Trane Set To Cut 370 Jobs In Tyler Brian Pearson, Business Editor   |   Aug 13, 2009

The rollercoaster of layoffs and hiring for the Trane facility in Tyler took another dip with the announcement Wednesday that 370 jobs would be cut in what a company spokeswoman framed as the end of typical seasonal hiring.

"It's seasonal ... at the beginning and end of the summer season," spokeswoman Jerianne Thomas said. "It's all based on seasonal fluctuations.

"Our business is cyclical. In our industry, seasonal adjustments are not unusual."
She said the job cuts involve hourly workers across the production board.

In May, seasonal employment and consumers taking advantage of a federal economic stimulus package allowed Trane to rehire 165 of the employees it laid off last year.

President Barack Obama's economic stimulus package gives tax credits to consumers who purchase more efficient heating and cooling systems.

Increased demand for central heating and cooling units allowed the rehiring, which represented more than half of the 300 workers laid off in December 2008. Ms. Thomas at the time said that the rehiring was seasonal, "but it was more than it typically is."

According to Tyler Economic Development Council figures, Trane is the city's fifth-largest employer, with 1,949 workers.

The No. 1 employer, East Texas Medical Center, has 3,650 employees, followed by Trinity Mother Frances, the Tyler Independent School District and Brookshire's Grocery Co.

Trane has about 4,000 employees nationwide, according to Morning Telegraph archives.
More than 3,000 industrial and manufacturing jobs have been lost in the Tyler the past year, including jobs at Trane, Tyler Pipe, Goodyear and CB&I.

Tom Mullins, president and CEO of the Tyler Economic Development Council, added that Trane rehired in the spring partly because its inventory was low.

"They hired people and were very busy for a period of time because their inventory was low," Mullins said, adding that business in that industry has slowed since then.