IUEC
The elevator union: the IUEC
Elevator constructors are represented by the International Union of Elevator Constructors (IUEC), founded in 1901, with more than 30,000 members across the US and Canada. In the US, the main way in is the apprenticeship, run nationally by NEIEP across 82 recruitment areas and 65 locals.
EIAT Prep app · free on iPhone10 full-length EIAT tests + an AI mock interview that scores youGet it What the IUEC is
The International Union of Elevator Constructors is the union for the people who install, maintain and repair elevators, escalators and moving walkways. Its own site describes it as “Elevating North America Since 1901” with “more than 30,000 members across the US and Canada” (iuec.org). Training for US members runs through NEIEP, the National Elevator Industry Educational Program, which also runs every apprenticeship recruitment.
How you join: the apprenticeship
Unlike most building trades, elevator apprenticeship intake is national. NEIEP opens each recruitment area roughly every two years, and you apply online for the area you will live and work in. The steps:
- Apply during your area’s window. Windows run days to about three weeks and can close early when they hit an application cap. See every area’s window.
- Pass the EIAT. 100 questions (35 reading, 35 mechanical aptitude, 30 math), 70% to pass. It is pass/fail only — what’s on it.
- Interview with the JAC. Your interview score sets your rank on the hiring list, and companies hire apprentices off it in order — how it’s scored.
- Requirements NEIEP publishes: 17 to apply, 18 to be registered as an apprentice, and a high school diploma or GED at the time of hire (NEIEP FAQ).
Training: from apprentice to IUEC mechanic
Per NEIEP, new apprentices start with six months of online coursework on safety and the history of the IUEC, then complete eight semesters of 72 hours each with a NEIEP instructor while working in the trade. After all eight semesters, apprentices are eligible for the Mechanic’s Exam; those who pass become “full-fledged IUEC Mechanics.” As NEIEP puts it: “you will earn while you learn.”
What the union pays
Wages are set by each local’s agreement. Where a 2026 federal wage determination carries the union rate (21 of 65 locals), journeyman mechanic base pay runs $51.11 to $84.05 an hour, median $61.41, with fringe packages on top (up to $122.59 an hour in total). Nationally, the BLS median for elevator and escalator installers and repairers was $109,910 a year in May 2025.
Apprentice pay follows one national ladder in the IUEC/NEBA agreement: 50%, 55%, 65%, 70%, 80% of the local mechanic rate across the 4-year program, plus fringe benefits. Full detail on IUEC pay scales by local and elevator apprentice pay.
All 65 IUEC locals NEIEP recruits for
Several locals run more than one recruitment area. Each link shows that area’s current window, NEIEP’s next projected opening and what the local pays.
Roster from NEIEP’s recruitment list. The IUEC has other locals, including in Canada, that don’t recruit through this list.
Keep going
Related Resources
How to become an elevator constructor
The full path, from window to hiring list.
Free EIAT practice test
Real format, scored against the 70% pass mark.
Elevator mechanic school
How elevator mechanics are trained: union apprenticeship vs NAEC CET.
All 82 recruitment windows
Published dates and NEIEP’s projected openings.
EIAT Prep for iPhone
Get ready for your local’s window
The EIAT Prep app has 10 full-length EIAT practice tests in the real format, an AI mock interview that plays the JAC panel and scores you, and reminders before your area’s window opens and closes.
Facts on this page trace to primary sources (NEIEP’s official study guide, BLS data) — see sources & methodology. Independent — not affiliated with or endorsed by the IUEC, NEIEP, or any union or testing organization.
