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Whatcom County · Inland Boatman
Inland Boatman prevailing wage in Whatcom County, Washington
$71.28an hour, base wage + fringe benefits · Boat Operator
$54.39 base wage + $16.89 fringe benefits
Whatcom County uses the same inland boatman rates as 18 other counties. See all of them on one page.
On Washington public works in Whatcom County, an inland boatman working as boat operator must be paid at least $71.28 an hour in total: $54.39 in wages plus $16.89 in fringe benefits for health, pension, vacation, training and other plans. L&I's rate took effect March 5, 2025.
L&I published this rate on February 3, 2025 and it took effect March 5, 2025. L&I hasn't changed it since, so it is still current in period 2026-2. Checked against L&I's wage lookup on October 24, 2026.
L&I lists 6 commercial inland boatman rates for Whatcom County, from $69.55 to $89.12 an hour. See all of them.
Base wage and fringe benefits: $54.39 + $16.89
The wage is the taxable hourly rate. The other lines are what Washington law calls "usual benefits": contributions to health, pension, vacation and holiday, apprenticeship and similar plans. A contractor that doesn't provide a benefit pays its value as wages instead (RCW 39.12.010).
| Base wage (taxable) | $54.39 |
| Health and welfare | $7.06 |
| Pension | $5.90 |
| Vacation and holiday | $2.30 |
| Other benefits | $1.63 |
| Total straight-time hourly rate | $71.28 |
Set from: collective bargaining agreement, Agreement Between Manson Construction Co. and Inlandboatmen's Union of the Pacific Puget Sound Region, Southern California Region and San Francisco Region Marine Division of the International Longshore and Warehouse Union. Where a county has a collective bargaining agreement, L&I adopts its wage and benefits; with more than one, the higher rate prevails. Otherwise L&I uses wage surveys (RCW 39.12.015).
When does this rate change?
- Rates lock at the bid date. A project uses “the rates that are in effect on the date when bids by prime contractors are due”, and they stay for the life of the contract. If the contract isn't awarded within six months of the bid date, the award-date rates apply. Contracts without bids use the date they're signed (WAC 296-127-011).
- L&I publishes on the first business day of February and August, and rates take effect 30 days later. Corrections can be published at any time and also take effect 30 days later (WAC 296-127-011(1); L&I publications and corrections). L&I's next set is due February 1, 2027, effective March 3, 2027.
- L&I doesn't republish every rate each period. A rate stays until L&I changes it, so each one has its own date. This one was published February 3, 2025 and took effect March 5, 2025.
Every inland boatman rate in Whatcom County
As L&I lists them. The highlighted row is the one this page leads with.
- Mate$89.12
- Boat Operator$71.28
- Launch Operator$71.23
- Deckhand$70.00
- Cook$69.70
- Deckhand Engineer$69.55
| Classification | Base wage | Fringe benefits | Total rate | Effective |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Boat Operator | $54.39 | $16.89 | $71.28 | Mar 5, 2025 |
| Cook | $52.95 | $16.75 | $69.70 | Mar 5, 2025 |
| Deckhand | $53.25 | $16.75 | $70.00 | Mar 5, 2025 |
| Deckhand Engineer | $52.76 | $16.79 | $69.55 | Mar 5, 2025 |
| Launch Operator | $54.39 | $16.84 | $71.23 | Mar 5, 2025 |
| Mate | $72.23 | $16.89 | $89.12 | Mar 5, 2025 |
Davis-Bacon inland boatman rate in Whatcom County
Federally funded or assisted construction here uses the U.S. Department of Labor's wage determinations. When a contract requires both the state rate and the Davis-Bacon rate, paying the higher of the two meets both. The contract documents say which apply.
We don't put a federal figure next to L&I's here, because the federal determinations split this trade into groups that don't line up with L&I's. The federal rows for this trade are below; match the classification to the work.
| Construction | Federal classification | Base wage | Total rate | WD |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Highway | POWER EQUIPMENT OPERATOR: GROUP 1- BIT GRINDERS; BOLT THREADING MACHINE; COMPRESSORS (UNDER 2000 CFM, GAS, DIESEL, OR ELECTRIC POWER); DECK HAND; FIREMAN & …ENGI0302-124 | $38.17 | $61.57 | WA20260001 Mod 4 |
| Highway | POWER EQUIPMENT OPERATOR: GROUP 1- BIT GRINDERS; BOLT THREADING MACHINE; COMPRESSORS (UNDER 2000 CFM, GAS, DIESEL, OR ELECTRIC POWER); DECK HAND; FIREMAN & …ENGI0302-125 | $41.17 | $64.57 | WA20260001 Mod 4 |
Davis-Bacon rates from SAM.gov, read October 25, 2026. Our federal totals are base plus fringe; DOL prints no total. Washington Davis-Bacon changes
Holidays
L&I holiday code 5B:
Holidays: New Year's Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day, Friday after Thanksgiving Day, the day before Christmas Day, and Christmas Day (8).
How Whatcom County compares
The main inland boatman rate in every county that has one, and how the pay splits here and in the nearest counties. All bars use the same scale.
Every county in Washington
Base wage and fringe benefits, nearby
- Whatcom Countybase $54.39$71.28
- Skagit Countybase $54.39$71.28
- Snohomish Countybase $54.39$71.28
- Chelan Countybase $8.55$17.13
Inland Boatman rates in nearby counties
Current L&I rates. You pay the rate for the county where the work is done. The statute defines “locality” as “the largest city in the county wherein the physical work is being performed”, and L&I publishes rates county by county (RCW 39.12.010).
L&I's inland boatman rates for Whatcom County are the same as in 18 other counties: Clallam, Clark, Cowlitz, Grays Harbor, Island, Jefferson, King, Kitsap and 10 more.
| County | Classification | Base wage | Total rate | vs Whatcom County |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Whatcom County | Boat Operator | $54.39 | $71.28 | |
| Skagit County | Boat Operator | $54.39 | $71.28 | same |
| Snohomish County | Boat Operator | $54.39 | $71.28 | same |
| San Juan County | Boat Operator | $54.39 | $71.28 | same |
| Island County | Boat Operator | $54.39 | $71.28 | same |
| Chelan County | Journey Level | $8.55 | $17.13 | −$54.15 |
| Okanogan County | Journey Level | $8.55 | $17.13 | −$54.15 |
Washington inland boatman prevailing wage by county, with a map
More from L&I on this rate
- Scope of work, WAC 296-127-01335: which tasks this trade covers. L&I says the right classification “depends upon determinations published by L&I” (L&I).
- L&I's prevailing wage lookup, for any county, trade and bid date
- Apprentices: registered apprentices are paid L&I's apprentice rate for the trade. Anyone without a registered agreement counts as a journey-level worker (RCW 39.12.021).
Are you being paid this rate?
Add your wage to what your employer pays into health, pension and other plans for you, and compare it with $71.28. Each contractor files an L&I-approved Statement of Intent to Pay Prevailing Wages before it's paid, and an Affidavit of Wages Paid when the job is accepted (RCW 39.12.040). On contracts over $10,000 the approved intent and L&I's contact details are posted on the job site (RCW 39.12.020).
Source
Washington State Department of Labor & Industries, prevailing wage lookup, Whatcom County, Inland Boatmen (INLA), L&I wage record 148533, published February 3, 2025, effective March 5, 2025: secure.lni.wa.gov/wagelookup/
Each figure comes from L&I's lookup and is checked against L&I's CSV export and a second, separate query. How we check · Download Whatcom County as CSV · Report an error