http://midhudsonnews.com/News/Vas_antiCoke-09Nov07.html
Vassar College students urge administration to remove Coke from campus
Town of Poughkeepsie – About 20 students from a consortium of five Vassar Student Association organizations Thursday rallied in support of removing Coca-Cola products from the school.
The students want their college to join 45 others – including NYU, Rutgers, DePaul, Smith College and the University of Illinois in removing the products.
Freshman Thomas Faczhine of Irvington, NJ cited one example of what the students say Coke is doing wrong.
"In Columbia, up to nine union activities have been murdered by a company that Coke bottles for and Coca-Cola has said in the past that it would investigate, and it hasn’t,” he said.
“In India, they’ve done a lot of work against the environment to deteriorating the water table,” he said. Ghana has also been a problem with Coke production, he said.
Faczhine said the college administration, which has met with the student group, said they would weigh their request and keep an eye out to see how many students boycott Coke products on campus.
Sunday, November 25, 2007
Monday, November 19, 2007
Colombia: Two teacher unionists murdered in 5 days
http://www.labourstart.org
http://www.ei-ie.org/en/news/show.php?id=662&theme=rights&country=colombia
[2007-11-13] Colombia: Two teacher unionists murdered in 5 days
EI deplores the murder of two teacher trade unionists within the past week
Mercedes Consuelo Restrepo Campo was shot dead outside the 'San Juan Bosco' school in the town of Cartago by two armed men on a motorcycle on 7th November the Central Unitaria de Trabajadores de Colombia – CUT - reports.
Restrepo, who had been a teacher for 30 years, served on the executive board of SUTEV, a regional affiliate of EI member FECODE, in the department of Valle de Cauca.
Her murder follows that of Leonidas Silva Castro on 2nd November. He was murdered in his home in the Barrio Prados del Norte neighbourhood in the town of Villacaro. Castro had arrived home after attending a trade union event. He was an active member of ASINORT – another FECODE affiliate.
Colombia remains the most dangerous country in the world to be a trade unionist. The EI Barometer found that violence against trade unionists is endemic. Union leaders are targets of attacks by armed groups for political reasons. Teachers, who make up almost one-third of the organised work force, especially so.
EI condemns these assassinations and calls on the government of Colombia to bring those responsible to justice.
http://www.ei-ie.org/en/news/show.php?id=662&theme=rights&country=colombia
[2007-11-13] Colombia: Two teacher unionists murdered in 5 days
EI deplores the murder of two teacher trade unionists within the past week
Mercedes Consuelo Restrepo Campo was shot dead outside the 'San Juan Bosco' school in the town of Cartago by two armed men on a motorcycle on 7th November the Central Unitaria de Trabajadores de Colombia – CUT - reports.
Restrepo, who had been a teacher for 30 years, served on the executive board of SUTEV, a regional affiliate of EI member FECODE, in the department of Valle de Cauca.
Her murder follows that of Leonidas Silva Castro on 2nd November. He was murdered in his home in the Barrio Prados del Norte neighbourhood in the town of Villacaro. Castro had arrived home after attending a trade union event. He was an active member of ASINORT – another FECODE affiliate.
Colombia remains the most dangerous country in the world to be a trade unionist. The EI Barometer found that violence against trade unionists is endemic. Union leaders are targets of attacks by armed groups for political reasons. Teachers, who make up almost one-third of the organised work force, especially so.
EI condemns these assassinations and calls on the government of Colombia to bring those responsible to justice.
Vassar Kick Coke writings on PDF
http://www.sendspace.com/file/46uogr
Link for accessing the PDF file on the Vassar Kick Coke CIRC proposal.
http://www.sendspace.com/file/1hkx24
Link for accessing the PDF file on the Vassar Kick Coke newsletter issued in the Autumn 2007
*Note: These links are not direct links, and are not the most reliable transfer methods. If the above links fail, please email redunlea@vassar.edu for copies.
a link to the PDF file on the Killer Coke site:
http://www.killercoke.org/kccvassar.pdf
Link for accessing the PDF file on the Vassar Kick Coke CIRC proposal.
http://www.sendspace.com/file/1hkx24
Link for accessing the PDF file on the Vassar Kick Coke newsletter issued in the Autumn 2007
*Note: These links are not direct links, and are not the most reliable transfer methods. If the above links fail, please email redunlea@vassar.edu for copies.
a link to the PDF file on the Killer Coke site:
http://www.killercoke.org/kccvassar.pdf
Sunday, October 7, 2007
"... Colombia remains the deadliest place for trade unionists..."
Excerpted from World Politics Review's column "Rights & Wrongs", authored by Juliette Terzieff. October 6, 2007 installment. Link: http://www.worldpoliticsreview.com/article.aspx?id=1217
"WORKERS' RIGHTS A DANGEROUS BUSINESS -- Across the globe those who publicly advocate for workers' rights last year faced increasing abuses, including torture, arrest and even murder, according to a new report from the International Trade Union Confederation.
The ITUC's 2007 Survey of Violations of Trade Union Rights tracked conditions in 138 countries and found more than 800 trade unionists were beaten or tortured in 2006 for defending workers' rights. More than 5,000 were arrested, more than 8,000 dismissed from their jobs and 144 murdered -- up from 115 the previous year.
Colombia remains the deadliest place for trade unionists, but the survey found violent incidents rising sharply in both Asia and Africa. Authoritarian regimes in countries such as Belarus, Burma, China and North Korea maintained their repression of workers, and some actions in developed countries, including Australia, Switzerland and the United States, were seen to roll back the free exercise of some rights.
Among the rights trade unionists advocate are fair pay, safe working conditions and the right to form unions -- all rights guaranteed by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights."
"WORKERS' RIGHTS A DANGEROUS BUSINESS -- Across the globe those who publicly advocate for workers' rights last year faced increasing abuses, including torture, arrest and even murder, according to a new report from the International Trade Union Confederation.
The ITUC's 2007 Survey of Violations of Trade Union Rights tracked conditions in 138 countries and found more than 800 trade unionists were beaten or tortured in 2006 for defending workers' rights. More than 5,000 were arrested, more than 8,000 dismissed from their jobs and 144 murdered -- up from 115 the previous year.
Colombia remains the deadliest place for trade unionists, but the survey found violent incidents rising sharply in both Asia and Africa. Authoritarian regimes in countries such as Belarus, Burma, China and North Korea maintained their repression of workers, and some actions in developed countries, including Australia, Switzerland and the United States, were seen to roll back the free exercise of some rights.
Among the rights trade unionists advocate are fair pay, safe working conditions and the right to form unions -- all rights guaranteed by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights."
Wednesday, August 29, 2007
Colombian soldiers get 40 years for union killings
This Reuters report found on http://www.labourstart.org
http://www.reuters.com/article/worldNews/idUSN2824905820070828
Colombian soldiers get 40 years for union killings
Tue Aug 28, 2007 4:16PM EDT
By Hugh Bronstein
BOGOTA (Reuters) - Four Colombian soldiers were sentenced to 40 years each for murdering union officials in 2004, a decision the government said reflects its commitment to labor rights as it tries to clinch a U.S. free trade deal.
In a ruling announced on Tuesday, a judge said the soldiers shot three defenseless trade unionists in the eastern province of Arauco, put guns in their hands and arranged their bodies to make it look like they were rebels killed in combat.
"This proves what human rights groups and the United Nations had long reported, that some sectors of the army had the practice of killing civilians and passing them off as guerrillas," said political commentator Daniel Coronell.
The government said the ruling "confirms our policy of respecting the work of labor unions."
Trade talks with the United States have been bogged down over concerns about the rule of law in Colombia, which is engaged in a four-decade-old war against leftist guerrillas and reports more murders of union members than any other country.
Democrats in control of the U.S. Congress say they will not approve the pending trade pact until more is done to protect labor rights in Colombia.
The U.S. Democrats want President Alvaro Uribe's government to take a tougher stance against Colombia's right-wing paramilitaries who have cooperated with the army in their fight against the guerrillas.
Colombia has mounted a campaign in the United States to push for the trade deal and contain the damage done by a scandal linking some of Uribe's closest political allies with paramilitary death squads.
Last week Colombia said it would extradite demobilized paramilitary leader Carlos Mario Jimenez, alias Macaco, for running a drug smuggling ring from jail.
It was the government's hardest blow yet against militia leaders who signed a peace deal agreeing to turn in their guns and give up crime in exchange for reduced jail terms.
Uribe's international standing has been diminished by the scandal in which his former security chief is charged with providing a death list of union leaders to the paramilitaries.
But the president remains popular at home for cutting urban crime and sparking economic growth with his U.S.-funded crackdown on the guerrillas.
http://www.reuters.com/article/worldNews/idUSN2824905820070828
Colombian soldiers get 40 years for union killings
Tue Aug 28, 2007 4:16PM EDT
By Hugh Bronstein
BOGOTA (Reuters) - Four Colombian soldiers were sentenced to 40 years each for murdering union officials in 2004, a decision the government said reflects its commitment to labor rights as it tries to clinch a U.S. free trade deal.
In a ruling announced on Tuesday, a judge said the soldiers shot three defenseless trade unionists in the eastern province of Arauco, put guns in their hands and arranged their bodies to make it look like they were rebels killed in combat.
"This proves what human rights groups and the United Nations had long reported, that some sectors of the army had the practice of killing civilians and passing them off as guerrillas," said political commentator Daniel Coronell.
The government said the ruling "confirms our policy of respecting the work of labor unions."
Trade talks with the United States have been bogged down over concerns about the rule of law in Colombia, which is engaged in a four-decade-old war against leftist guerrillas and reports more murders of union members than any other country.
Democrats in control of the U.S. Congress say they will not approve the pending trade pact until more is done to protect labor rights in Colombia.
The U.S. Democrats want President Alvaro Uribe's government to take a tougher stance against Colombia's right-wing paramilitaries who have cooperated with the army in their fight against the guerrillas.
Colombia has mounted a campaign in the United States to push for the trade deal and contain the damage done by a scandal linking some of Uribe's closest political allies with paramilitary death squads.
Last week Colombia said it would extradite demobilized paramilitary leader Carlos Mario Jimenez, alias Macaco, for running a drug smuggling ring from jail.
It was the government's hardest blow yet against militia leaders who signed a peace deal agreeing to turn in their guns and give up crime in exchange for reduced jail terms.
Uribe's international standing has been diminished by the scandal in which his former security chief is charged with providing a death list of union leaders to the paramilitaries.
But the president remains popular at home for cutting urban crime and sparking economic growth with his U.S.-funded crackdown on the guerrillas.
Monday, June 25, 2007
Coca Cola workers' strike
Pasted from www.libcom.org, a website for anarchists and council communists.
"Wakefield: Coca Cola workers may strike
Workers at Coca Cola's bottling and distribution plant in Wakefield may strike over pay.
The Unite union balloted over 500 workers at the plant for strike action on Friday, after arbitration talks with ACAS on 6th June failed to improve on Coca Cola Enterprises pay offer of 2.5%.
The Wakefield plant is one of the largest distribution plants in Europe which can distribute up to 8 million cases of Coca Cola a week, alongside other brands including Oasis and Dr. Pepper, and a strike could seriously disrupt supplies of those drinks. The union is also preparing to ballot staff at the Coca Cola plant in Milton Keynes, meaning a potential for co-ordinated action at the two plants. However Unite has already invited Coca Cola back to negotiations in an attempt to avoid strike action.
Unite Regional Officer, Kelvin Mawer said:
"Coca Cola Enterprises now face the prospect of a strike which we believe will have a significant impact on supplies of Coca Cola during the hottest months of the year.
"We are extremely disappointed it has come to this and urge CCE management to return to the negotiating table in an attempt to resolve the dispute and avoid industrial action." "
source link: http://libcom.org/news/wakefield-coca-cola-workers-may-strike-23062007
libcom.org has a few more news entries on Coca Cola here: http://libcom.org/tags/coca-cola
"Wakefield: Coca Cola workers may strike
Workers at Coca Cola's bottling and distribution plant in Wakefield may strike over pay.
The Unite union balloted over 500 workers at the plant for strike action on Friday, after arbitration talks with ACAS on 6th June failed to improve on Coca Cola Enterprises pay offer of 2.5%.
The Wakefield plant is one of the largest distribution plants in Europe which can distribute up to 8 million cases of Coca Cola a week, alongside other brands including Oasis and Dr. Pepper, and a strike could seriously disrupt supplies of those drinks. The union is also preparing to ballot staff at the Coca Cola plant in Milton Keynes, meaning a potential for co-ordinated action at the two plants. However Unite has already invited Coca Cola back to negotiations in an attempt to avoid strike action.
Unite Regional Officer, Kelvin Mawer said:
"Coca Cola Enterprises now face the prospect of a strike which we believe will have a significant impact on supplies of Coca Cola during the hottest months of the year.
"We are extremely disappointed it has come to this and urge CCE management to return to the negotiating table in an attempt to resolve the dispute and avoid industrial action." "
source link: http://libcom.org/news/wakefield-coca-cola-workers-may-strike-23062007
libcom.org has a few more news entries on Coca Cola here: http://libcom.org/tags/coca-cola
Wednesday, May 23, 2007
Remarks on the previous entry
According to the news story, the judge who passed the sentence decided to *not* follow judicial guidelines so far as meting out punishments go. One wonders, is this indicative of one law-person's sympathy for the Coca Cola company leadership?
The relevant excerpt: ' "This is the kind of offense that cannot be tolerated in our society," U.S. District Judge J. Owen Forrester said in imposing sentence.
A co-defendant, Ibrahim Dimson, was sentenced to 5 years in prison.
Forrester's sentence for Williams was more severe than the 63- to 78-month sentence recommended by federal prosecutors and federal sentencing guidelines.
He said the seriousness of the crime necessitated a departure from the guidelines, which federal judges are not bound by. '
The assistant US attorney felt the same way too.
Anyway, I also did a Google search of defendant Joya Williams; the corporate spy story has been reported for almost a year now. See this Time report: http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1211565,00.html
The relevant excerpt: ' "This is the kind of offense that cannot be tolerated in our society," U.S. District Judge J. Owen Forrester said in imposing sentence.
A co-defendant, Ibrahim Dimson, was sentenced to 5 years in prison.
Forrester's sentence for Williams was more severe than the 63- to 78-month sentence recommended by federal prosecutors and federal sentencing guidelines.
He said the seriousness of the crime necessitated a departure from the guidelines, which federal judges are not bound by. '
The assistant US attorney felt the same way too.
Anyway, I also did a Google search of defendant Joya Williams; the corporate spy story has been reported for almost a year now. See this Time report: http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1211565,00.html
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