CHESHIRE, Conn. -- A federal judge has ordered Pratt & Whitney to not close two plants.

The judge ordered the company to not close its Cheshire facility or a portion of its East Hartford plant before Dec. 2010, according to the Machinists Union representative John Harrity. The judge said closing the facilities violates labor agreements.

The move would have taken 1,000 jobs out of the state.

U.S. District Judge Janet Hall issued a permanent injunction Friday, stopping the company's plans to shift the jobs to Columbus, Ga., Japan and Singapore.

The Machinists union, which represents 3,700 workers, sued to block the subsidiary of United Technologies Corp. from moving the jobs elsewhere. It accused Pratt & Whitney of failing to comply with the contract that required it to do everything possible to preserve the jobs.

Executives testified in court they had no alternative but to shut two Connecticut plants. They insisted they followed the contract. The East Hartford-based company did not immediately return a message seeking comment.

The company, in a written statement, said it is considering options, including possibly making an appeal.

"While we respect the court's ruling, we are disappointed and disagree with the decision," said company spokesman Greg Brostowicz. "We believe we upheld our contractual obligations to act in good faith and made every reasonable effort to keep this work in Connecticut."

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