Tiverton’s town administrator said this week that he won’t respond to a critical letter recently e-mailed to the town council and Sakonnet Times by the union that represents public works employees, as “I don’t think it’s appropriate to comment through the media” on contract negotiations.

The town has been negotiating a new contract with the Teamsters local 251 for more than a year, and is currently in mediation with the local that represents eight employees of the Department of Public Works.

Several weeks ago, Teamsters members sent a letter to the Tiverton Town Council and the Sakonnet Times, accusing the town of not negotiating in good faith and of “holding workers’ wages hostage.”

“Workers want to be treated with dignity and respect, while also being compensated fairly for what they do,” Matt Taibi, secretary-treasurer of the local, wrote. “While Tiverton DPW workers scrape by in these tough economic times, the town and its council continue to drag their feet.”

Cotta said that while negotiations are ongoing, he won’t comment on the letter, as public back-and-forth “is not the manner to do it.”

“There is a fair and equitable process for labor negotiations; the tactic the Teamsters have taken is just untoward (and) I’m not going to follow the same tactics.”

— With reports by Ted Hayes