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Union Members question why CLC prez condemns "vandalism" but stays silent on police brutality

Open Letter to Ken Georgetti and the Canadian Labour Congress:

by Members of Various Unions


Also posted by dawn:

* Please distribuite widely*

We are union activists who were part of organizing against the G20 Summit in
Toronto and solidarity actions across the country. After the “Peoples First”
march, many of us remained on the streets throughout the weekend contesting
the unprecedented militarization of our city and the G20 neoliberal agenda.

We are disturbed and concerned to read the statement by Ken Georgetti,
President of the Canadian Labour Congress, issued during the G20 summit. The
CLC issued a statement condemning ‘vandalism’ and declaring their commitment
to working with the police throughout the summit; however, the CLC’s
statement is shockingly silent about the violence perpetrated by the state
and police, aimed at rendering the right of people to assemble, organize and
resist obsolete, brutalizing our sisters, brothers and children.

Union members and our allies in the community were victims of the organized
confusion that led to the massive violations of our basic civil liberties
including house raids without warrants, indiscriminate searches, and the
warehousing of activists, innocent bystanders and others for hours without
charges in a dehumanizing detention centre.

Thousands of union members and others gathered on the streets and in the
state and police-sanctioned “free speech zone”, otherwise known as Queen’s
Park. As the mainstream media was glued to unattended burning police cars,
protesters were being charged and trampled by police horses, subject to
indiscriminate arrests, rubber bullets, tear gas and various forms of police
brutality.

* *

The focus on vandalism and attacks on private property espoused by the CLC
statement and some mainstream media outlets, expels from the debate the
legitimate concerns and lived injustices of many within the labour movement
who turned out to protest the G8/G20. By commission or omission this limited
focus* *legitimizes the suspension of rights and liberties in this city,
including the right to assembly and the right to political protest.

Thousands mobilized in front of police headquarters on June 28th in
solidarity with the hundreds of activists still being detained and our
unions and union flags were absent. We believe union solidarity should have
been present. While we are encouraged to see the CLC's recent decision to
join the call for a public inquiry, we feel that the CLC and Ontario
Federation of Labour (OFL) must support our allies, call for the release of
all prisoners in the detention centres and jails, and resist the attack on
our human rights in all its forms.

We as a labour movement must commit to organize social movements along with
our allies in social justice, environmental justice, grass-roots,
anti-poverty, women, non-status, Indigenous, Queer and international
movements to challenge and resist neoliberal capitalist governments’
ruthless assaults on the working people in Canada and globally. We will not
and cannot win the struggle we face against the violent onslaught of
neoliberalism by abandoning our allies and our communities in the wake of a
massive crackdown on dissent.

Signatories:

Farid Chaharlangi, President CUPE Local 4772
Kelly O’Sullivan, President CUPE Local 4803

Adrian Smith, Justicia for Migrant Workers, Workers’ Assembly

Ilian Bubrano, Chair CUPE Ontario International Solidarity Committee, CUPE
Local 3393

Dave Bleakney, National Union Representative – Canadian Union of Postal
Workers

Tracy Supruniuk, CUPE Local 3903

Chris Ramsaroop, Justicia for Migrant Workers, CUPE Local 1281

Rachel Rosen, OSSTF District 12

Katherine Nastovski, CUPE Local 3903

Herman Rosenfeld, Retired CAW Staffperson, Workers’ Assembly

Lynda Lemberg, OSSTF District 12, Active Retired Member

Mohan Mishra, CUPE Local 1281

Giti Iranpoor, OPSEU Local 512

Alison Fischer, OSSTF District 12

Ken Luckhardt, Retired CAW Staffperson

Ryan Toews, CUPE Local 3903

Jude Welburn, CUPE Local 3902

Jim Reid, CAW Local 27, London Ontario

Nicole Wall, Justicia for Migrant Workers

David McNally, York University Faculty Association

Ali Mallah, CLC Alternate VP – Workers’ of Colour, Steward CUPE Local 79

Christina Rousseau, CUPE Local 3903

Gary Lawrence, 1st Vice-President, OPSEU Local 504

Caitlin Hewitt-White, Workers' Assembly, OSSTF District 12

Kaushalya Bannerji, York University CUPE Local 3903

Victor Saliba, OPSEU Local 526

Robert Allison, Member of OPSEU

Sean Starrs, CUPE Local 3903

Richard Roman, Retired University of Toronto Professor and Trade Union
Scholar

Laura Parsons, CUPE Local 1281

Vic Natola, Steward at the Federation of Metro Tenants Association, CUPE
Local 1281

Elizabeth Byce, Retired Member of the Canadian Union of Postal Workers

Donald Burke, CUPE Local 3903

James Campbell, OSSTF District 34

Amina Ally, OSSTF District 12

Wendy Glauser, CUPE Local 3903

Ingrid Vander Kloet, ONA Local 97

Heather Dorries, CUPE Local 3902

Bruce Allan, CAW Local 199

Alex Levant, CUPE Local 3903

Peter Brogan, Workers’ Assembly and CUPE Local 3903

Sam Gindin, Retired Staff CAW

Denise Hammond, President CUPE Local 1281

Sarah Hornstein, CUPE Local 3903 and CUPE Local 1281

Kate Parizeau, CUPE Local 3902

Roger Langen, Teacher OSSTF

Baolinh Dang, CUPE Local 1281

Rodney Doody, York MA Student, CUPE Local 3903

Megan Cotton-Kinch, CUPE Local 3903

Ajamu Nangwaya, CUPE Local 3907, 3902 and Common Cause

Simon Granovsky-Larsen, York University CUPE Local 3903

Robert Morden, York University – Student

Wayne Dealy, Secretary Treasurer CUPE Local 3902 and CAW 385

Tyler Shipley, CUPE Local 3903

Paul Bocking, Executive Officer Occasional Teachers Bargaining Unit. OSSTF
District 12

Ian Hussey, CUPE Local 3903

David Camfield, Member of UMFA/NUCAUT

Patrick Vitale, Liaison Officer – CUPE Local 3902

Katie Mazer, CUPE Local 3902

Jacqueline Bergen, CUPE Local 3903

Tom Young, CUPE Local 3902 University of Toronto

Barry Weisleder, Member of OSSTF District 12

Joshua Moufawad-Paul, CUPE Local 3903

Chris Vance, CUPE Local 3903

David Lavin, CUPE Local 3903

Parastou Saberi, CUPE Local 3903

Noaman Ali, CUPE Local 3902

Rene Guerra Salazar, CUPE Local 3902

Jordy Cummings, CUPE Local 3903

Tom Keefer, CUPE Local 3903, Co-Chair of the 3903 First Nations Solidarity
Working Group

Evelyn Encalada Grez, Justicia for Migrant Workers

Richard Fung

Megan Dombrowski, CUPE Local 3903

Adriana Paz Ramirez - Justicia for Migrant Workers BC, CUPE 2278 UBC

To sign on to this letter please email clcopenletterg20@ gmail.com

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Commentaires

"Brother" Georgetti's Response

 

What follows is CLC President Ken Georgetti's response to the open letter from trade unionists above (taken from the Toronto Media Co-op.  Aside from noting that this is typical arrogant blather from a union bureaucrat, I'll leave the comments to others:

[CLC President Ken Georgetti's response]

From: Ken Georgetti <kgeorgetti@clc-ctc.ca>
Date: Mon, Jul 5, 2010 at 7:52 PM
Subject: Re: Open Letter regarding the G20
To: CLC G20 Open Letter <clcopenletterg20@gmail.com>

I presume that you, whoever you are, are the author of this piece of fiction that some activists, retirees, and other parties have signed. As a courtesy to those who signed on to your misleading and slanted "open letter" I will set the record straight for them. I would hope you would have the courtesy to share it with them.

First, I report to a board made up of unions affiliated to the Canadian Labour Congress. You should note that none of them signed your letter.

Second, if any members of a CLC-affilated union feel "disturbed and concerned" with statements that I or the Congress make, they should take up their concerns with the heads of their respective unions.

Third, let's get the facts and chronology corrected. Weeks before the G8 and G20 happened, the Canadian Labour Congress was making public statements, speaking at Union and public forums, and appearing in the media about the unprecedented police presence and the chilling effect it would have on the public's right to express themselves at these events. We went further and joined with the Canadian Civil Liberties Association and went to court where we challenged the police use of sonic cannons at the G20. We were successful in having their use limited.

We expended the lion's share of staff and financial resources for the huge civil ,peaceful protest on Saturday involving an estimated crowd of 40,000 people. Most all of them were there to demand the world's leaders focus on the issues of jobs, maternal health, peace, the environment, the list goes on. Unfortunately, all of that attention was stolen by a small group of thugs who instead wanted to destroy street cars and public property and vandalise and steal from small store owners on Queen and Young Streets. We issued our statement, you refer to, at 5:00 PM that day. The CLC does not and will not condone that kind of behaviour or tactics perpetrated by a few and must disassociate itself from it when it appears to be part of our action. People and groups who loot and steal and vandalise are not those whom we want as allies. Many other labour organizations and national unions issued similar statements ,and I note you did not send your open letter to them.

For the record, as soon as the Civil Liberties Association was satisfied that a public inquiry was necessary, they informed us and we were the first labour organization to publically support the call.

I find your letter slanted and predicated on misleading and incorrect information, and I hope my correction of the facts gives you and the signatories some comfort to know that the CLC is always in the lead on the important issues.

 

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