UA Local 396 wage & welfare bonds.
From $100.
UA Local 396 in the Mahoning Valley requires signatory contractors to post a wage and welfare bond, typically filed at $75,000, guaranteeing union-scale wages and fund contributions. It is a private union requirement, not an Ohio statute. Premiums cost 4% of the bond amount, $100 minimum.
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How much does a UA Local 396 wage & welfare bond cost?
4% 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 wage and welfare bond — enter your amount, consent to a soft pull, and file with the local. Here is the whole thing:
Apply online
Your company details, the bond amount your UA Local 396 agreement requires (often $75,000), and the effective date — plus a one-time consent to a soft credit pull.
Approved
Most wage and welfare bonds clear quickly. The application includes a credit consent, but it authorizes a soft pull only — a soft inquiry that never affects your score. Because this local runs a six-figure standard amount, some applications get a brief review.
File with the union
Your executed bond and power of attorney arrive by email, ready to file with UA Local 396 or its benefit funds office so your signatory status stays current. Wet-ink originals mailed on request.
What it is and who needs it.
What the wage & welfare bond actually guarantees
UA Local 396 is the Mahoning Valley local of the United Association of Journeymen and Apprentices of the Plumbing and Pipe Fitting Industry, representing plumbers, pipefitters, steamfitters, and HVAC/refrigeration technicians from Boardman, Ohio. Contractors who sign the local's collective bargaining agreement agree to pay union-scale wages and to remit contributions to its welfare, pension, and apprenticeship funds, administered through the local's benefit funds office.
The wage and welfare bond backs those obligations. It is a three-party arrangement: you (the principal), the surety carrier, and UA Local 396 and its benefit funds (the obligee / protected parties). If a signatory contractor fails to pay covered wages or remit fund contributions, the local and its funds can recover against the bond.
It is not insurance for you — if the surety pays a claim, you repay the surety. This is a private contractual requirement of the collective bargaining agreement, not an Ohio statute. The local's standard filing amount is $75,000, though it can set a different figure per contractor. Enter the amount your signatory agreement calls for; premiums price at 4% of that amount, $100 minimum, and the application includes a credit consent that authorizes a soft pull only.
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 UA Local 396 or its benefit funds office so your signatory status stays current. Wet-ink originals mailed on request.
What sets the price
The premium is 4% 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.
Submit the application with the bond amount your UA Local 396 agreement requires. Most clear quickly; the six-figure standard amount may get a brief underwriter review, usually within 48 hours.
Start the application →Common questions.
Other Ohio bonds.
Price and requirements checked on the carrier’s application, . Page updated .
Signatory status waiting on one bond.
Premiums from $100, priced at 4% of the bond amount. Enter your required figure and file with the local the same day.