Ken Georgetti

Ken Georgetti CM OBC
Georgetti addressing the 2013 Ontario Federation of Labour convention
7th President of the Canadian Labour Congress
In office 1999–2014
Preceded by	Bob White
Succeeded by	Hassan Yussuff
President of the British Columbia Federation of Labour
In office 1986–1999
Personal details
Born	1952 (age 64–65) Trail, British Columbia
Political party	New Democratic Party
Occupation	Pipefitter, trade unionist

Kenneth V. "Ken" Georgetti, CM OBC (born 1952 in Trail, British Columbia) is a Canadian labour union leader. He was elected president of the Canadian Labour Congress in May 1999 and served in the position until May 2014. Georgetti is the longest serving president in the CLC's history and the first incumbent CLC president to have lost a re-election campaign. Georgetti proved to be increasingly unpopular towards to end of his reign with the CLC, culminating with an open letter outlining a culture of abuse within the top of the CLC, with Georgetti being linked to bullying and abuse of a female Vice President of the CLC.

Georgetti arrived at the head of the Canadian Labour Congress after a quarter century of union activism in British Columbia, home to Canada's most polarized politics and of a vibrant labour movement. Born in Trail, in the southern interior of the province, Georgetti first went to work in the giant Cominco smelter, just like his father. 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 British Columbia Federation of Labour in 1984, he became its youngest-ever President two years later. At the same time, he broadened his national labour involvement by becoming a Provincial Vice-President of the CLC.

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 labour laws and institutions established by the then Social Credit Party of British Columbia government.