Killer Coke Update | Februry 25, 2005
Contents of the Newsletter
- University of Michigan, Michigan Daily on the vote of the Michigan Student Assembly.
- Rutgers University, Daily Targum
- New York University, Kick Coke Event, March 1 at 7 pm
- (IN ERROR) Colombia Action Network Organizing Meeting, March 6 & 7 in Chicago
- Plan for International Fact-Finding Mission
- Edinburgh Evening News, "Students to vote for a Coke boycott at unions," February 24, 2005
- Charter Day at U of Montana, Report from Scott Nicholson
- Trinity students endorse boycott of Coke and Nestle, Labor Youth, Ireland, Feb. 24, 2005
- Trinity students endorse boycott of Coke and Nestle, Labor Youth, Ireland, Feb. 24, 2005
- Venezuelanalysis, "Venezuela's Tax Agency Shuts Down Coca Cola for 48 Hours"
- Feb. 19 RBC Actions in Canada
- Canadian Action in Halifax at the RBC Shareholders' Meeting, Feb. 25
- Take Actions Against Coke!
- Please send photos, reports of events, etc. for the Campaign website
1. Michigan Daily, University of Michigan, on the vote of the Michigan Student Assembly.
- "MSA finds Coke guilty," Feb. 23, 2005
- Coalition continues to rally against Coke," Feb. 22, 2005
- "MSA to vote on anti-Coke resolution today," Feb. 22, 2005
- Corporations work to improve business standards," Feb. 18,2005
- "Viewpoint: Coke-free University of Michigan," By Amit Srivastava, Feb. 17, 2005
2. Daily Targum, Rutgers University
- "Students question Coke," by Mike New Feb. 25, 2005
- "Beverage contract open to students," by Staff Report, Feb. 24, 2005
- "Opinion: It's about ethics, not taste," Feb. 23, 2005
- "Groups to protest Coke," By Mike New, Feb. 23, 2005
- Beverage contract hearing open to public Thursday," By Elain Andrecovich, Feb. 22, 2005
3. New York University, Kick Coke Event, March 1 at 7 pm
**NYU KICK COKE BIG EVENT**
MARCH 1st - 7pm
New York University
VANDERBILT HALL, Room 219
-located at 40 Washington Square South-
(W. 4th Street & MacDougal Street).
As many of you may already know, we are a dedicated group of students who have been working for the past year to use our power as NYU students to hold the Coca-Cola Company accountable to the allegations that have been brought forward by its Colombian workers. Last December, we won a *major victory* when our resolution to stop the sale and distribution of Coca-Cola products on campus until the Coca-Cola Company cooperates with an independent investigation was passed by the University Committee on Student Life which represents the student body of every school within NYU.
Now the final vote will take place at the All University Senate this semester. We need everyone's support to make this vote happen!!! Show your support by joining us at this educational event which will provide all the details you ever wanted to know about the national and local Coca-Cola campaign. This event is also a space where we hope to garner as much support as possible for the campaign as well as the upcoming All University Senate vote! ...
Speakers will include:
- Javier Correa — President of SINALTRAINAL, the Colombian Food and Beverage Union
- Hiram Monserrate — NYC Council Member who led a 10 day delegation to Colombia regarding the allegations against Coca-Cola
- Dan Kovalik — United Steelworkers of America
- Terry Collingsworth — International Labor Rights Fund
- Erin Keskeny — NYU Student Activist from the Campaign to kick Coca-Cola ...
****FREE FOOD BY the DOSA MAN****
5. Plan for International Fact-Finding Mission
Since Coke, at the request of numerous unions and other stakeholders, will not, by its own volition, sponsor an independent investigation I would like to mount an International Independent Delegation to investigate the allegations of anti-union actions by coke bottlers in Colombia. I would like to assemble a credible and authoritative international delegation to include representatives from recognized Colombian and international human rights organizations, religious groups, unions and universities from Canada and the United States.
The organization of the delegation will work with SINALTRAINAL and Coke in order to access: information beforehand, relevant individuals (inside and outside of Colombia) and key locations in Colombia. This delegation will be modeled and built on the NYC fact finding delegation headed by the Hon. Hiram Monserrate in January, 2004.
My hope is that this coalition will result in an extremely credible and comprehensive report on the current situation and Coke's role therein. The delegation will be planned for January, 2006.
The goal of the delegation will be to present Coke, unions, universities, the religious community, and others with a comprehensive and credible report in order to positively affect the situation of workers and union leaders at Coke's Colombian bottling plants.
For further information or to become involved in this project, contact Chris Stroud at cstroud@uwo.ca.
(Chris is a student in Social Justice and Peace Studies at Kings College at the University of Western Ontario.)
6. Edinburgh Evening News, "Students to vote for a Coke boycott at unions," by Alan Roden, February 24, 2005
Read Article
7. Charter Day at U of Montana, Report from Scott Nicholson
Read Report
8. Trinity students endorse boycott of Coke and Nestle, Labor Youth, Ireland, Feb. 24, 2005
Read Report
9. Reports from India
India Together, "Soft drinks, hard realities," by Sanjay Parikh, Feb. 24, 2005
Read Report
Znet, "The Law For Food Facism: The Proposed Food Safety & Standards Bill, 2005," by Vandana Shiva, Feb. 21, 2005
Read Report
10. Venezuelanalysis, "Venezuela's Tax Agency Shuts Down Coca Cola for 48 Hours"
Read Article
11. Feb. 19 RBC Actions in Canada
"Killer" and Pedro J. Reinhard use the RBC bank machine corner of Eglinton and Yonge, Toronto, Canada.
On Saturday, February 19, 2005, members of the Canadian Campaign to Stop Killer Coke braved freezing weather to organize informational pickets and leafletting (Read Leaflet) at Royal Bank of Canada (RBC) locations in Hamilton, London and Toronto, Ontario and in Victoria, British Columbia. The picketing and leafletting were aimed at customers and staff, to inform them about the murder of and threats directed at trade unionists in Colombian Coca-Cola bottling plants. The organizers handed out petitions calling for the removal of J. Pedro Reinhard (who's also on the board of Coca-Cola and Dow Chemical) from the board of directors of the RBC because of of Coke's complicity in human rights abuses in Colombia.
Reinhard's connection to Dow is also shameful. A deadly gas leak in Bhopal, India, at Dow's Union Carbide pesticide factory, killed more than 8,000 people in 1984. Over 20,000 people have died as a result of their exposure; an estimated 150,000 people continue to suffer from the long-lasting effects of the disaster. The site has never been properly cleaned up and abandoned chemical wastes continue to poison over 10,000 members of the communities near the abandoned factory.
Armed with a mock "Killer Coke bottle" costume and a miniature puppet depicting J. Pedro Reindard, the organizers stepped up their campaign to bring attention to Coca-Cola's crimes in Colombia.
ORGANIZATIONS THAT ENDORSED THE PICKETS: ACT for the Earth ~ the ACTivist Magazine, CASA (the Colombia Action Solidarity Alliance), Oakville District Labour Council, OPIRG - Toronto, Polaris Institute; For more information, contact: editor@activistmagazine.com
12. Canadian Action in Halifax at the RBC Shareholders' Meeting, Feb. 25
Royal Bank of Canada Shareholders Meeting in Halifax
(Late Update: This action took place this morning and was highly successful. We will have a report for you next week.)
12. 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
14. 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.
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
