Coke: The New Nike--(boycott coke/Colombia)

[Say_What]

<clips>

Ever since its "I'd like to teach the world to sing" commercials from the 1970s, Coca-Cola has billed itself as the world's beverage, uniting all colors and cultures within its red-and-white swoosh. Behind that image, however, a growing student movement is taking the company to task for its less than harmonious record of human rights around the globe.

Chief among the accusations is the company's alleged complicity in the murder of union members by paramilitaries at bottling plants in Colombia. So far, six colleges and universities in the United States -- including Carleton, Oberlin and Bard -- have responded to a call by the Colombian beverages union for a boycott, either by canceling contracts or banning vending machines. Campaigns are active at about ninety more, making this the largest anti-corporate campaign since the one against Nike. "Coke sells an image," says Camilo Romero, a national organizer with United Students Against Sweatshops. "As with any campaign like this, it is hurting its image that will hurt their bottom line."

Romero says that in addition to boycotts, students will soon be conducting sit-ins similar to those that helped publicize sweatshop abuses by Nike and other companies in the late 1990s. That campaign had mixed results; Nike eventually disclosed the locations of its factories and raised wages slightly but failed to follow through on other promises to monitor abuses. More recently, a student campaign helped contribute to a victory against Taco Bell by migrant workers fighting to raise the priced paid to them for tomatoes they picked.

Fresh from that success, Romero appeared last month before a packed auditorium at Smith College, where the administration has so far responded favorably to student calls for a Coke boycott. With him was Javier Correa, president of the Colombian union SINALTRAINAL, who spoke of a decade of violence that has resulted in the deaths of eight workers. As an example, he told the story of Isidro Gil, who was shot dead in 1996 at the bottling plant; a week later, paramilitaries entered the plant and forced workers to sign letters of resignation from the union at gunpoint. Coca-Cola directly controls the bottling facilities through their contracts, said Correa, who says he has himself escaped three assassination attempts. "It's clear they have the power to stop what's happening."

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2005/03/29/opinion/main683763.shtml

[4morewars]

1. More here:

http://www.killercoke.org/

[derby378]

2. Disturbing story, but...

As far as I'm aware, a link between the Columbian paramilitaries and the corporate offices in Atlanta has yet to be proved. This story actually broke in the mainstream media about a year ago.

Either way, however, we've been drinking a lot more Dr. Pepper lately. Supporting the home team, you might say...

[seg4527]

3. does coke profit from dr. pepper?

i know that coke distributes it in some areas. i was wondering if they see a significant profit from people drinking dr. pepper.

[solinvictus]

4. Cadbury Schweppes owns Dr. Pepper..

RC Cola, 7-Up, and several other brands. I think Coke has licensing for Dr. Pepper in some areas. Here, the local Pepsi bottler handles Dr. Pepper.

[DireStrike]

6. Cadbury? Can I still eat those eggs?

RRRgghhh... I think I will whether I'm allowed to or not. They're too good!

[4morewars]

9. Just a coincidence ?

Just a coincidence that the paramilitarie's actions benefitted the coca-cola company. I suppose that's a possibility.

[CubsFan1982]

5. Christ, can we eat/drink/buy/patronize ANYTHING anymore?

[DireStrike]

7. It's just like voting: Find the lesser evil.

sigh...

[solinvictus]

8. Coke in Nepal..

The Maoists there blew up a couple of bottling plants. Why? Because the government subsidized Coke's construction costs to build these plants while the people in the countryside were forced to drink polluted water.

[Judi Lynn]

10. Good news learning more people are finding out about this.

Obviously it's a story any corporation would dearly love to suppress.

Started backing away from Coca Cola YEARS AGO, when I first started reading about the imact of their presence in Colombia, and other places. Stopped buying it altogether several years ago.

The company has surely had far more than enough time to change its ways:

Coca Cola Accused of Using Death Squads to Target Union


A lawsuit filed in US District Court in Florida accuses the Coca Cola Company, its Colombian subsidiary and business affiliates of using paramilitary death squads to murder, torture, kidnap and threaten union leaders at the multinational soft drink manufacturer's Colombian bottling plants.

The suit was filed on 20th July by the United Steelworkers of America and the International Labor Rights Fund on behalf of SINALTRAINAL, the Colombian union that represents workers at Coca Cola's Colombian bottling plants; the estate of a murdered union leader; and five other unionists who worked for Coca Cola and were threatened, kidnapped or tortured by paramilitaries...

The most recent killing of a union leader at one of the plants was 21st June when Oscar Dario Soto Polo was gunned down. Needless to say, companies in Colombia benefit from the reduced effectiveness of union organizing that results from the intimidation of workers by paramilitaries. But the complaint filed against Coca Cola claims that the company does more than just benefit from paramilitary violence: it claims the company orchestrates it.

The suit claims that Coca Cola controls all aspects of business conducted by its Colombian subsidiary Coca Cola Colombia, as well as the operations of Panamerican Beverages, its Colombian subsidiary Panamco, and Bebidas y Alimentos. According to the complaint, Panamco and Bebidas y Alimentos exist solely for the purpose of bottling and distributing Coca Cola products in Colombia. Both are Florida-based companies with 'bottling agreements' requiring them to abide by Coca Cola's code of conduct regarding their operations and labor relations.

The plaintiffs are claiming US jurisdiction under the Alien Tort Claims Act, which allows non-US citizens to file suit against Americans for violations of international law. Regarding the role of the United Steel Workers in the suit, union President Leo Gerard explains, "We are filing this case to show our solidarity with the embattled trade unions of Colombia." The position taken by the union stands in sharp contrast to AFL-CIO policies during the 1980's that openly supported President Reagan's military funding of Central American governments involved in the violent repression of union activities.
(snip/...)

http://www.colombiasolidarity.org.uk/Solidarity%203/cocacola.html

[anarchy1999]

11. Coke stands right next to WalMart and Exxon in our list of places to

avoid.

I confess, I'm proud to say we've not crossed through a Wal-Mart in so long I can't remember at least 4 years or more. Coke is the same and we never buy gas from Exxon, never!

[anarchy1999]

12. Check out Skolnick's Report on Coke. It is a very long but interesting

read.

Who is Skolnick?

http://www.skolnicksreport.com/bio.html

And here is the link to the first in 15:

http://www.skolnicksreport.com/cocaccc.html



COCA-COLA, THE CIA, and the COURTS
Part One of a Series
by Sherman H. Skolnick


This series going to deal with the following:

===Cocaine and Coca-Cola ===Coca-Cola and the espionage/mafia cartel ===Coca-Cola's reputed spy apparatus inside their enemy's camp in an important unpublicized blockbuster court case against the soda pop monster ===malign if not corrupt influence on the Courts ===Coca-Cola as "Big Brother" and the Echelon worldwide spy machine.

From the beginning, Coca-Cola always had a trace of cocaine. Early in the 20th Century it became part of a now forgotten prosecution of the soda bubble water drink. Over the years, doctors treating stomach ailments quietly used a mixture containing Coca-Cola syrup base. Of course, NOT used by doctors, who knew the score, was the base for Pepsi-Cola, Royal Crown Cola, or for that matter, any of the other fizz drinks. Savvy sorts, when they ran short of Drano, knew to pour Coca-Cola down their home plumbing. The acids in Coke cleared the plumbing almost as good as the high-priced hardware store stuff. Nutritionists raised their eyebrows. What does Coca-Cola do to the human plumbing?

Coke advertised with scenes of sports stars, speed boat enthusiasts, and such. To give the impression that Coke adds to a vibrant, healthy life. Yet Coke rightfully cannot make any nutrition claims. At least that is what their critics swear by and swear at.



Everyone discounts him and swears he is a nut, but I still think there is something to what he reports and I don't know how he does it.

[ElectroPrincess]

13. From an Artistic Standpoint, David Rovics pens it in 2002

http://www.soundclick.com/pro/default.cfm?BandID=111310&content=lyrics&SongID=756835

He sings it well also :-)
Please consider visiting the page above and listening to the song.

Drink of the Death Squads
by David Rovics

Coca-Cola came to Colombia
Seeking lower wages
They got just what they came for
But as we turn the pages
We find the workers didn't like the sound
Of their children's hungry cries
So they said we'll join the union
And they began to organize

So Coke called up a terrorist group
Called the AUC
They said "we've got some problems
At the factory"
So these thugs went to the plant
Killed two union men
Told the rest, "you leave the union
Or we'll be back again"

Now Coke did not complain
About this dirty deed
Why give workers higher wages
When Coke is all they really need
They phoned the AUC
Said "thanks, without you we'd go broke
And to show our appreciation
Here's one hundred cases of Coke"

(Chorus)
The baby drinks it in his bottle
When the water ain't no good
The dog drinks it
But he don't know if he should
Some folks say
It's the nectar of the Gods
But Coke is the drink of the Death Squads

Well the workers wouldn't take
This situation lying down
Some went up to Georgia
Said "look what's happened to our town
You American workers got downsized
And as for us we just get shot
And those of us who survive
Our teeth begin to rot"

(Chorus)

Well now that's the situation
What are you gonna do
'Cause death squads run Colombia
And they're paid by me and you
We can let Coke run the world
And see what future that will bring
Or we can drink juice and smash the state
Now that's the real thing

(Chorus)

[anarchy1999]

14. Another awesome resource is Al G. An independent journalist living

and working in South America.
http://www.bigleftoutside.com/

Oh, but there is more, we attend a Mennonite church where one of the members travels to Columbia regularly. It's going to take me a while to find what he published about it. It's too early or too late, I've lost track of time.