Trane workers walk off the job in La Crosse

With temps in the 90s Sunday afternoon, several workers on strike at Trane in La Crosse took turns hugging shaded areas during picketing around the plant at Losey Blvd. and Ward Ave.

The union workers went on strike after midnight after their current contract with the company expired.

About 500 workers are affected by the strike of International Association of Machinests and Aerospace Workers Locals 21 and 1115.

Workers rejected the latest contract offer from the company and those on the picket lines we talked to said they were unsure of the status of negotiations.  

One picketing worker who wanted to remain unidentified said that she was only about a year away from retirement and was clearly anxious that the work stoppage could affect that.

There have been a handful of worker strikes at Trane since the company’s founding in La Crosse in 1913 by Reuben Trane.  

One of those work stoppages starting in 1973 lasted four months.