Killer Coke Update | October 13, 2004
Contents of the Newsletter
- Oct. 14 Demonstration against Donald R. Keough at University College Dublin:
- Oct. 12 Demonstration by PSC-CUNY at the Colombian Consulate
- Oct. 12 Protest at NYU
- Campus Organizing Leaflet
- Royal Bank of Canada Leaflet
- Union Organizing Leaflet
- Seven Points to Settlement
- Courier article on College of DuPage
- Letter to Jet Blue - Suggested anti-Coke activity from a supporter
- Previous newsletters
- Contact Information
1. Oct. 14 Demonstration against Donald R. Keough at University College Dublin: We received an e-mail from supporters in Dublin. If you are in the area, please come out to support this demonstration:
There will be a protest taking place tomorrow (Thursday, the 14th) outside the O'Reilly Hall at one pm. We will be meeting at 12:15 tomorrow outside the arts block and marching over.
Donald Keough is a former President and Chief Operating Officer of The Coca-Cola Co. Keough, who now sits on the Board of Coca-Cola, is Chairman of Allen & Co., a privately held investment banking firm headquartered in New York City. Herbert Allen, President and Chief Executive Officer of Allen & Co. also sits on the Coca-Cola board. Keough owns 5,137,000 shares of Coca-Cola common stock, while his colleague, Herb Allen, owns 8,634,847 shares. These two men are among the most powerful, wealthy and influential members of Coke's board.
This is an obvious attempt by the college to make a mockery of the boycott imposed last year.
Labour youth is in full support of the boycott and many of its members have been involved in the boycott in this college and campuses around the country
We will assemble outside the arts block tomorrow at 12:15 to protest against a man with blood on his hands, a man that should not be honoured in any way by this college.
Also to facilitate Keough, this college has moved the Careers' Fair forward a day, which in turn forced many companies to drop out. This has put the graduating students of UCD at a disadvantage. It shows how much the people who think they run this college care about students.
I hope to see you all tomorrow.
2. Oct. 12 Demonstration by PSC-CUNY at the Colombian Consulate
On Tuesday, Oct. 12, 2004, the Professional Staff Congress-City University of New York, the union of City University faculty and staff, organized a demonstration in front of the Colombian Consulate in solidarity with Colombian strikers, emphasizing the murders of teachers, about one every two weeks, in Colombia. There were over 100 protesters demonstrating, including City University faculty and staff, students and Campaign supporters from unions such as the United Federation of Teachers, AFSCME and the CSEA. The PSC-CUNY has been very supportive of the Campaign to Stop Killer Coke. The Campaign also supported and participated in the demonstration.
See photographs of the demonstration in our Protest Pics section.
3. Oct. 12 Coke Protest at New York University
Campaign supporters at New York University turned the school's many Coke vending machines into mock crime scenes to protest Coke's human rights abuses in Colombia bottling plants. Vending machines throughout some of NYU's main buildings were wrapped in caution tape and plastered with fake blood-spattered obituaries of those who have died as a result of Coca-Cola's policies. (Coke Director Barry Diller is on the Board of Trustees at NYU.)
See photographs of the demonstration in our Protest Pics section.
We've produced a leaflet for use at all campuses. It is available online. in our Student Activist section. The titles of each side are:
- Coca-Cola's Abuse of the Global Public Interest
- An Appeal to Students, Faculty & Staff
5. Royal Bank of Canada (RBC) Leaflet, two-sided
We've produced a leaflet/petition for Canadians aimed at Coke director J. Pedro Reinhard and the Royal Bank of Canada. Reinhard is also a top policymaker of RBC and Dow Chemical. This is a large pdf file and may take some time to download.
Read Leaflet
We've produced a leaflet for use in all unions. It is available online at in our News section at: Read Leaflet. The titles of each side are:
- Coca-Cola's Abuse of the Global Public Interest
- An Appeal to Labor Unions & Members
7. Seven Points to Settlement on Home Page
In our newsletter last week, we listed the "Seven Points to Settlement" to resolve the labor/human rights conflict. Supporters have been asking what SINALTRAINAL demands are. The Seven Points can now be found linked from our Home Page.
8. Courier article on College of DuPage
College of DuPage Campaign supporters successfully fought to remove Odwalla juices and candybars, the only Coke products on campus. However, activists are concerned that the university will try to bring the Coke product back, but vow to prevent that from happening. The article can be found in our Student Activists section.
9. Letter to Jet Blue — Suggestion for an anti-Coke activity from a supporter
"Here's a quick note on something I submitted to JetBlue via their website. It's not much, but it brings up a larger point of focusing on some up-and-coming companies that try to be hip and environmentally friendly. We could also direct the letter to rail (Amtrak), waterway/cruise ships, as well as hotels."
Dear _________:
The Coca-Cola Company has been directly linked to atrocities taking place in India with water privatization, Africa with the blocking of HIV/AIDS medication for its employees, and the complicity in kidnapping, torture, and murder of unionists in my country of Colombia.
JetBlue has done a great job in providing cheap and friendly services and amenities, but I do not consume any Coke products in solidarity with those affected by Coca-Cola's negligence. Others have refused to fly JetBlue because of its relationship with Coke. There are many, reliable sources you can consult about the situations and the global campaigns that aim to stop and mend the terror.
Please take my request seriously on behalf of the millions that fight for Coke justice, thousands that are potential customers of JetBlue, and the several that have no voice. Visit www.laborrights.org and www.killercoke.org as well as www.sinaltrainal.org for more information. Thank you in advance...
Adios,
Customer since 2003
Affected by the violence since 1981
If you want to read earlier developments in our Campaign, you can read our previous newsletters.
We asked for that information in the last two week's newsletters and we have been slowly getting the contact information from supporters.
We would appreciate it if you would send us an e-mail (info@KillerCoke.org) giving us your name, e-mail address, city or town, state or province, etc., and country. This will facilitate the coordination of campaign activities throughout the world.
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
