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ufcw goons break up mtg.
An Open Letter to all Union members and defenders of democratic rights:
Dear sisters and brothers,
On the evening of Friday, June 1, 2001, an outrageous act of physical disruption was carried out by some officials of the United Food and Commercial Workers at a Socialist Action Public Forum in Toronto. The topic of the forum was “The Fight for Democracy in the United Food and Commercial Workers Union.” The featured speaker was Steve Guiliano, a member of UFCW Local 1000A and REAP (Research, Education and Advocacy People), a reform caucus within that union.
Socialist Action, which sponsored the forum, is an organization of socialists and social justice activists who work in the unions and the New Democratic Party (Canada’s Labor Party) to promote socialist ideas.
At least three full-time officials of the UFCW, including Local 1000A President Kevin Corporan and Local 1000A Staff Rep. Roland Lapins, accompanied by six supporters, aggressively disrupted the meeting by usurping the Chair, shouting down speakers, threatening violence, and refusing to leave the meeting room when requested to do so by the Chair, thus preventing the audience from hearing the view of the participants and forcing us to adjourn the meeting early.
There has never been a disruption of this kind at any of our forums over the many years we have held them. This kind of hooligan behavior is alien to the workers’ movement in Canada and is a blow to our democratic traditions. It sets a terrible precedent.
We ask all bodies of the union movement to denounce these tactics by these UFCW officials which prevented a REAP member and other workers from fully expressing their views, and prevented other folks from hearing what those views are. We look forward to your response to this information.
In solidarity,
Dan Lovell,
Chairperson at the Toronto SA forum on June 1, 2001,
and Youth for Socialist Action federal organizer in Canada.
Socialist Action/Canada can be contacted by sending an email to barryaw@look.ca or writing to 517 College St., Rm 234, Toronto, ON M6G 4A2.
