Bio

Ken Georgetti was elected President of the Canadian Labour Congress at its 22nd Convention, held in Toronto in May of 1999. He became the youngest-ever CLC president. While representing a generational change in leadership, Georgetti's background and experience well prepared him for the issues facing Canadian workers in the new century.

Georgetti arrived at the head of the Canadian Labour Congress after a quarter century of union activism in British Columbia, home to this country's most polarized politics and of a vibrant labour movement. Born in Trail, in the southern interior of the province, Georgetti first worked as a hard-rock miner. Then, like his father, went to work in the giant Cominco smelter. He worked in most areas of the smelter and earned his trade ticket as a pipefitter. Following the family tradition, Georgetti became active in the United Steelworkers of America Local 480, rising through the ranks to President of the Local in 1981.

Elected Vice-President of the B.C. Federation of Labour in 1984, he became its youngest-ever President a short two years later. At the same time, he broadened his national labour involvement by becoming a Provincial Vice-President of the CLC. During his 13 years as President of the B.C. Fed', he oversaw the Federation's rapid expansion, with membership growing from 218,000 to more than 450,000.

Part of a new generation of Canadian union leaders rising to the challenge of a changing economy, Georgetti has long advocated what he describes as "intelligent militancy". This proactive approach makes use of a wide range of strategies and tactics to achieve labour's goals. For example, as B.C. Fed President, Georgetti in 1987 led unionized workers in British Columbia in the largest one-day general strike in Canadian history, followed by a successful five-year boycott to protest oppressive labour laws and institutions established by the then Social Credit government.

Georgetti also represents a new image and style of union leadership, one as comfortable in corporate boardrooms and political corridors as in union halls. He has encouraged labour to take active control of union pension plans and began a number of successful, socially-responsible investment initiatives. Georgetti has used the traditional investor structure at annual general meetings to push corporations to assume social responsibility and implement codes of conduct based on respect for workers' rights and protection of the environment.

While not one to back away from a fight, Georgetti is at heart a conciliator. This desire to see pragmatic resolutions of seemingly intractable battles has served the labour movement well on more than one occasion.

Georgetti's vision of labour activism is rooted in a passionate commitment to social justice and a profound belief in the need to empower individuals and involve communities in tackling social and economic problems. His personal priorities at the leadership of the Canadian Labour Congress include the defence and strengthening of public medicare, organizing greater numbers of workers, providing life long learning opportunities, enhancing youth's involvement in unions, increasing literacy levels for all Canadians and combating child labour.