Presented by Ken Georgetti on Tuesday, 18 August 2009

(Check Against Delivery)

Sisters and Brothers, it is my honour to bring you greetings of solidarity from the Officers and the 3.2 million workers who are members of the Canadian Labour Congress.

Chers consoeurs et confrères,c’est un honneur pour moi de vous transmettre les voeux de solidarité des dirigeants et des 3,2 millions de travailleuses et de travailleurs membres du Congrès du travail du Canada.

I want to thank Brother Ken Lewenza for the invitation to speak to you today.

Ken is a vital member of the CLC Executive Council – and his support for the Congress’s program is extremely appreciated.

And I have to tell you, Ken’s leadership at the CAW – in probably the most difficult times it has ever faced – has been absolutely critical.

Neither I nor anyone else on our CLC Executive Council has envied Ken’s job as he navigated through incredible challenges in the auto industry and Air Canada negotiations – and all the while doing it in the public eye with many hostile media attacks.

It wasn’t easy – but you can all be proud of Ken and your entire leadership for fighting for what’s right for CAW members!

And it’s another lesson that our greatest strength in the union movement is our solidarity – both within your union and across the entire labour movement.

Solidarity is how we built this movement, solidarity is how we run this movement and solidarity is how we grow this movement.

I’d like to also acknowledge the contribution your secretary-treasurer Jim O’Neill has made to your union and to the labour movement.
 
We wish him well in his upcoming retirement and future endeavours.

Sisters and brothers, in these very gloomy times, with the economy still in deep recession, with another 79,000 wage earners being thrown out of work in July, let me give you some good news for a change.

Conrad Black is staying in jail – and he’s not getting out anytime soon!

This corporate criminal, this convicted fraud artist, this felon who obstructed justice – has lost his last chance at getting bail before an appeal hearing on his six-year sentence.

Isn’t it great to just hear these words - Conrad Black in jail?

Don’t you feel better already?

But you know sisters and brothers – corporate criminals are simply a sign of what workers across Canada already know – that the values in our economy today are simply all wrong.

Our economy is rewarding greed and ignoring need.

Our economy is punishing workers who have spent their lives building Canada . . . . and it’s benefiting corporate CEOs and bankers and hedge fund managers, some of whom don’t even live in this country.

That’s just not right.

These scams are outrageous and are going on while CAW members and workers across this country are getting hammered by employers.

Auto industry workers, Air Canada workers, public sector workers, workers in other jobs and in other unions – are being forced to take pay cuts, to take pension reductions, to take benefit cuts, to take unpaid holidays, to take fewer hours of work, all to help struggling corporations in this tough economy!

And then there are people like former Encana president and CEO Gwyn Morgan – who has publicly criticized CAW autoworker pension plans as too rich, while personally collecting a $1.8-million annual pension.

But Gwyn Morgan is far from the worst offender when it comes to attacking workers – he’s just a richly-retired mouthpiece of the right.

No, the two guys who are far worse – far more dangerous – and far more damaging to workers are federal Industry Minister Tony Clement and Finance Minister Jim Flaherty.

These two corporate cabinet hit men not once but twice put the muscle on CAW members at GM to give up more than what even the company was asking for!

Is that why we elect representatives of the people? To force even worse concessions on wages, benefits, pensions and working conditions than what their own employers are asking for?

“The CAW has to do its part” Clement said in April.

Do its part? Do its part?

Workers who accepted significant cuts to pay and benefits and working conditions weren’t doing their part, Mr. Clement?

And retired workers who have spent their entire lives building cars and building this country weren’t doing their part when their pension income was cut?

No, they were doing far more than their part, Minister – the one who wasn’t doing his part was you!

Tony Clement – you sold out auto industry workers, you sold out CAW members and you sold out working people.

His government isn’t standing up for Canada.

His government isn’t standing up for working people.

And his government isn’t standing up for working families and their communities.

Did Flahery and Clement demand corporate executives give up their bonuses, demand they take pay cuts, or return their company-paid BMWs and Mercedes Benzes to save jobs?

It’s time that working people told this government to take a hike!

And at the same time, we should tell all those corporate executives to take their bonuses and their bloated pay and shove it!

We have spent our entire lives paying our taxes to support public services, and we are not going to let corporate executives take money needed to provide health care, education and social services and give it to multi-millionaires who have nearly destroyed our economy!

Any government money given to big business – every last dime – has to come with guarantees that it will be used to protect workers’ jobs – not to protect the fat bank accounts of irresponsible bosses!

We are not going to take this outrageous behaviour anymore – not for another minute!

It’s shameful that we have elected representatives who only stand up for big business - not for working people.

No action by the Ontario government in response your campaign to set a wage earner protection program here in Ontario, like we won federally.

We see that inaction over and over.

For example, as this crisis deepens, women workers are being deeply affected.

The new unemployment statistics show that 22,000 fewer women were working in July compared to June, and another 31,000 women dropped out of the labour force.

C’est une autre raison pour laquelle nous devons faire fonctionner notre économie pour les travailleurs et travailleuses.

Alors, comment allons-nous réparer notre économie et s’assurer que ce désastre ne se reproduise jamais?

La solution globale à cette crise économique au Canada est d’éliminer le déficit.

Pas le déficit financier – le déficit démocratique.

We have to take back this country from the bankers and the corporate CEOs and the hedge-fund managers and the lobbyists in Ottawa who have led us to the brink of disaster.

We have to put the citizens of Canada back in charge.

Let me give you a personal example of the democratic deficit.

Here is a list of world leaders:

British Prime Minister Gordon Brown.

Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd.

Brazilian President Lula da Silva.

Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper.

As President of the Canadian Labour Congress, representing 3.2 million workers, I have met with all of these leaders recently to discuss the economic crisis.

All that is except one.

Can you figure out which world leader has declined to meet with the me?

Of course – it’s our own Prime Minister Stephen Harper!

And that’s shameful.

I see it as a personal affront to every one of the 3.2 million workers who are members of the CLC - that’s who is being offended by the prime minister.

And it shows the democratic deficit at work.

Harper will meet with just about anyone who doesn’t represent unionized workers.

For example, Harper spoke earlier this year to the Canada Youth Business Foundation.

In June, Harper spoke to the Canadian Council of Snowmobile Organizations

Harper even met with the Ontario Federation of Anglers and Hunters.

I guess when it comes to getting Harper to meet with the CLC we are either just using the wrong bait – or getting a snow job!

But all humour aside, organized labour plays a key role in our economy – and that role should be recognized and our members consulted – not insulted.

And sisters and brothers, this is no time for Prime Minister Harper to ignore us – because these are the most difficult economic times any of us have ever seen in our lifetimes.

Since October, more than 400,000 workers with full-time jobs have been thrown out of work.

With 1.6 million people out of work, the latest Statistics Canada figures show that only 50% of unemployed Canadians are receiving EI – while the EI surplus now stands at a staggering $57 billion!

But the Prime Minister calls our EI program “generous”.

So for all these reasons the labour movement is taking action – to protect workers’ jobs, workers’ pensions and workers’ rights.

We haven’t spent all of our working lives as union members building job security, earning a decent pension to retire on and fighting for labour rights to make our workplaces fair and safe places to make a living – we haven’t done all that to see it just thrown away in a moment by this economic crisis.

And we haven’t built a better Canada for all workers – non-union and union – to let a bunch of greedy, reckless and downright stupid corporate CEO and hedge-fund owners ruin our country for everyone else.

Workers didn’t create this economic rip-off – big business did – and driving the get-away cars for them were the right-wing governments that refused to regulate our financial markets!

And we have to put a stop to it now – and never let it happen again.

This economic crisis and the unprecedented rip-off of workers by corporations are why the CLC is demanding action by the federal government on four key points:

First - Fix the broken employment insurance program.

Second – Get serious about creating and supporting Canadian jobs with industrial strategies, social infrastructure investment, and procurement policies that support industries and jobs in Canada.

And I salute the work you and my own union, the United Steelworkers, have done together this year to promote a Buy Canadian procurement policy.

Third – it’s time to radically improve the Canada Pension Plan – which really is our country’s largest defined benefit plan and covers 93% of working Canadians.

The Canadian Labour Congress proposes doubling CPP benefits over 7 to 10 years – so that it can gradually replace the underperforming RRSP industry.

Fourth – take on the big banks over credit interest rates – especially credit card interest rates that are pushing vulnerable people further and further into debt as they turn to credit cards for basic necessities like groceries.

Ce ne sont que quelques-unes des mesures que nous devons prendre pour relancer notre économie.

Parce que nous devons commencer à transformer notre économie – d’une économie basée sur la cupidité à une économie basée sur les nécessités.

Et je vous invite à vous joindre à moi, à vous joindre aux membres et affiliés du CTC, dans la lutte pour une économie nouvelle et équitable où tout le monde en profite, pas seulement les plus nantis.

These are just some of the steps that we must take to begin our economic recovery.

Because we must begin transforming our economy – from one based on greed to one based on need.

And I invite you to join with me, to join with the CLC’s members and affiliates, in fighting for a new and fair economy where everyone benefits, not just the wealthy.

Thank you for listening and have a great convention!