The International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM) Local 1296 in Clarksville, Tennessee, has ratified a four-year collective bargaining agreement with Trane Technologies. The contract includes significant wage increases, enhanced benefits, and stronger workplace protections for nearly 1,700 employees in the region. Of these, about 1,100 are based at the Trane manufacturing plant in Clarksville.
Trane Technologies is one of the largest employers in Clarksville, a city with a population of approximately 180,000 located about 90 minutes from Nashville. The company began as a family plumbing business in Wisconsin in 1885 and has since grown into a major producer of commercial heating and air conditioning units.
“There is a lot of working-class history in the city of Clarksville and a strong union tradition at Trane Technologies,” said IAM Union Local 1296 President Brandie Givens. “The IAM Union is proud to be part of that history. Our members there have been the centerpiece of innovation, and they play a role in sustaining our local community and economy.”
This new agreement was negotiated by Local 1296’s committee with support from District 1888 and training provided by the IAM’s William W. Winpisinger Center Education and Training Center in Maryland. For the first time, women held top leadership roles within Local 1296 during negotiations.
“We didn’t know what to expect when we started preparing, but we were very excited and pleased when the membership ratified the new contract,” said Givens. “The negotiating committee attended the Negotiation Prep Program at the William W. Winpisinger Center.”
Support also came from the Leadership Excellence Assembly of Dedicated Sisters (LEADS) program, which helps prepare women for union leadership positions.
“I was honored to be able to participate in the first cohort of the LEADS program and was also a member of the Committee on the Future. The LEADS Program showed me that women are not alone in the fight against management and we have allies throughout the IAM,” said IAM Union Local 1296 Recording Secretary and Grievance Committee Member Ashley Carpenter. “I was able to learn so much about our union that I didn’t know prior. My self-confidence grew as a result.”
Carpenter has worked at Trane Technologies for almost two decades and described how contracts like this one help employees support their families across generations.
“Trane has been open for decades and has contributed to the local economy by negotiating contracts that allow our members to be able to take care of their families,” said Carpenter. “Me, along with several other employees, are second- or third-generation IAM Union members at Trane.”
Women now make up almost half of union membership nationally according to data from organizations such as the National Women’s Law Center—a trend reflected at Local 1296 despite overall declines in union membership over recent decades.
“We look forward to making the lives of our members and their families better every day,” said Givens. “I would like to thank all the union brothers and sisters that helped and supported us.”
The contract provides an immediate wage increase of 9.3%—a $2 raise—for most workers during its first year, plus an additional $2 skill adjustment for maintenance staff. Wage increases will continue over each year covered by this deal.
“I’m so proud of our members and their negotiating team. Once again, the IAM Union leads the way in the South when it comes to fighting for the working class and winning,” said IAM Union Southern Territory General Vice President Craig Martin. “Our bargaining team worked hard, didn’t budge, and ultimately delivered a contract that lifts the quality of life for working families in northern Tennessee.”
Additional improvements include better bereavement leave policies, more paid time off, improved insurance benefits, and fewer restrictions on shop stewards conducting union business.
“This contract is about more than just numbers, it’s about dignity on the job. We did bargaining unit surveys in early 2024. The committee took the results of that survey and formed proposals,” said IAM Union District 1888 Directing Business Representative Bill Benson. “We fought for these gains at the table, and they will have a lasting impact on the lives of our members and their families. We started negotiations in December of 2024, and we stayed at the bargaining table until mid-February 2025.”
IAM officials say this outcome sends an important message amid ongoing challenges facing unions in Tennessee due to right-to-work laws.
“It can be tough in Tennessee, as many politicians and business interests here work very hard to frustrate unions,” said IAM Union District 1888 Assistant Directing Business Representative Billy Givens. “But this contract shows them that we will persevere and push forward in the face of any opposition.”
Unemployment rates have recently risen slightly in Montgomery County where Trane operates—from three percent last April up to nearly three-and-a-half percent—highlighting what union leaders describe as increased importance for strong labor agreements supporting local workers during uncertain economic times.
“It takes teamwork and trust to win at the bargaining table,” said General Vice President Martin. “IAM Union headquarters, the Southern Territory, District 1888, and most importantly, Local 1296 delivered and won big for working families.”
IAM District 1888 represents workers not only at Trane but also across numerous sites including military installations throughout Tennessee as well as parts of Kentucky, Alabama, Georgia—and says it intends to use this latest success as momentum going forward.
“We have a long track record of fighting for our dedicated talented workers—and middle-class families—in that region of South,” said General Vice President Martin. “We will use our history of success…as momentum…in future collective bargaining negotiations…and organizing drives…the best is yet come…and members…will be part it.”
