Local 33 wage & benefit bonds.
From $100.
Plumbers & Pipefitters (Steamfitters) Local Union 33 in Des Moines generally requires a contractor that signs its collective bargaining agreement to post a wage-and-benefit bond securing wages and fringe benefits. It is a contractual requirement, not an Iowa statute. Premiums cost 2% of the bond amount, $100 minimum.
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How much does a Local 33 wage & benefit bond cost?
2% of the bond amount, from $100. Enter your amount in the calculator for the exact price.
Three steps. One sitting.
No long underwriting queue for the standard union wage bond — enter your amount, consent to a soft pull, and file with the union. Here is the whole thing:
Apply online
Your company details, the bond amount Local 33 requires for your workforce, the effective date, and a one-time consent to a soft credit pull.
Approved
Most applications clear quickly — the soft credit pull informs approval and never affects your score. Pricing is 2% of the bond amount, $100 minimum.
File with the union
Your executed bond and power of attorney arrive by email, ready to file with Local 33 or its Fund Office so your signatory agreement can proceed. Wet-ink originals mailed on request.
What it is and who needs it.
What the wage & benefit bond actually guarantees
A union wage-and-benefit bond (also called a wage-and-welfare bond) backs a signatory contractor's promise to actually pay what the collective bargaining agreement requires: the negotiated union wage rate, and the contractor's contributions to the health and welfare fund, pension fund, annuity fund, apprenticeship and training fund, and any other fringe-benefit funds the agreement creates. Plumbers & Pipefitters (Steamfitters) Local Union 33, based in Des Moines and affiliated with the United Association, has represented plumbing and mechanical-trade workers across central Iowa since 1891.
It is a three-party arrangement: the contractor (principal), the surety carrier, and Local 33 or its joint trust funds (obligee), protecting the union members who work under the agreement. If a signatory contractor falls behind on wages or fund contributions, the union or trust funds can claim against the bond up to its face amount — and if the surety pays, the contractor repays the surety. It is a financial guarantee for the workforce, not insurance for the contractor.
This requirement comes from the union's collective bargaining agreement and trust agreements, not from an Iowa statute or a city ordinance. The bond amount is not a single published figure — Local 33 or its Fund Office sets it, commonly scaled to the size of the contractor's workforce, and can require an updated amount at renewal if headcount changes. Enter the figure your signatory agreement calls for; we price the bond from a $100 minimum after a quick soft credit check that never affects your score.
You need this bond if you are
Claims, renewal, filing, and what sets the price.
If a claim is made
A claim comes from the party the bond protects, the obligee named on the form, when the duty the bond guarantees is not met.
The surety investigates and pays a valid claim, up to the bond amount. You then repay the surety: a surety bond is a guarantee of your performance, not insurance for you.
Renewal and term
The premium covers a one-year term from the effective date you choose.
Renew before the expiry date to keep the bond in force: the license, permit or contract it backs expects continuous coverage.
How to file it
File with the union. Your executed bond and power of attorney arrive by email, ready to file with Local 33 or its Fund Office so your signatory agreement can proceed. Wet-ink originals mailed on request.
What sets the price
The premium is 2% of the bond amount, $100 minimum: the amount the obligee sets moves the price, not your business profile.
One soft credit pull, never a hard inquiry, and it never affects your score.
Where a check runs, it decides approval; the rate is the same for everyone approved.
One application, then a quick review.
These are the actual underwriting fields, including your company details and a one-time consent to a soft credit pull. The pull never affects your score, and your price — from a $100 minimum — is set at application.
Start the application →Common questions.
Other Iowa bonds.
Price and requirements checked on the carrier’s application, . Page updated .
Sign with Local 33 without the bond holdup.
Priced at 2% of the amount, $100 minimum. Enter the figure your agreement requires and file with the union the same day.