Lawrence M. Runge, a resident of the Town of Raymond in Racine County, filed the suit Sept. 25 in US District Court in Milwaukee.
Runge, who had been employed with the manufacturer since he was hired as a draftsman in 1979, lost his job April 15, according to court documents.
The lawsuit contends Runge "was treated less favorably" by Krones than younger employees were treated as the company reduced its workforce.
Runge initially filed a complaint against Krones with the Equal Employment Opportunities Commission (EEOC) office in Milwaukee. The EEOC investigated the complaint and issued a "right to suit" letter to Runge, enabling him to proceed with the lawsuit, according to his attorney, Michael Fleming, Milwaukee.
The suit asks the court to order Krones to reinstate Runge to his former job or a similar job, or to give him comparable compensation for the wages and benefits he will not receive because of the layoff.
A spokeswoman from Krones in Franklin declined to comment.
Krones employed about 700 people in Franklin as recently as 2000, according to state estimates.
The Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development issued a $500,000 grant to the Private Industry Council of Milwaukee County Oct. 2 to help retrain dislocated workers from Krones, Tower Automotive, JCP Logistics, Wisconsin Color Press, Morris Material Handling, Milwaukee Valve and GLI Inc.
Combined, the companies are eliminating about 2,100 jobs in the Milwaukee area, according to Dave Wilson, executive vice president of the Private Industry Council.
"We anticipate that there’s about 135 people that are going to be affected by Krones moving their production out of the country," Wilson said.
The Franklin facility is the US production center for Krones Inc., which is a division of Krones AG, a Neutraubling, Germany-based corporation.
Krones manufactures machines that clean, fill, seal, label, transport and package bottles and cans for the beverage and food, chemical and pharmaceutical industries.
Sources said much of the production work at the Franklin plant was being shifted to Krones’ German plants.
The state grant will provide assistance to retrain the workers who lost their jobs, Wilson said. They will be entitled to receive vouchers to upgrade their skills and learn new skills, he said. They also will receive job-coaching and resume-writing assistance, he said.
"They need IT (information technology) skills. A lot of people need exposure to computers, especially in the manufacturing setting," Wilson said. "This rash of dislocations has really impacted the area."
Oct. 11, 2002 Small Business Times, Milwaukee
