Metal Unions, and It Matters.

In this Q&A, our president Joe Demark explains how union labor can help meet the growing demand for data centers.

This conversation reveals how a skilled, unionized workforce can power the next wave of data center expansion, from hands-on collaboration with contractors to innovative labor-management partnerships.

FAQs

Your Questions, Answered

Whether you’re considering a career in sheet metal, curious about what Local 25 offers its members or looking to hire a skilled workforce — here are some of our most popular questions.

Sheet metal workers fabricate and install the systems that move air, water and materials through buildings — including heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC), architectural metal, roofing, siding, clean rooms, skylights and ductwork. Local 25 members work on everything from hospitals and schools to data centers and high-rises across Northern New Jersey.

The apprenticeship is a four-year, paid program. Apprentices complete 160 hours of classroom instruction each year at our training center in Carlstadt, New Jersey, while working full time on the job for signatory contractors.

Yes. Apprentices earn from day one. Starting pay is 45% of the journeyperson wage schedule — currently $23.31 per hour. Pay increases every 12 months as apprentices advance through the program, until they attain journeyperson status. The journeyperson hourly rate is currently $51.80 per hour.

Apprentices pay $75 per semester in tuition. There are no other costs — no loans, no debt. Apprentices earn while they learn, and they graduate with a credential that pays for life.

Applicants must have a valid driver’s license, pass a drug screening, take a written mechanical aptitude exam, be physically able to perform the work and submit required documentation including a high school transcript or GED.

Application windows open periodically. The next window will be announced first on our social media channels and posted on our website. Sign up for email alerts to be notified the moment applications open.

Ready to Build With Local 25?

Start a career, staff a project or get answers from the hall.

Our Partners

Because We’re Stronger Together

Local 25 stands alongside the organizations, contractors and trades that move our industry forward. These partnerships shape the training we deliver, the work we win and the future of sheet metal in Northern New Jersey.