Median hourly earnings for telecommunications line installers and repairers were $19.06 in 2002. The middle 50 percent earned between $13.36 and $24.70. The lowest 10 percent earned less than $10.31, and the highest 10 percent earned more than $27.70. Median hourly earnings in the industries employing the largest numbers of telephone and cable television line installers and repairers in 2002 are shown below.
 

Most line installers and repairers belong to unions, principally the Communications Workers of America, the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, and the Utility Workers Union of America. For these workers, union contracts set wage rates, wage increases, and the time needed to advance from one job level to the next.