Some Erie Water Works employees have sued their union, claiming it misled them during contract negotiations.

And on Tuesday, they filed an injunction in Erie county court.

A group of eight Water Works employees have sued their AFSCME Union, claiming union leaders lied to them, and concealed retirement options during contract negotiations earlier this year, “We pay them through our dues to represent us, in this case we were not represented properly,” said Mark Kiddo, the lead plaintiff in the case, and a 16-year employee with Erie Water Works.

According to the suit, the union, AFSCME Local 2206, only presented its members one of the two options management offered in contract negotiations, “When we went to the meeting to vote on the contract we were presented with only one option, unbeknownst to us, there was another option that was knowingly concealed from us, and that's unacceptable,” said Kiddo.

The suit claims they never heard about the second offer, which reportedly included higher salary increases and additional benefits for all workers.

The workers are filing the lawsuit with help from the Fairness Center, a Harrisburg-based organization which helps ensure union officials have workers’ best interests in mind.

The lawsuit is seeking damages of more than $50,000, and an order allowing the employees to vote on both options.

Erie lawyer George Schroeck is working as a retained, consulting attorney for the Fairness Center to advise the firm’s attorneys on Erie County Court procedural matters and to assist in filing various documents with the Court.

He filed an injunction on Tuesday asking a judge to halt any action between the union and Erie Water Works, until their lawsuit is heard, “The union, unilaterally, on its own chose to accept only one offer and not even tell their employees about the second part, they had an option, they could take one or two, but they never got a chance,” said Schroeck. “Constitutionally they have a right to tell you about what the offers are and they didn’t tell them anything, they just bulldozed them,” Schroeck continued.

Erie Water Works is also named as a defendant in the suit.