BEAVER, PA - The union representing the Beaver County Jail officers filed for an injunction on Monday to stop the county from contracting with CiviGenics to manage the Hopewell Township jail.

Service Employees International Union Local 668's motion for an injunction filed in Beaver County Court said allowing the county to contract with the Massachusetts-based CiviGenics would "cause immediate and irreparable harm to the employees," who would "suffer a loss of employment, medical coverage and other benefits ..."

SEIU asked the court to grant an injunction "until (the union) has fully exhausted the administrative and judicial remedies."

One of those remedies, presumably, is the union's request - filed July 10 - to have the county court force the county commissioners to honor an arbitration decision released by a panel last month.

A neutral arbitrator and a union representative on the panel approved the decision, while county Solicitor Myron Sainovich, the panel's third member, rejected it. The union insists the arbitration decision is binding, but the county disagrees.

Under the three-year decision, wages would be frozen and the number of full-time jail officers would be reduced, but the county would also be prohibited from privatizing the operation of the facility.

The county's attorneys have said the arbitration decision would save the county $450,000 annually for three years, compared to the more than $4 million that would be saved by contracting with CiviGenics through 2008.

Asked if the request for an injunction would affect the ongoing privatization process, Sainovich replied, "Not at this point in time."

Claudia Lukert, SEIU's Harrisburg attorney, didn't return a message left at her office.

County financial administrator Rob Cyphert said the county's contract with CiviGenics calls for the company to be reimbursed up to $125,000 for recruiting expenses "if they don't ultimately end up running the operation at the jail."