TYLER (KYTX) - 500 Tyler Trane workers are laid off Friday.
Ingersoll Rand, the parent company of the air conditioner manufacturer, announced the seasonal layoffs Friday afternoon.
CBS 19 spoke with Trane employees who have a lot of family members, friends, and co-workers who are now unemployed. Although these massive layoffs have happened before at Trane, people we spoke to say it's always a shock to see so many people leave at once.
"He's going on 7 years," says Trane employee Jerome Wemitt. He's talking about his son, who was laid off Friday afternoon.
"He was right next to me," Wemitt says. "How ironic right? He was putting on floor controls."
Wemitt still has his job. He's been with the company for 21 years. He says his son will be okay, but it's always hard to see a family member lose a job.
"Well he's got two boys he's got to take care of, and his wife. It's something you sit back and think about," he says.
Trane's parent company Ingersoll Rand says the approximately 500 people laid off are part of the hourly production staff.
"Assembly line jobs," says Dwayne Street, who has been an Trane assembler for 18 years. He says a lot of his friends and co-workers were the ones laid off.
"I hate to see them get laid off, especially times like this," Street says, "but that's just part of the air conditioning business."
He's seen huge layoffs happen before.
In Friday's press release, Ingersoll Rand said, "In Tyler, over many years, we have established a pattern of adjusting our production staff."
They say those adjustments are based on seasonal demand for products.
Street says it's always hard to watch, but believes it's something the company has to do.
"I don't like to see anybody get laid off," he says, "but what can we do about it? They're doing the best they can, I don't think they want to lay off people, but it's just part of the territory."
Wemitt is telling his son the same thing.
"He's in good spirits. I told him if he needs anything, his dad's always there."
Many of the people laid off Friday will be able to work at Trane again. Wemitt's son is eligible for rehire and hopes to return to the company next year.
Some people have concerns about how the move will affect Tyler's economy.
The Tyler Economic Development council says there won't be any significant, long-term impact because these jobs should be back again early next year.
Trane has 1300 hourly employees and 400 salary employees.
