In response to an article that ran in the Nov. 19 Beacon headlined “‘Work to rule’ a school loser,” in which School Committee Vice Chair Eugene Nadeau compiled a list of more than 20 actions he says aren’t being taken as part of a ‘Work to Rule’ stance by teachers while the teachers union and school committee continue to negotiate terms of a new contract, the Beacon received an email from Pilgrim teacher Peter SanGiovanni, who felt Nadeau was attacking teachers with unfair claims.

During a phone interview Tuesday, SanGiovanni said Nadeau has either written or said a number of disparaging things against teachers and feels he is using his position on the committee to hurt teachers.

“At the past school committee meeting, he said teachers were holding the school system hostage,” SanGiovanni said. “We don’t have the ability to do that; if anyone is holding the system hostage, it’s him.”

Addressing Nadeau’s claims that teachers are refusing to participate in a number of activities as part of Work to Rule, SanGiovanni said, “There was never a time we were asked to vote on Work to Rule. We were only told to make sure to do the job exactly as contracted.”

Nadeau said he compiled the list after reaching out to building principals and gathering feedback in an effort to educate the public on what Work to Rule means and how its impacting education. Nadeau read the list during the November school committee meeting and also presented it to the Beacon.

The list, which was extensive, included everything from refusing to show up to open houses and writing letters of recommendation, to not participating in after school activities, field trips and events like Homecoming dances.

“The things he says we’re not doing, we are doing, so the list is inaccurate,” SanGiovanni said.

In his email, SanGiovanni cited a Beacon article from Sept. 6, 2012 entitled “Committee ratifies 2-year teacher agreement,” in which he says Nadeau tried to say it was not a personal vendetta against teachers despite being the only committee member not to approve the contract agreement, which lasted from Sept. 1, 2012 through Aug. 31, 2014.

After the 2009-11 teachers contract ran out on Aug. 31, 2011, a yearlong extension of that contract was collectively bargained by the two sides, with a change from teachers paying $11 per week to a 20-percent co-share of premium for health and dental insurance for a $1.9 million savings and no wage increase. Following that extension, if a new agreement could not be reached, terms of the prior contract would have gone into effect, meaning the 20 percent co-share would have reverted back to $11 per week, at a cost of approximately $2 million to the district.

The new two-year agreement retained the terms and conditions of the 2009-12 collective bargaining agreement, including the 20 percent co-share payments. Among the additions were a 1 percent raise in the first year and a 1.5 percent raise in the second year, as well as the reduction of classroom weighting at the junior high level for special education students from 2 to 1.5, to be in line with what was current at the elementary and high school levels.

In the Sept. 6, 2012 Beacon article, Nadeau was quoted as saying, “I’m not feeling well about this contract because I believe the union members are in control of the Warwick school system and I believe that’s unfair to the students, parents and taxpayers of Warwick.”

Nadeau further said he felt the school committee was “surrendering” to the teachers union by only making three changes to the 54-page contract. He said he would have liked to see teacher seniority eliminated.

Nadeau was also quoted as saying, “The teachers I’ve met know how much I appreciate what they do for our students and our school system, and this contract won’t stop that.

“I believe we’ve been fair to teachers, administration and staff, but I believe our $157 million budget won’t be reduced by this contract, and that’s unfair.”

Prior to reading off the list of items during the November school committee meeting, Nadeau said, “During these past four-and-a-half years, I have respected and praised teachers at every opportunity, however what is now being done to our students and their education here in Warwick deserves to be condemned.”

Despite Nadeau’s claims of appreciating Warwick teachers, SanGiovanni isn’t buying it.

“If you get a guy who hates teachers and won’t negotiate, it’s hard to think there’s not a vendetta against teachers,” he said.

SanGiovanni also pointed out that the list of activities Nadeau assembled consists of volunteer activities that are not required of teachers as part of the contract.

“It highlights all the great things teachers do, which they don’t have to do, but do for the benefit of the kids,” he said. “I hope that Gene would remember that and negotiate in good faith with the teachers.”

When reached for comment, Warwick Teachers Union President George Landrie said, “The position of the Warwick Teachers Union is that we’ll abide by the terms and conditions of the collective bargaining agreement. We have no position on what has been referred to as ‘Work to Rule.’”

Landrie added, “Warwick teachers are dedicated professionals and the guardians of a quality education for the kids.”