Photo by Murray Mosher

.

e In early May Ken Georgetti (left), president of the B.C. Federation of Labour, became the president-elect of the Canadian Labour Congress. Outgoing
CLC President Bob White raised Georgetti’s arm to signify unity within the Canadian labour movement.

Ken Georgetti elected as CLE president

he Canadian Labour Con-

gress’ president-elect is a

‘ood friend of the I.W.A.

mn May 7, during the Con-

gress’ week-long triennial

convention, Ken Georgetti, the

standing president of the B.C. Fed-

eration of Labour, was acclaimed as

the national leader for the Cana-
dian labour movement.

“The fact that Ken got in without
being contested is a pretty good
sign,” commented I.W.A. CANADA
National President Dave Haggard.
“It is evidence itself that Georgetti
is a consensus builder who can get
along with all the diverse partners
within the CLC.”

The I.W.A., along with other major
trade unions including the Cana-
dian Auto Workers, the United Steel-
workers of America, the United Food
and Commercial Workers Union
and the Communication, Energy
and Paperworkers of Canada, lent
strong support to Georgetti.

Georgetti is a 46 year old who
headed the B.C. Federation of
Labour since 1986. He is also a for-
mer pipefitter by trade and a former
president of Local 480 of the Steel-
workers, from the Cominco smelter
in Trail, B.C.

“Ken’s been right beside the I.W.A.
in British Columbia all of the way
since 1986. He has understood our
union and has done the best possi-
ple job in helping the I.W.A. when
we neve fought on a number of issues
— from being on strike, to seeking
better labour laws, to seeking bal-
ance in land-use issues,” added Hag-

Commenting on Georgetti’s accla-
mation, Norm Rivard, the I.W.A.’s
national fourth vice president said
that “I’m sure that as he progresses
into the leadership of the CLC, that
Ken will become even more aware
of our union’s struggles in other

provinces of Canada and will help
us out where and when he can. We
know that he learns issues very
quickly.”

Georgetti succeeds the outgoing
Bob White, who has been CLC pres-
ident since 1992. Brother White
helped build the Congress into a
stronger organization and worked
to bring the membership to its cur-
rent status of 2.3 million Canadi-
ans. During his tenure, the Airlines
Pilots Association, various nurses
federations and teacher unions
joined the ranks of the CLC.

Georgetti is also a union move-
ment builder. During his more than
years as the B.C. Fed president,
that provincial organization grew to
450,000 members from 218,000
members.

At the convention Georgetti made
it clear that he wants to expand the
labour movement in Canada and
raise the minimum wage for all non-
union workers.

“Sisters and Brothers, don’t let
anyone tell you unions are a special
interest group that doesn’t repre-
sent the views of their members
because we represent far more than

that — on issue after issue, I believe,

the majority of Canadians are with
our unions,” Georgetti said in his
address to the delegates. “With
unity, diversity and creativity, we
can organize workers, we can
strengthen social programs, we can
insist big business Be socially respon-
sible, we can win fair wage increases
for workers and we can make work-
places safer.”

Georgetti also spoke out in favour
of labour Bupport behind the New
Democratic Party, both federally
and provincially.

Nancy Riche was acclaimed as
the Secretary-Treasurer, replacing
the retiring Dick Martin, during the
convention while Jean-Claude Par-

rot and Hassan Yuusuff were
acclaimed at Executive Vice Presi-
dents. In other elections, Ethel
Lavalley was acclaimed to the Abo-
riginal Person’s Position on the CLC
Executive Council while Joanna
Mason and David Fairfax were
selected to the seats provided for
workers of colour.

During the convention the CLC
policy document on “Social and Eco-
nomic Justice” was adopted, com-
mitting the Congress to fighting for
a productive economy which breeds
equality and support stronger social
programs.

Included in the paper’s proposals
are the commitment to save Medicare
by major federal reinvestment and
having national standards; restoring
the unemployment insurance sys-
tem to have a system of decent bene-
fits run by an arm’s-length commis-
sion with worker representation;
and the fighting of poverty by restor-
ing federal support for social ser-
vices and the prohibiting of provin-
cial workfare schemes.

On the second day of the conven-
tion, federal NDP leader Alexa McDo-
nough asked for the CLC’s support.
Trade unionists hold 10 of the NDP’s
21 federal seats.

“You can see the difference 21
MP’s can make in the House of Com-
mons,” said McDonough. “Just imag-
ine what we can do with 151 MP’s.”

“Just think about what could be
done by a government that cared
about working people and families --
like publicly funded home care,
affordable child care, more jobs with
flexible work schedules, decent ben-
efits for part-timers and contract
workers and decent UI benefits.”

On the day that the Ontario elec-
tion was announced provincial NDP
leader Howie Hampton addressed
the delegates.

Hampton put his party clearly on

the side of workers by reiterating
the NDP’s pledge to fight for anti-
scab legislation, reistate fair treat-
ment for injured workers, enact fair-
ness and equity in the workplace
and comply with pay equity laws.
He also said the NDP would fight to
boost the Ontario minimum wage.

Fisherman voted in
as B.C. Fed leader

Following the election of Ken
Georgetti as leader of the CLC, Jim
Sinclair, Second Vice President of
the United Fisherman and Allied
Workers (CAW)
won endorsement
as the B.C. Fed’s
new president.

On May 14, the
Feds’s executive
council voted 29-
22 to elect the 45
year old Vancou-
verite as leader
over the B.C.
Government and
Employee Union’s
Patrice Pratt.

Although the I.W.A. supported
Pratt, national president Dave Hag-
gard said that the union is pleased
that Sinclair has committed himself
to maintaining unity in labour move-
ment.

“We are prepared to work with
Jim to maintain that unity as the
Fed faces some unique challenges in
the immediate future and beyond,”
said Haggard.

Sinclair, a member of the UFAWU
for 17 years, is a former assistant
editor of the Fisherman newspaper,
a safety director for the union and
shoreworker organizer.

e Jim Sinclair

ee

LUMBERWORKER/JUNE, 1999/3