Killer Coke Campaign
Katie Langley
Painting by Zac Parsons
- We need your help to stop a gruesome cycle of murders, kidnappings and torture of SINALTRAINAL(National Union of Food Industry Workers) union leaders and organizers involved in daily life-and-death struggles at Coca-Cola bottling plants in Colombia.
- Coca-Cola bottlers “contracted with or otherwise directed paramilitary security forces that utilize extreme violence and murdered, tortured, unlawfully detained or otherwise silenced trade union leaders,” the lawsuit states.
- It also notes that Colombian troops connected with the paramilitaries have trained at the U.S. Army’s School of the Americas (SOA) at Fort Benning, Ga., where trainees were encouraged to torture and murder those who do “union organizing and recruiting;” pass out “propaganda in favor of workers;” and “sympathize with demonstrators or strikes.” This was made public when the Pentagon was forced to reveal the contents of training manuals used at the school. (For more information, see www.soaw.org, the website of SOA Watch.)
- The year that the lawsuit was filed, The Coca-Cola Co. made $4 billion in profits and paid its CEO, Douglas Daft, more than $105 million. Coca-Cola continues to rake in billions each year, yet the frightening conditions at the Coke plants remain unchanged.
Labor unions and human rights advocates in the US can stop these atrocities at Coca-Cola’s bottling plants by ceasing to purchase Coca-Cola Products, spreading the word of the campaign, holding vigils, protests and rallies at your local factory, sending emails or writing letters to the leaders of Coca-Cola company, donating to KillerCokeCampaign, and standing in solidarity with those living in the conditions of Coca-Cola factories.
A LIST OF COCA-COLA PRODUCTS:
A&W
Bicardi
Boco
Anything Coke
Crush
Dasani
Canada Dry
Fanta
Nestea
Schweppes
Dr. Pepper
Fresca
Full Throttle
FUZE
Smartwater
Vitaminwater
Hi-C
Mello Yello
Anything Minute Maid
Mr. Pibb
POWERADE
SURGE
Sprite
TaB
A LIST OF PEPSI PRODUCTS AS ALTERNATIVES:
Pepsi
Aquafina
Mountain Dew
Sierra Mist
Sobe
AMP Energy
Lipton
IZZE
Mug Root Beer/Cream Sodas
Tropicana
7up
Additional Resources:
- PBS “Frontline” episode entitled “Colombia: The Coca-Cola Controversy”. Includes video of entire episode
- Trailer for upcoming documentary by the National Film Board of Canada entitled “The Coke Case”
