Killer Coke Update | November 7, 2006
Coke's Predatory Practices Exposed & Its Losses Grow
Contents of the Newsletter
- Campus Reports
- Exposé of Coke in Mexico
- UK Students Target Killer Coke
- Venezuela Workers Block Coke Plants
- Coke Director McHenry at Center of Environmental Crisis
- Postal Workers Boycott Coke and SunTrust Banks
- Campaign Leaflet Now in Japanese
- Coke Lawsuit Appealed
- The Bottled-Water Scam
- Deval Patrick Received 'One $weet Deal'
- "War on Want" on Corporate Accountability
- Major Reports From the Campaign
- Do you need a customized Campaign leaflet?
- Campaign's 'Campus Activism' Section
- Take Actions Against Coke!
- Please send photos, reports of events, etc. for the Campaign website
A. San José City College & Evergreen Valley College , U.S, Dump Coke.
San José City College & Evergreen Valley College Dump Coke:
One woman's crusade to expose and hold Coca-Cola accountable
"I absolutely LOVE your website!" writes Ann Aurelia López, Ph.D. , an environmental science instructor at San José City College, research associate at the University of California and author of Farmworkers Journey published by UC Press and available in February. In her book, she exposes some of the terrible realities and injustices of Coca-Cola's stranglehold in west central Mexico.
Dr. López told Campaign to Stop Killer Coke Director Ray Rogers, "The people of west central Mexico are easy corporate prey for predator Coke. You can't stand anywhere in some of the rural towns and not see a Coke ad," she stated. "I've seen what Coke is doing in the west central Mexico countryside where I do research; pushing their addictive products on peasant populations in which 1 in 10 may have undiagnosed diabetes." She pointed out that struggling people, unaware of the ill effects of the soft drinks, will "sell the healthy things that they grow on the land, like corn, beans, and eggs from chickens, to buy cola which they eventually become addicted to." Vicente Silva, a former municipal president of Chilchota claims that "Coke and beer arrive at the Purépecha indigenous towns and villages, in the morning, before the arrival of milk!"
Witnessing Coke's deplorable conduct in Mexico and learning of Coca-Cola's human rights abuses in Colombia and elsewhere led Dr. López to further expose Coke and to take action.
She set her sights on San José City College and Evergreen Valley College which are in the same California district, a district which has a large Latino population and is a major target for Coke's advertising. Each campus has about 9,000 students.
Dr. López wrote the Chancellor and other influential decisionmakers. The Chancellor did not like Coke's anti-social and exploitive behavior either and agreed that the colleges, populated by 90% people of color, shouldn't be associated with Coca-Cola. This led to Coca-Cola's demise at both colleges, which recently booted Coke products off their campuses.
Leaving no stone unturned, Dr. López then campaigned to get Coke products removed from the Curves exercise club in nearby Felton. She scored another victory, as Coke products, like Dasani water, are no longer available at Curves in Felton.
Now Dr. López is working to get Coke products removed from the Monterey Bay Aquarium and two movie theaters that show independent films and have Coke on tap. A big thank you to Dr. López.
Dr. Ann Aurelia López can be reached by email at annlopez7@aol.com
B. Eugene Lang College and The New School
Inprint (Eugene Lang College and The New School), "Students Push to Ban Coke," By Rob Hartman, Fall 2006
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c. Florida International University, U.S.
The Beacon, "Club rallies against Coca-Cola," By Ben F. Badger Jr., October 26, 2006
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The Harvard Crimson, "What's That Noise?" By Michael Gould-Wartofsky, October 27, 2006
"Critics have painted groups like SLAM as small bands of wild-eyed idealists getting together in rooms to dream up their next cause or campaign. Yet activists do not wake up one morning and decide that workers need a raise or a union, or that Coca-Cola and McDonald's are evil. Nor do we demonstrate, march, take over stages, go on hunger strikes, or occupy university buildings because we feel like it... The Coke boycott was called by workers and poor communities with their lives on the line in Colombia and India..."
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E. St. Joseph's University, U.S.
Campaign to Stop Killer Coke Director Ray Rogers will be speaking at St. Joseph's University in Philadelphia on Nov. 9. Rogers has offered to go head-to-head with Coke reps on many occasions. A St. Joseph's student, Bruce Thao, spoke with Coke reps about participating in the Nov. 9 event, but was told that they "do not come to events where Ray Rogers will be attending because it is unproductive." This has been Coke's position since the company suffered a huge loss at a head-to-head student government forum at Carleton College in Minnesota. Forty-two Coke machines were removed from the campus.
The Phoenix, "Coca-Cola receives ultimatum from college," By Mara Revkin, October 26, 2006
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GSEU Rank and File (SUNY Stony Brook), "GSEU Stony Brook Unanimously Endorses Coca-Cola Boycott Resolution"
Read Resolution
H. University of Minnesota, U.S.
Pulse of the Twin Cities, "Coke gets the first and final word," By Chaz Davis,. October 27, 2006
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The Minnesota Daily, "Opinion: Students' views on Coca-Cola issue," By Amelia Smith, October 31, 2006
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Excerpts from "Cola Wars in Mexico," by Beverly Bell, In These Times, October 6, 2006
"In Mexico, a drink called pox [fermented corn mash] "is a sacrament in a local religion that blends Catholicism with elements of native tradition. It is a sacred drink that cleanses the soul; the more pox one drinks, the greater the purification.
"Over the past several decades the caciques — local elites who wield economic and political power and control the soft drink concession — have convinced the faithful that pox should be drunk with Coke or Pepsi, depending on who is doing the proselytizing. They say the cola induces burping, which releases evil from the soul.
"The caciques and their affiliated drink companies do a booming business — nevermind that the beverages sell for 50 U.S. cents a can, exactly the average daily income. Purchasing a soda often means not purchasing food, and Chiapas has one of the highest rates of both malnutrition and Coke consumption in Mexico...
"Sometimes the cola racket can get ugly, as it did in the community of Mitzitón, where the richest and most powerful cacique, José Santíz, controlled both the local PRI governing council and the only store. The Coca-Cola company gave him a refrigerator, chairs, tables and other gifts in exchange for selling a minimum amount of soda each month. Santíz, in turn, forced other members of the council to raise the money to buy eight or nine cases of Coke from him each month; otherwise, he said, he would close the much-needed store. 'For us it was very difficult ... to be giving money for this devil's soft drink,' said one council member who requested anonymity. In 2000, some community members organized against the Coke-cacique nexus; in response, thugs burned down one family's home and threatened others with beatings. About 60 families permanently fled the area.
"Coke's hold on Mexico extends beyond both Chiapas and the PRI. The PRI held a lock on the presidency for 71 years, until finally losing in 2000 to Vicente Fox of the National Action Party, or PAN. Fox's last job before becoming a politician was serving as president of the Coca-Cola Corporation of Mexico and Latin America. Currently Coke controls 60 percent of the Mexican soda market...
"...each Mexican consumes an average of 483 8-ounce glasses of Coke per year, in a country where more than 12 million citizens do not have access to potable water.
"Coke is also widely produced in Mexico, an arrangement that is threatening the country's water supplies and undercutting indigenous control of natural resources. It takes three cups of water to make one cup of Coke. Since 2000, Coca-Cola has negotiated 27 water concessions from the Mexican government. Nineteen of the concessions are for the extraction of water from aquifers and from 15 different rivers, some of which belong to indigenous peoples. Eight concessions are for the right of Coke to dump its industrial waste into public waters. To aid the extractive and dumping processes, Fox — with help from the World Bank — has successfully pursued water privatization, as well as a massive land privatization program, that allowed companies free access to all the resources on the land, including water.
"After Fox's victory, Coca-Cola began bottling water from the richest aquifer in the Chiapan town of San Cristóbal de las Casas, an ecological reserve administered by a conservation group Pronatura, which receives money from Coca-Cola Mexico. In 2004, the Coke plant in San Cristóbal de las Casas used 107,332,391 liters of water-about as much as 200,000 homes.
"In 2003, following the international call sent out by many groups and networks at the World Social Forum, organizations in Chiapas launched a boycott against Coca-Cola. They cited corporate domination, the assassination of unionized workers at a Coke plant in Colombia, labor rights violations and toxic leakages as reasons for the boycott. But the primary demand for the boycotters is an end to Coke's growing domination of the nation's water, especially on indigenous territories.
"Some communities have banished Coke. In Xoxocotla, an indigenous village in the southern state of Morelos, after the company told shop owners that they would have to stop selling other soft drinks if they wanted to keep purchasing Coke, residents held an assembly in the plaza and decided to kick the corporation and its products out of their village...
"Gustavo Castro Soto, a Chiapas-based intellectual author of the boycott, says, 'Consciousness about the role of Coca-Cola relates to the economy, society, politics, culture and even the military. It has to do with human rights, labor rights, rights of indigenous peoples, and control of lands and water by the multinational. This consciousness will grow and integrate citizens, communities, and universities into a giant boycott...' "
Read Entire Article
B. Dr. López, author of 'Farmworkers Journey' says 'the people of west central Mexico are easy corporate prey for predator Coke.'
Ann Aurelia López, Ph.D., is an environmental science instructor at San José City College, research associate at the University of California and author of Farmworkers Journey published by UC Press available in February. In her book, she exposes some of the terrible realities and injustices of Coca-Cola's stranglehold in west central Mexico.
Dr. López told Campaign to Stop Killer Coke Director Ray Rogers, "The people of west central Mexico are easy corporate prey for predator Coke. You can't stand anywhere in some of the rural towns and not see a Coke ad," she stated. "I've seen what Coke is doing in the west central Mexico countryside where I do research; pushing their addictive products on peasant populations in which 1 in 10 may have undiagnosed diabetes." She pointed out that struggling people, unaware of the ill effects of the soft drinks, will "sell the healthy things that they grow on the land, like corn, beans, and eggs from chickens, to buy cola which they eventually become addicted to." Vicente Silva, a former municipal president of Chilchota claims that "Coke and beer arrive at the Purépecha indigenous towns and villages, in the morning, before the arrival of milk!"
C. Chicago Tribune, "U.S. hiring standards get left at border: Job ads that in this country might bring lawsuits alleging bias are routine in Mexico," By Marla Dickerson & Meredith Mandell, October 30, 2006
"Job seekers considered too old, too chunky or too dark are screened out by companies that sometimes specify the ideal candidate's marital status, height, weight, tone of voice, even the part of town in which the person should reside. What is less known is that many U.S. corporations - including Coca-Cola, Pepsi Bottling, Shell Oil and 7-Eleven--are engaging in hiring practices that appear to violate their U.S. fair-employment policies...
" 'Why are so many of them not complying with the same standards they have to comply with in the United States? Because they can get away with it,' said anti-discrimination attorney Gloria Allred."
Read Article
D. Award for 'Corporate Excellence' in Mexico
U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice presented awards to three corporations on Nov. 6 "in recognition of the vital role that U.S. businesses play worldwide to advance good corporate governance and democratic principles and to highlight the Department's commitment to promote exemplary business practices globally.
"The three 2006 ACE winners were selected from among the following 12 finalists: APCO in China, Chevron in Indonesia, Coca-Cola in Mexico, Delta Construction in Vietnam, General Motors in Colombia, Goldman Sachs in Chile, Kerr McGee in Benin, McDonald's in Guatemala, Microsoft in Egypt, Motorola in Iraq, Pfizer in Pakistan, and Sambazon in Brazil."
Although Coke was not a winner, this award is ironic considering all we've reported above and certainly not surprising coming from a member of the Bush administration which caters to Big Business.
3. UK Students Target Killer Coke
A. It's a Great Day in the UK as Students Target Killer Coke
It's a Great Day in the UK as Students Target Killer Coke
The following is a call to action by Sussex University student leader Dan Glass, a member of UK Students Against Coke.
It's official now — the campaign against Killer Coke in Britain is quickly gaining momentum. By denying Coca-Cola business, activists have revealed a phenomenal capacity to achieve real change. And by removing Coke products from our universities, we are reinforcing the worldwide demand that Coke "Stop the Cover-up and Clean Up."
Tackling corporate power in the ivory tower is the issue at hand. We all know that a lot of our universities have terrible ethical investment track records. As students, we also have a great deal of leverage to pressure Coca-Cola to stop its abuses. This is true for many reasons. As anyone knows who has seen Coke's TV commercials and advertisements or read their latest company report, Coca-Cola views young people, and particularly students, as its highest priority demographic target because they are potential "customers for life."
Over the past two years the campaign against Coca-Cola in our students' unions has been steadily growing - and during the next few months we want it to explode! There are now boycott campaigns in multiple UK educational establishments. The main focus of UK Students Against Coke (UKSAC) is to support individual student unions that are willing to challenge and terminate commercial relationships with Coca-Cola. Only strong economic action will put critical pressure on Coca-Cola to make REAL operational change.
The potential of our campaign is enormous, with many far-reaching implications. In the short term, aside from the possible non-renewal of contracts, Coca-Cola's practices will be shoved into the spotlight, giving a degree of protection to the Colombian union SINALTRAINAL as well as putting intense pressure on the company to respond appropriately to the demands of the communities in India, Colombia and other targets of exploitation. In the long term, the campaign will serve as an example of what can be achieved by students.
Many students here learn about the power struggles between multinational corporations and the rest of society. Standard economics would explain that these companies grow to such enormity on the backs of others through such unconscionable methods as sweatshop labour and underhanded farm subsidies.
For farmers in India, workers in Colombia and so many others, their misery increases as corporate globalization spreads, and as the gap between rich and poor widens, the fight to corner resources across the globe intensifies. Corporate interests seek to push through their sweetheart deals, to corporatize the crops we grow, the water we drink, the air we breathe and the dreams we dream. It makes student activists think that it is ever more vital for the local resistance movements to make international alliances.
And as students show all over the world right now, our goal and our vision of another world, to eliminate that distance between the powerful and everyone else, may just be coming closer.
Maybe we can't flip a switch and conjure up a revolution. But there is a lot we can do now. Many student unions will be proposing motions at their Annual General Meetings (AGMs) this semester and next to end contracts with Coca-Cola so that Coke will no longer be sold or able to advertise in student union facilities. Speaker tours and a national assembly to 'Boycott Coke' are being organized over the next few months.
The Colombia Solidarity Campaign and UKSAC here, the Campaign to Stop Killer Coke in the U.S. and the India Resource Centre have continuously lobbied to name and shame Coke products until no one wants to be associated with them. There remains the obvious fact that until Killer Coke undergoes fundamental reforms, anyone who supports the beverage behemoth will in effect be helping to destroy the environment, undermine Indian and Colombian laws and unleash misery upon the poor. Institutions, particularly educational, should put Coke on notice to expect increased public scrutiny and risks to its reputation.
We may not have stopped Coke's minions in their tracks yet, but we have made them drop their mask. Coke now stands before us on the world's stage on the stark defence.
What do we do now? We can continue to build a movement that will shift public opinion against Coke until a chorus of skeptical murmurs becomes a deafening roar.
Once mobilized, students can be a powerful force. The 1960s taught us that student political activism is difficult to predict and that it rises from unanticipated causes. A long period of campus quiet has lulled policymakers into discounting students as a potential political and social force. Up until now, students have accepted their fate. Now, in the second half of the decade, their patience seems to be running out.
We must continue to name and shame Coca-Cola and other corporations that are founded upon Third World exploitation. We must re-invent civil disobedience in a million different ways. If it can happen successfully at Sussex, the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), at Middlesex, the list goes on, it can damn well happen anywhere.
We can and we will win if we continue to organise ourselves.
Get in contact: ukstudentsagainstcoke@gmail.com (UKSAC); dan888glass@yahoo.com (Dan Glass)
B. Regent College (A-level college*) in Leicester Bans Coke and Nestle products
The following email was sent to us by John Clyde-Evans:
Firstly, I must thank you for being such a great resource. I along with some students recently used a number of your articles in our successful bid to ban both Coke and Nestle products in the A level college* I work in. The political comedian Mark Thomas visited the college to congratulate our students' efforts (It was covered by the BBC).
Now what I was hoping to ask you about was contacts in India. I have taken a sabbatical from teaching to live in India for the year. Mark Thomas has talked about a campaign by Adivasis outside one of the southern Indian Coke factories regarding drinking water. I was hoping to conduct some interviews and get some photos to continue the work against multinational corporations (MNCs) in the UK when I return.
I'm sure you've been following the recent high level events in India regarding Coke, such as the US Ambassador warning India that unless Indians start drinking Coke again after the report stating it was unsafe, India would lose future U.S. business investment.
Plus the Coke company putting on TV some VERY dubious adverts roping in Aamir Khan, the famous and moderately ethical film actor and director, and an actress famous for playing a mother in a TV series. Both are taken round a Coke factory remarking how clean and safe they are, speaking to a "Dr" or executive about how safe it is, and then drinking it. The version with the "mother" actress is particularly disgusting since she mentions her family also, and thus attempting to allay a mother's fears about her children's health safety! God only knows what is going on behind the scenes.
* An A-level College is a government subsidised college for 16 to 18 year olds. Ours is Regent College in Leicester. College is not the same as the US-meaning, as it is not a University. There are perhaps half as many A-level colleges as there are secondary schools in any given area.
4. Venezuela Workers Block Coke Plants
10,000 'Cheated Workers' Shut Down Coke's Venezuelan Plants and Depots
The BBC (British Broadcasting Corporation) has reported that more than 10,000 former workers at Coca-Cola FEMSA in Venezuela began blockading bottling plants and depots on Oct. 23. "Coca-Cola owes them a large amount of money in unpaid social benefits," the BBC said. Coca-Cola FEMSA, headquartered in Mexico, is Coca-Cola's second largest bottler. It is also Colombia's largest bottler and a defendant in the Alien Tort Claims human rights abuses lawsuits filed by the International Labor Rights Fund and the United Steelworkers in July 2001 and June 2006.
The protesters were reportedly demanding that Coca-Cola FEMSA immediately pay millions of dollars in unpaid social benefits such as pension and severance payments. Nixon Lopez, a worker-leader, told the BBC, "We're showing the world that no multinational company can just come here to humiliate Venezuelan employees."
Rosa Natera, head of the workers' union, the National Front of Former Polar and Coca-Cola workers, told Dow Jones' MarketWatch that her union "represents roughly 19,000 people who seek total severance pay of as much as 6 billion bolivars ($2.8 million) from the company."
A Venezuelan lawmaker, Iris Varela, supported the workers' cause and suggested the government should eventually expropriate the company's assets if it fails to comply with worker demands.
On Oct. 27, the International Herald Tribune (IHT) reported that workers had halted the protests that paralyzed Coke's bottling and distribution plants in Venezuela for four days and that the company said work had resumed after protesters "voluntarily left our facilities, ending this difficult situation."
"The ex-workers say the company owes them as much as US$2.8 million in severance payments dating back to 1999," the IHT said. "They decided to call off the demonstrations after a meeting with lawmakers and reportedly agreeing to ask Venezuela's Supreme Court to review court cases in which they allege they haven't been paid adequate severance."
Associated Press, "Ex-workers block Venezuela Coke plants," By Christopher Toothaker, October 24, 2006
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Read Earlier Report in International Herald Tribune
Venzuelaanalysis.com, "Coca-Cola Blockade Ends as National Assembly President Negotiates Exit," By Steven Mather, October 30, 2006
Read Article
"Flores said that the company had been attempting to avoid paying out compensation to workers by designating them as contracted, rather than permanent employees. She added that after helping the company to grow, 'it isn't fair that in the end of the day they don't recognise the labor rights.' "
5. Coca-Cola Director and Georgetown University Professor Donald McHenry at Center of Environmental Crisis
Citizens throughout the Northeast, New Yorkers and Vermonters particularly, and environmentalists everywhere have another good reason to ban Coca-Cola products from government facilities, campuses, unions, businesses and other venues. Why? Georgetown University professor Donald McHenry serves as a director on the boards of directors of both Coca-Cola Co. and International Paper (IP).
IP, which historically is one of the nation's worst polluters, is at the center of another environmental crisis.
Despite protests from communities, political, and environmental leaders and health experts, IP is rapidly proceeding with plans, starting in November, to burn tons of tires at its Ticonderoga, NY paper mill located on Lake Champlain just across from Vermont. The company seeks to burn 72 tons daily of tire-derived fuel (TDF) in Ticonderoga without the industry standard pollution controls.
The incineration of tires emits toxic heavy metals including mercury, lead, chromium, beryllium, cadmium and arsenic. Large amounts of the metal zinc are also released, leading to increases in fine particulate matter, which is known to cause respiratory and cardiac disease, stroke and premature death. Furthermore, burning tires releases large amounts of dioxin which the EPA has categorized as the most potent synthetic carcinogen ever made. And the burning of these tires will generate nearly 164 million pounds of carbon dioxide annually adding to the already severe global warming problem.
The President of the VT American Lung Association sees the potential danger in this proposed burn as so severe as to advise citizens to remain indoors if IP commences the use of TDF.
Opposition is growing "to oppose this outrageous and unconscionable attack on children's health, public health and the environment for Vermonters, New Yorkers, New Englanders and citizens across the entire country," says Barbara Ernst, Executive Director of the Northeast Clean Air Coalition. "This would set a national precedent weakening the Clean Air and Water Act," she adds.
On October 26 Vermont governor James Douglas issued an official statement highlighting the refusal of International Paper's CEO John Faraci to meet with him. In part, Gov. Douglas wrote:
"In an effort to open a responsible, neighborly dialogue that might render ongoing legal action unnecessary, I wrote last week to the CEO of International Paper asking him to meet with me; even offering to fly to their headquarters in Tennessee. The response I received today makes it very clear that he is not interested in such a dialogue. This is deeply disappointing, but not at all surprising given International Paper's (IP) obstinate insistence on burning tire chips at their Ticonderoga paper mill without proper pollution controls. Given these facts, it's no mystery why thousands of Vermonters, the Lung Association, the Northeast Clean Air Coalition, many pediatricians and other organizations oppose the burn, or why the Attorney General and I have gone to court to stop it."
Corporate power brokers, like Donald McHenry, make policies and decisions that harm people, the environment and the public interest and they must be directly held accountable. McHenry needs to be exposed, confronted, and pressured on the grounds of Georgetown University for his role in International Paper's and Coca-Cola's corporate abuses. And institutional and individual consumers should kick Coca-Cola and International Paper Products out of their institutions and their lives. You can call Donald McHenry to express your concern at 202-687-6083; and at this link you can send him an e-mail.
For more information, contact BJ Ernst, Executive Director, Northeast Clean Air Coalition, PO Box 95, Vergennes, VT 05491 802-759-2259 Phone/Fax email: bernst@gmavt.net Additionally, you can learn more on the website of People for Less Pollution
6. Postal Workers Boycott Coke and SunTrust Banks
The Union Mail (American Postal Workers Union), "Are you still drinking Coca-Cola?" By Chuck Zlatkin, October 2006
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7. Campaign Leaflet Now in Japanese
Our basic Campaign leaflet is now available in Japanese on our website in the list of customized flyers. The leaflet was translated by Kaiko Shimura, a former student at Swarthmore College and intern for our Campaign . The leaflet can be found at:
Daily Business Review, "11th Circuit Asked to Clarify Corporate Liability," By Julie Kay, October 30, 2006
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MSN Money, "Dismissal of Coke Lawsuit to Be Appealed," Associated Press, November 1, 2006
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USAS Statement Concerning Coca Cola Court Decision
United Students Against Sweatshops (USAS), has, for the past several years, been engaged in a campaign to ensure that Coca-Cola takes responsibility for the severe violations of workers' rights in its bottling plants not just in Colombia, but in communities around the world. This campaign has been run in solidarity with SINALTRAINAL, a union in Colombia representing Coca-Cola workers that has brought suit against Coca-Cola accusing them, and their subsidiaries, of cooperating with paramilitary groups in both the execution of union leaders and continued threats towards not just members of the union, but their families as well. While the judge in this case may have ruled that his court did not have jurisdiction in this particular case, this in no way exonerates Coca-Cola from the abuses which they have committed. As a matter of fact, this particular decision says nothing as to the truth of the accusations brought against Coca-Cola and its bottlers. This decision simply represents one judge's opinion concerning the jurisdiction of one particular court.
As USAS, our model is of solidarity, which has focused on supporting SINALTRAINAL in its efforts to seek justice for the crimes committed in Colombia by Coca-Cola. As long as SINALTRAINAL is still fighting for justice and Coca-Cola continues to avoid taking responsibility for their actions, we will continue to demand the same from our universities: that they refrain from profiting off of the human rights abuses of the corporations with whom they do business. In the words of Javier Correa, president of SINALTRAINAL, "This is not a ruling over the merits of the case, it's a decision on procedural grounds. We believe our case is conclusive and we expect the justice to rule favorably."
Alternet, "The Bottled Water Lie," By Michael Blanding, October 26, 2006
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"The corporations that sell bottled water are depleting natural resources, jacking up prices, and lying when they tell you their water is purer and tastes better than the stuff that comes out of the tap."
Bloomberg.com, "Bottled-Water Boycott by Canadian Church Targets Beverage Sales," By Kevin Bell, October 30, 2006
Read Article
10. Deval Patrick Received 'One $weet Deal'
"Deval Patrick signed a lucrative deal as Coca-Cola's top lawyer that gave him use of a private jet, a massive expense account and allowed him to walk away with millions - even if he were ever convicted of a felony. The contract, signed in February 2001, contained an unusual clause that allowed Patrick to keep all his accrued benefits, receive a $500,000 'make-whole' payment as well as grab a $1.55 million lump-sum cash payment, even if he was fired for 'cause.'
"The deal also came as stock plummeted by 22 percent in 2001 and 6,000 employees - or 21 percent of Coke's work force - were laid off. Patrick left the company in 2004 as controversy swirled over Coke's handling of violence at Colombia bottling plants. He received a $3.1 million severance package while published reports have estimated his stock option windfall at between $10 million and $20 million."
Was this payment to keep his mouth shut?
Unfortunately for the people of Massachusetts, Mr. Patrick, who will most likely win the election for governor of the state, represents the worst of Corporate America, having worked at some of the most abusive corporations including The Coca-Cola co., Texaco (now Chevron) and Ameriquest.
Boston Herald, "Dem's Coke board contract was one $weet deal," By Dave Wedge, October 25, 2006
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11. "War on Want" on Corporate Accountability
"The globalisation of the world's economy means corporations have gained more and more power. Too often, multinational companies harm local communities, damage the environment and violate workers' rights in the course of doing business - and there is no effective way of holding them to account when they do. Business is ethically unequipped to deliver for people and the environment. In the modern world, companies should be required to serve the interests of society as a whole - not just rich shareholders."
War on Want, "Corporate accountability: Challenging Corporate Power," October 24, 2006
Read Press Release
12. Major Reports From the Campaign
LABOR AND HUMAN RIGHTS: 'The Real Thing' in Colombia, By Lesley Gill
Read Report
Colombia Solidarity Campaign, "The Anti-Coke Manifesto," By Andy Higginbottom, Secretary, Colombia Solidarity Campaign
Read Manifesto
Read Manifesto in Italian
"Inside the Real Thing: Corporate profile on Coca-Cola Corporation," Report by the Polaris Institute (Canada)
Read the report in pdf format
NYC fact-finding delegation's report on human rights violations by Coke - Final Report, NYC Council Member Hiram Monserrate, April 2004
View Full Report in pdf - html
View Appendices
War on Want, Press Release and Report, "Coca-Cola under fire as World Cup comes to London, Released March 20, 2006
Read Release
Read Report, "Coca-Cola: The Alternative Report"
En Espa?ol
Seven Points to Settlement
Read the Seven Points.
"ILRF Director Terry Collingsworth Response to Coke's Denials," July 8, 2004
Read Response
"University of Michigan Falls Prey to Another Coca-Cola PR Scam," Campaign to Stop Killer Coke
April 17, 2006 Press Release/Report
WB11, New York Feature on the Campaign to Stop Killer Coke
On July 11, 2005, WB11, one of New York City area's major television stations aired a special "Fact Finders Report" on the Campaign to Stop Killer Coke called "Coca-Cola Faces Human Rights Violations." Interviewed are Campaign Director Ray Rogers, Hofstra University Campaign Activist Vanessa Cudabac, New York City Council Member Hiram Monserrate, New York City Comptroller William Thompson and American Postal Workers Union (APWU) Secretary-Treasurer Terry Stapleton. This excellent feature was watched by millions on WB11 and, as we found out from supporters, watched by others around the world on satellite television.
Play Tape of Show
To get access to the film: Userid: "corporatecampaign" password: "corporatecampaign0895"
The Campaign's Response to Coke's Statements on the WB11 Feature
Read Response
13. Do you need a customized Campaign leaflet?
When we invited supporters to contact us to "customize a leaflet for your campus, union or group," the response was terrific! We immediately began getting emails asking us to produce customized leaflets for numerous colleges, universities, high schools and middle schools. We put them up as soon as we could. We have leaflets for Australia, Canada, Colombia (in Spanish), India, Ireland, the UK and the US.
Because the demand for flyers was so strong, it took up too much server space. We decided to leave the list online with the schools listed for which we have customized flyers. If you need a copy of your flyer, please contact us and we'll email it to you as soon as possible.
Look to see if your customized flyer is listed.
If your school, union or group is not listed and you would like a customized leaflet, please contact us at info@KillerCoke.org. Please state the name of your school and the name of the sponsoring group, if any, and a local email address, if you want us to put them into the flyer. If you want the flyer for a group, please state the name of the group and an email address. Also, whenever you email the Campaign to Stop Killer Coke, please include a phone number, if possible, in case we have a need to talk with you.
14. Campaign's 'Campus Activism' Section
Many students interested in launching a Campaign to Stop Killer Coke at their schools and colleges have been contacting us. We recommend that students begin by checking out the two organizing packets in our "Campus Activism" section:
- "Unthinkable! Undrinkable! A Campus Campaign Overview," a USAS Campus Guide
- Campus Activism Packet — Campaign for a Coca-Cola Free Campus
- Schools Active in the Campaign to Stop Killer Coke
In addition, there are numerous reports, resolutions and articles in the "Campus Activism" section that can be useful.
15. Take Actions Against Coke!
- Send an e-mail to Coke to protest their abuses in Colombia
- Call Coca-Cola and tell them to stop their worldwide abuses at 1-800-GET-COKE.
- Sign a Petition protesting Coke's abuses
- Join the Boycott at Karmabanque's web site at: www.karmabanque.com
- Send an E-Card to Coca-Cola
16. Please send photos, reports of events, etc. for the Campaign website Please send photos, reports of events, and if you are in a school, union or organization that has banned Coke products, please send us the resolution or description of how the decision was made. We would like the Campaign website to be up-to-date and to share the information with all supporters via our newsletter.
In addition, we would still appreciate an e-mail to stopkillercoke(at)aol.com with your name and city-state/province-country for our database so that we can contact you when there are events in your area.
Campaign to Stop KILLER COKE
We are seeking your help to stop a gruesome cycle of murders, kidnappings, and torture of union leaders and organizers involved in daily life-and-death struggles at Coca-Cola bottling plants in Colombia, South America.
"If we lose the fight against Coca-Cola, we will first lose our union, next our jobs and then our lives." SINALTRAINAL VIce President Juan Carlos Galvis
Please donate to the Campaign.
Learn the truth about The Coca-Cola Co.
"We believe the evidence shows that Coca-Cola and its corporate network are rife with immorality, corruption and complicity in murder."
Campaign to Stop Killer Coke/Corporate Campaign, Inc. Director Ray Rogers
