[On July 5, 2010, in the aftermath of the largest mass arrests in Canadian history at the Toronto G20 summit, about 250 rank-and-file labour activists sent an open letter to the President of the Canadian Labour Congress. The union members critiqued Georgetti's public attacks against protesters paired with inaction on sweeping police brutality and repression, and called for a change of course toward solidarity with prisoners and enhanced cooperation with diverse community movements - the basic idea of social unionism.

The same day, Georgetti responded to the letter's organizers, dismissing the union members statement as a "piece of fiction".

The open letter and Georgetti's response are both reproduced below.]



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[Rank-and-file union activists' open letter to CLC President]

From: CLC G20 Open Letter <clcopenletterg20@gmail.com>

Date: Mon, Jul 5, 2010 at 12:33 PM

Subject: Open Letter regarding the G20

To: kgeorgetti@clc-ctc.ca, hyussuff@clc-ctc.ca, bbyers@clc-ctc.ca, mcwalker@clc-ctc.ca

Cc: sryan@ofl.ca, tdowney@ofl.ca, mkelly@ofl.ca

Open Letter to Ken Georgetti and the Canadian Labour Congress:

We are labour activists, many of whom were involved in 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, anti-racist, feminist, 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:



Katherine Nastovski, CUPE Local 3903

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

Farid Chaharlangi, President CUPE Local 4772

Rachel Rosen, OSSTF District 12

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

Ali Mallah, CLC Alternate VP. Workers of colour; Steward, CUPE local 79

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 1281

Ian Weniger, member of Vancouver Secondary Teachers Association, local 392 of the BC Teachers Federation. (VSTA/BCTF)

Ajamu Nangwaya, Anarchist - Common Cause, Chair External - CUPE Local 3907, Divisional Steward - CUPE Local 3902

Malissa Phung, Equity Officer @ CUPE 3906

Jacobo Vargas Foronda, Academic Researcher

Ali Ghorbani, CUPE local 3798

Dr. Michael C.K. Ma, The Kwantlen Faculty Association (KFA) of Kwantlen Polytechnic University in BC. A member of Asian Canadian Labour Alliance

Jonah Gindin, Ontario Coalition Against Poverty and CUPE 1979

Taodhg Burns, Industrial Workers of the World - Toronto-General Members Branch

Elizabeth Ha, OPSEU Workers of Colour & OFL VP Workers of Colour

Katie Wolk, CUPE 1281

Annu Saini, writer and activist

Douglas Hayes, Retired CAW local 200, The Council of Canadians, Windsor Essex Chapter

Kurban Versi, an active and concerned Canadian Citizen and resident of Toronto.

Dan Sawyer, CUPE 1281

Sabrina 'Butterfly' Gopaul, LIFE Movement, Head News Correspondent of Jane-Finch.com and News Now host for CHRY 105.5FM, CUPE Local 4772

Hayley Goodchild, CUPE 3906

John Hollingsworth, COPE Local 225

Paul Richard Erato, CUPE Local 416

Nick Bonokoski, CUPE 3761

Ronda Brook, Member, CUPE 1281

Clarice Kuhling, WLUFA and soon to be CUPE Local 3904

Sharyn Sigurdur (MfD) UFCW Local 1518

David Rennie, Canadian Union of Postal Workers

Stefan Kipfer, YUFA, York University

Eve Roa, activist for the Mexican Migrant Workers, Health Care Worker

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

Simon Granovsky-Larsen, York University CUPE Local 3903

Robert Morden, York University – Student

Wayne Dealy, Secretary Treasurer CUPE Local 3902 and CAW 385

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

Tim McCaskell, OSSTF

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

Gail McCabe, CUPE Local 3903

Jean McDonald, CUPE 3903

Helen Luu, UFCW Local 175

David DePoe, Elementary Teachers of Toronto Political Action Committee, and Workers' Assembly;

Joshua Moufawad-Paul, CUPE Local 3903

Erika Del Carmen Fuchs, Justicia for Migrant Workers, Organizing Centre for Social and Economic

Justice, CUPE Local 1936

B. Ross Ashley, Retired militant, SEIU Local 1 Canada

Wendy Naava Smolash, Teaching Support Staff Union, Simon Fraser University

Salah Irandoust, SEIU

Ferreshteh Bahmani, OPSEU

Jilvan Irandoust, OSSTF

Gary Romanuk, CUPE Local 3903, Workers' Assembly

Datejie Green, CUPE 3903, ACTRA Toronto, Past National Director of Human Rights and Equity-

Canadian Media Guild

Michael Hurley, First Vice-President, CUPE Ontario

Irina Ceric, CUPE Local 3903

Julia Barnett, CUPE Local 79

Logan Sellathurai, International Solidarity Committee, CUPE Ontario

Jean Claude Parrot, Retired Trade Unionist, Lifetime member of CUPW

Ritika Shrimali, CUPE local 3903

Shahzad Javanmardi, CUPE Local 79

Robert Ballingall, Political Science, University of Toronto

Clare O'Connor, CUPE 1281

Hayssam Hulays, OSSTF District 12

Punam Khosla, member CUPE 3903

Paul Jackson, CUPE 3902 member

Tyler Shipley, CUPE 3903

David Heap, UWO Faculty Association / People for Peace, London

Michelle (Shell) Sweeney, PSAC

Natalie Polonsky LaRoche, Retired member, CUPE 79, PSAC, Founder, Gay and Lesbian Pride

March 1981, Member, Independent Jewish Voices, ACJC

Paul Kellogg, Athabasca University Faculty Association (in a personal capacity)

Wendy Forrest, ONA Local 054

Terry Moore, Retired OPSEU Staffperson

Mahmood Ahmadi, OPSEU Local 540

Donna Ramsaroop, CUPE Local 1281

Greg Fletcher, CUPE Local 3903

John Simoulidis, CUPE Local 3903

Marion Mueller, St. Catharines, ON

Gita Hashemi, Artist, Educator, Formerly CUPE 3903, no longer unionized due to neoliberalization of universities

Karen Walker, CUPE Local 3903

Michael Hirsch, New Politics magazine, New York City;

Giuliana Fumagalli, STTP - CUPW, local de Montréal ؛

Mark Brill, Retired CUPW member now on ODSP, Toronto

Jon Short, CUPE 3903

Mostafa Henaway, Organizer for the Immigrant Worker Centre in Montreal

Mazen Masri, CUPE 3903

Chris Cormier, OPSEU VP Local 456

Marco Luciano, Migrante and Staff CUPE Local 1281

Richard McKergow, Justicia for Migrant Workers, CUPE 1281

Anita Krajnc, rabble.ca

Sarah Kardash, CUPE Local 3433

Fereshteh Bozorgani, CUPE

Paul Chislett, Windsor social activist; former president, CEP Local 37

Mary Ellen Campbell, President, CUPE 3906

Kelly Fritsch, CUPE 3903

Ron Drouillard, President: Windsor Workers' Action Centre

Maria Wallis, CUPE 3903

Cynthia Wright, CUPE 3903

Rhonda Sussman, USW Local 1998, Workers' Assembly

June Ross, Retired CUPE National Representative

Rolf Gerstenberger, President, Local 1005 USW;

Federico Carvajal, Vice-president, CUPE 1281

Anna Willats, OPSECAAT (part-time college workers in OPSEU)

Merlin Moss

Bonnie Bain, BCNU

Mireille Coral, OECTA member

Jessica Ponting, Justicia for Migrant Workers

Michael Truscello, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Departments of English and General Education

Alex Diceanu, member of anarchist organization Common Cause and CUPE 3906

Gary Jarvis, CUPE 391 Executive Member at Large and delegate to the Vancouver & District Labour Council

Philip Diceanu, Common Cause Member

Carmen Sanchez, York University, CUPE 3903 member

James Taylor, CUPE 3906

Gary Kinsman, Laurentian University Faculty Association (LUFA), Sudbury

Todd Gordon, CUPE 3903

Eve Haque, YUFA

Carlos Bucio Borja, CUPE Local 2191

Jason Kunin, OSSTF District 12

Matthew Hayter, CUPE Local 3903

Walter Whiteley, York University Faculty Association

Nick Probst, OSSTF District 12

Andrew Brett, CUPE Local 3697

Stuart Duncan, Canadian Media Guild

Derek Blackadder, Canadian Staff Union

Madeleine Boyer, CUPE Local 3903

Niki Thorne, CUPE Local 3903

Harry Smaller, YUFA

Faith Nolan

Pamela Dogra, ETT

Sarah Rogers, CUPE 3903 and CAW 414

Cathy Beth, CUPW Scarborough Local 602

Jackie Crawford, Ontario Public Service Staff Union

Michelle Hill, COPE Local 491

Christopher Webb, Communications Officer SEIU Local 1

Andrew Mindszenthy, OPSEU Local 548 and 509

Alan Lennon, Senior Union Representative –CEIU-PSAC

Phil Little, TSU-OECTA (Retired)

Alex Wilson, CUPE Local 3903

Brendan Bruce, PSAC Local 610 and Common Cause

Gordon Doctorow, OSSTF District 12 (Retired)

Roslyn Doctorow, ETF North York (Retired)

Douglass St. Christian, Associate Professor, University of Western Ontario, UWOFA

Eileen Roth, Laurentian University – Student

Xavier Lafrance, York University, Member of CUPE 3903

Cheryl Cowdy Crawford, CUPE 3903

Evert Hoogers, Lifetime Member of CUPW (retired)

Shawna Nelles, Independent Photographer

Jamie M.A. Smith, CUPE 3903

Duncan Clegg, York University CUPE 3903

Adwoa Onuara, CUPE Local 3907 and 3902

Sonja Killoran-McKibban, CUPE Local 3903

Amy Gottlieb, OSSTF District 12

Derek Maisonville, York University CUPE 3903

Patricia Molloy, WLUFA

Jerome Messier, PSAC

Malcolm Blincow, YUFA

Jennifer Gibbs, CUPE Local 3903

Jake Javanshir, Concerned Citizen

Janice Patterson, OSSTF District 12

Jill Lennox, CUPE Local 3903

Sue Stroud, BCGEU

Susan Kasurak, OSSTF District 12

Khaled Mouammar, President of the Canadian Arab Federation

Susan Hudson, OSSTF District 12

Colleen Bell, University College Union, Birkbeck, University of London

Brian Burch, LIUNA member

Ilona Molnar, CUPE 3903

Staz Mandziuk, Toronto

David Rankine, active responsible and free citizen

Pance Stojkovski, Toronto Workers' Assembly

Toby Moorsom, PSAC Local 901, Queen’s University

Hans-Peter Kohnke, Canadian union of postal workers, Toronto local

Murray Bush, CEP 2040

Jordy Cummings, Worker's Assembly, CUPE Local 3903

Asgar Hanarah, CUPE 3798

Evelyn Mitchell, CUPE 3798

Geoff Martin, member, Mount Allison Faculty Association (National Union of CAUT)

Angela Mooney, CUPE 1281

Elizabeth Pickett, Retired Professor of Law – Carleton University

Gail Drever, USW

Joanne Wadden, former CUPE member

Bruce Becker

Alex Latta, WILUFA

Michelle Dubiel, CAW and CAW Local 707 Discussion Leader

Trish Salah, Concordia University Part-Time Faculty Association

Vanessa Lehan-Streisel, CUPE Local 3903

Jasmine Rault, Assistant Professor – Women’s Studies, McMaster University

Graham Engel, Student and member of CSSDP

Helen Kennedy, President of the CUPE Toronto District Council and a member of CUPE Local 79

Murray Bush, CEP Local 2040

Patricia E. Perkins, York University Faculty Association

Brian Burch

For follow up or to contact the organizers of this letter please email clcopenletterg20@gmail.com





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[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.