The Coke Machine (56 page)
Authors: Michael Blanding
Page 261 31 percent of Coke workers in Colombia:
Cokefacts.org
website, June 22, 2004 (accessed through “Wayback Machine,”
web.archive.org
); Sarah Greenblatt, “Coca-Cola War Escalates at Rutgers,”
Home News Tribune
(East Brunswick, NJ), May 2, 2004.
Cokefacts.org
website, June 22, 2004 (accessed through “Wayback Machine,”
web.archive.org
); Sarah Greenblatt, “Coca-Cola War Escalates at Rutgers,”
Home News Tribune
(East Brunswick, NJ), May 2, 2004.
Page 261 that rate applied only to official employees:
See Killer Coke News Bulletin, August 31, 2005,
http://www.Killercoke.org/nb0831.htm
.
See Killer Coke News Bulletin, August 31, 2005,
http://www.Killercoke.org/nb0831.htm
.
Page 262 Worker Rights Consortium:
Liza Featherstone and United Students Against Sweatshops,
Students Against Sweatshops
(New York: Verso, 2002).
Liza Featherstone and United Students Against Sweatshops,
Students Against Sweatshops
(New York: Verso, 2002).
Page 262 a chance to directly affect a situation:
Camilo Romero, interview by the author.
Camilo Romero, interview by the author.
Page 262 take the campaign national:
Jim Lovell, “Students Call for Coke Boycott,”
Atlanta Business Chronicle
, November 21, 2003.
Jim Lovell, “Students Call for Coke Boycott,”
Atlanta Business Chronicle
, November 21, 2003.
Page 263 a new generation of activists:
Romero, interview by the author.
Romero, interview by the author.
Page 263 “Always Rutgers, Always Coca-Cola”:
Greenblatt, “Coca-Cola War Escalates at Rutgers”; “Coke Wars,”
Daily Targum
, April 10, 2000; Candice Choi, “Rutgers Group Voices Exploitation Concerns,”
Daily Targum
, April 4, 2000.
Greenblatt, “Coca-Cola War Escalates at Rutgers”; “Coke Wars,”
Daily Targum
, April 10, 2000; Candice Choi, “Rutgers Group Voices Exploitation Concerns,”
Daily Targum
, April 4, 2000.
Page 263 delay its decision until May 2005:
Ray Rogers, interview by the author; Ken Tarbous, “Rutgers to Join the Pepsi Generation,”
Home News Tribune
(East Brunswick, NJ), June 10, 2005.
Ray Rogers, interview by the author; Ken Tarbous, “Rutgers to Join the Pepsi Generation,”
Home News Tribune
(East Brunswick, NJ), June 10, 2005.
Page 263 a giant inflatable Coke bottle:
Kristen Hamill, “Students Form Coalition Against Coke Contract,”
Daily Targum
, May 31, 2005.
Kristen Hamill, “Students Form Coalition Against Coke Contract,”
Daily Targum
, May 31, 2005.
Page 263 shock troops behind the scenes:
Michael Blanding, “Coke: The New Nike,”
The Nation
, March 24, 2005,
http://www.thenation.com/doc/20050411/blanding
.
Michael Blanding, “Coke: The New Nike,”
The Nation
, March 24, 2005,
http://www.thenation.com/doc/20050411/blanding
.
Page 264 “It certainly catches your eye”:
Romero, interview by the author.
Romero, interview by the author.
Page 264 “Maybe you don’t like it”:
Rogers, interview by the author.
Rogers, interview by the author.
Page 264 ten-year, $17 million contract:
Tarbous, “Rutgers to Join the Pepsi Generation”; Kelly Heybour, “At Rutgers, Pepsi’s $17 Million Deal Is the Real Thing,”
Star-Ledger
(Newark), May 14, 2005.
Tarbous, “Rutgers to Join the Pepsi Generation”; Kelly Heybour, “At Rutgers, Pepsi’s $17 Million Deal Is the Real Thing,”
Star-Ledger
(Newark), May 14, 2005.
Page 264 “big blow to the company”:
Rogers, interview by the author; Heybour, “At Rutgers, Pepsi’s $17 Million Deal Is the Real Thing.”
Rogers, interview by the author; Heybour, “At Rutgers, Pepsi’s $17 Million Deal Is the Real Thing.”
Page 264 about a hundred vending machines:
Crystal Yakacki, former organizer with anti-Coke campaign at NYU, interview by the author; Victoria Foltz and Barbara Leonard, “NYU Senate Bans Coke from Campus,”
Washington Square News
, December 9, 2005; Brittani Manzo, “Possible Coke Ban to Take Effect at NYU,”
Washington Square News
, November 28, 2005.
Crystal Yakacki, former organizer with anti-Coke campaign at NYU, interview by the author; Victoria Foltz and Barbara Leonard, “NYU Senate Bans Coke from Campus,”
Washington Square News
, December 9, 2005; Brittani Manzo, “Possible Coke Ban to Take Effect at NYU,”
Washington Square News
, November 28, 2005.
Page 264 USAS led the way:
Romero, interview by the author; Barbara Leonard, “Coke Refuses NYU Request to Audit Workers’ Rights Practices,”
Washington Square News
,” April 21, 2005.
Romero, interview by the author; Barbara Leonard, “Coke Refuses NYU Request to Audit Workers’ Rights Practices,”
Washington Square News
,” April 21, 2005.
Page 264 Students wrapped vending machines:
Campaign to Stop Killer Coke “Student Protest Pics,”
www.killercoke.org/proteststud.htm
.
Campaign to Stop Killer Coke “Student Protest Pics,”
www.killercoke.org/proteststud.htm
.
Page 264 the student senate voted sixteen to four to ban Coke:
“How NYU Chose Colombia over Coke,”
BusinessWeek
, Online Extra, January 17, 2006,
http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/06_04/b3968078.htm
.
“How NYU Chose Colombia over Coke,”
BusinessWeek
, Online Extra, January 17, 2006,
http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/06_04/b3968078.htm
.
Page 264 a university-sponsored forum with the WRC:
Jason Rowe, “Senate Must Challenge Coke,”
Washington Square News
, March 10, 2005.
Jason Rowe, “Senate Must Challenge Coke,”
Washington Square News
, March 10, 2005.
Page 265 The issue was tabled:
Yakacki, interview by the author; “NYU Senate Is Impotent,”
Washington Square News
, April 25, 2005.
Yakacki, interview by the author; “NYU Senate Is Impotent,”
Washington Square News
, April 25, 2005.
Page 265 activists at . . . Michigan demanded that the school:
Talia Selitsky, “Killer Coke Coalition Rallies at U. Michigan,”
Michigan Daily
, February 10, 2005.
Talia Selitsky, “Killer Coke Coalition Rallies at U. Michigan,”
Michigan Daily
, February 10, 2005.
Page 265 the board ruled in the students’ favor:
Scott Leith, “University Says It Will Drop Coke Unless Colombia Charges Probed,”
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
, June 18, 2005.
Scott Leith, “University Says It Will Drop Coke Unless Colombia Charges Probed,”
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
, June 18, 2005.
Page 265 “If they don’t step up”:
Jeremy Davidson, “U. Michigan Adjusts Coca-Cola Contracts,”
Michigan Daily
, June 20, 2005.
Jeremy Davidson, “U. Michigan Adjusts Coca-Cola Contracts,”
Michigan Daily
, June 20, 2005.
Page 265 Ed Potter had represented . . . new corporate code of conduct:
Caroline Wilbert, “Trouble-shooter’s Big Job Has Kept Him Traveling, from Colombia to China,”
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
, April 16, 2006.
Caroline Wilbert, “Trouble-shooter’s Big Job Has Kept Him Traveling, from Colombia to China,”
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
, April 16, 2006.
Page 265 spelling out the protections for workers:
Ed Potter, interview by the author; The Coca-Cola Company, 2006 Corporate Responsibility Review; The Coca-Cola Company “Workplace Rights Policy,”
http://www.thecoca-colacompany.com/citizenship/pdf/workplace_rights_policy.pdf
.
Ed Potter, interview by the author; The Coca-Cola Company, 2006 Corporate Responsibility Review; The Coca-Cola Company “Workplace Rights Policy,”
http://www.thecoca-colacompany.com/citizenship/pdf/workplace_rights_policy.pdf
.
Page 266 a supposedly independent group:
Cal Safety Compliance Corporation (CSCC) for The Coca-Cola Company, “Workplace Assessments in Colombia,” 2005; Russ Childrey, vice president of CSCC, interview by the author.
Cal Safety Compliance Corporation (CSCC) for The Coca-Cola Company, “Workplace Assessments in Colombia,” 2005; Russ Childrey, vice president of CSCC, interview by the author.
Page 266 denying responsibility for the violence in Colombia:
Author notes of shareholder meeting; Michael Blanding, “The Case Against Coke,”
The Nation
, April 13, 2006.
Author notes of shareholder meeting; Michael Blanding, “The Case Against Coke,”
The Nation
, April 13, 2006.
Page 266 “felt more like a student protest rally”:
“Flat Coke,”
Financial Times
(London), April 20, 2005.
“Flat Coke,”
Financial Times
(London), April 20, 2005.
Page 266 real negotiations began after the meeting:
Potter and Romero, interviews by the author.
Potter and Romero, interviews by the author.
Page 266 Coke was soon setting its own rules:
Notes from September 9, 2005, commission meeting by anonymous student.
Notes from September 9, 2005, commission meeting by anonymous student.
Page 266 The students dismissed those demands:
“How NYU Chose Colombia over Coke,”
BusinessWeek
, Online Extra, January 17, 2006,
http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/06_04/b3968078.htm
.
“How NYU Chose Colombia over Coke,”
BusinessWeek
, Online Extra, January 17, 2006,
http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/06_04/b3968078.htm
.
Page 267 The university issued an ultimatum:
Jacob Gershman, “University Senate at NYU Threatens to Oust Coca-Cola from Campus,”
Sun
(New York), November 7, 2005.
Jacob Gershman, “University Senate at NYU Threatens to Oust Coca-Cola from Campus,”
Sun
(New York), November 7, 2005.
Page 267 NYU . . . would begin removing Coke from campus:
Patrick Cole, “NYU Bans Coca-Cola Products,” Bloomberg News, December 9, 2005.
Patrick Cole, “NYU Bans Coca-Cola Products,” Bloomberg News, December 9, 2005.
Page 267 “Certainly if there was any wrongdoing”:
Caroline Wilbert, “A Surprising Critic of Coke,”
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
, January 28, 2006.
Caroline Wilbert, “A Surprising Critic of Coke,”
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
, January 28, 2006.
Page 267 new country: Turkey:
Ali Riza Küçükosmanoğlu, president of Nakliyat-İş trade union, interview by the author;
Erol Türedi, et al. v. The Coca-Cola Company, et al.
, United States District Court, Southern District of New York, 05-CV-9635 (2005) (hereafter
Türedi v. Coke
).
Ali Riza Küçükosmanoğlu, president of Nakliyat-İş trade union, interview by the author;
Erol Türedi, et al. v. The Coca-Cola Company, et al.
, United States District Court, Southern District of New York, 05-CV-9635 (2005) (hereafter
Türedi v. Coke
).
Page 268 Coke had nothing to do with it:
The Coca-Cola Company statement, “Lawsuit Regarding Protest in Turkey,” November 15, 2005; Potter, interview by the author.
The Coca-Cola Company statement, “Lawsuit Regarding Protest in Turkey,” November 15, 2005; Potter, interview by the author.
Page 268 “the flipside of being a big brand”:
Kenneth Hein, “Advertising: Big Ban on Campus for Coke Products,”
Brandweek
, December 12, 2005.
Kenneth Hein, “Advertising: Big Ban on Campus for Coke Products,”
Brandweek
, December 12, 2005.
Page 268 the union hadn’t first exhausted its remedies:
Türedi v. Coke
, Decision and Order Granting Motion to Dismiss (39); Notice of Appeal (42).
Türedi v. Coke
, Decision and Order Granting Motion to Dismiss (39); Notice of Appeal (42).
Page 268 “investigate and evaluate”:
Donald R. Knauss, President, Coca-Cola North America, to Tim Slottow, Executive Vice President and CFO, University of Michigan, April 10, 2006.
Donald R. Knauss, President, Coca-Cola North America, to Tim Slottow, Executive Vice President and CFO, University of Michigan, April 10, 2006.
Page 268 more conciliatory approach to negotiations . . . continued to throw cold water:
“Why Does the IUF Attack SINALTRAINAL,”
http://www.killercoke.org/iufsinal.htm
; “The Facts: The Coca-Cola Company and Columbia,” The Coca-Cola Company press release, January 25, 2006; “Joint Coca-Cola and IUF Statement,” March 15, 2005,
http://www.iufdocuments.org/www/documents/coca-cola/jtstate-e.pdf
.
“Why Does the IUF Attack SINALTRAINAL,”
http://www.killercoke.org/iufsinal.htm
; “The Facts: The Coca-Cola Company and Columbia,” The Coca-Cola Company press release, January 25, 2006; “Joint Coca-Cola and IUF Statement,” March 15, 2005,
http://www.iufdocuments.org/www/documents/coca-cola/jtstate-e.pdf
.
Page 268 The anti-Coke campaign immediately cried foul:
“University of Michigan Falls Prey to Another Coca-Cola PR Scam,” Campaign to Stop Killer Coke news release, April 17, 2006.
“University of Michigan Falls Prey to Another Coca-Cola PR Scam,” Campaign to Stop Killer Coke news release, April 17, 2006.
Page 269 “There are 640 people”:
John J. Miller, “Fizzes and Fizzles,”
National Review
, June 16, 2006.
John J. Miller, “Fizzes and Fizzles,”
National Review
, June 16, 2006.
Page 269 less of an explanation:
Potter, interview by the author.
Potter, interview by the author.
Page 269 “assessment of current working conditions”:
“University of Michigan Falls Prey to Another Coca-Cola PR Scam.”
“University of Michigan Falls Prey to Another Coca-Cola PR Scam.”
Page 269 “We have a document”:
Videocast, The Coca-Cola Company, Annual Meeting of Stockholders, April 19, 2006,
http://events.streamlogics.com/pmtv/coke/apr19-06/auditorium/index.asp
.
Videocast, The Coca-Cola Company, Annual Meeting of Stockholders, April 19, 2006,
http://events.streamlogics.com/pmtv/coke/apr19-06/auditorium/index.asp
.
Page 269 “My message to you”:
Videocast, The Coca-Cola Company, Annual Meeting of Stockholders, April 19, 2006,
http://events.streamlogics.com/pmtv/coke/apr19-06/auditorium/index.asp
.
Videocast, The Coca-Cola Company, Annual Meeting of Stockholders, April 19, 2006,
http://events.streamlogics.com/pmtv/coke/apr19-06/auditorium/index.asp
.
Page 269 activists raised red flags:
Amit Srivastava, India Resource Center press release, “Coca-Cola Funded Group Investigates Coca-Cola in India,” April 16, 2007.
Amit Srivastava, India Resource Center press release, “Coca-Cola Funded Group Investigates Coca-Cola in India,” April 16, 2007.
Page 269 listed Coca-Cola as a sponsor:
Confirmed from TERI website, April 16, 2006,
www.teriin.org
(accessed through Internet Archive,
www.archive.org
).
Confirmed from TERI website, April 16, 2006,
www.teriin.org
(accessed through Internet Archive,
www.archive.org
).
Page 269 had been paid by Coke:
Confirmed by Ibrahim Rehman, Director, Social Transformation Division, The Energy and Resources Institute, in interview by the author.
Confirmed by Ibrahim Rehman, Director, Social Transformation Division, The Energy and Resources Institute, in interview by the author.
Page 269 most responsible companies:
Confirmed by Ritu Kumar, “Human Face of Corporates,”
Times of India
, December 24, 2001.
Confirmed by Ritu Kumar, “Human Face of Corporates,”
Times of India
, December 24, 2001.
Page 269 student campaign had “stalled”:
David Teather, “Has Coke Become the Next McDonald’s?”
Guardian
, August 18, 2006.
David Teather, “Has Coke Become the Next McDonald’s?”
Guardian
, August 18, 2006.
Page 270 indifference, if not contempt:
Order of Clarification as to Plaintiffs SINALTRAINAL and Juan Carlos Galvis (233), Order Granting Motion to Quash Attempted Service of Process (234), Order Reiterating Stay (237),
SINALTRAINAL v. Coke
.
Order of Clarification as to Plaintiffs SINALTRAINAL and Juan Carlos Galvis (233), Order Granting Motion to Quash Attempted Service of Process (234), Order Reiterating Stay (237),
SINALTRAINAL v. Coke
.
Page 270 “If you didn’t know any better”:
Status conference transcript, June 6, 2006.
Status conference transcript, June 6, 2006.
Page 270 “unwarranted international fishing expeditions”:
Consolidated Omnibus Order Dismissing the Cases for Lack of Subject Matter Jurisdiction (322),
SINALTRAINAL v. Coke
.
Consolidated Omnibus Order Dismissing the Cases for Lack of Subject Matter Jurisdiction (322),
SINALTRAINAL v. Coke
.
Page 270 “We hope this decision”:
Duane D. Stanford, “Lawsuit vs. Coke Bottlers Tossed; Group Representing Colombian Workers May Appeal Ruling,”
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
, October 4, 2006.
Duane D. Stanford, “Lawsuit vs. Coke Bottlers Tossed; Group Representing Colombian Workers May Appeal Ruling,”
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
, October 4, 2006.
Page 270 denying the union proper discovery:
Appellants’ Opening Brief (1),
SINALTRAINAL, et al. v. The Coca-Cola Company, et al
., on Appeal from the Decision and Final Order of the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida, Case No. 06-15851-HH (hereafter
SINALTRAINAL v. Coke
Appeal).
Appellants’ Opening Brief (1),
SINALTRAINAL, et al. v. The Coca-Cola Company, et al
., on Appeal from the Decision and Final Order of the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida, Case No. 06-15851-HH (hereafter
SINALTRAINAL v. Coke
Appeal).
Page 270 “Put aside Colombia, Coca-Cola”:
Terry Collingsworth, interview by the author.
Terry Collingsworth, interview by the author.
Page 271 engaged a retired judge:
Judge Daniel Weinstein (ret.), biography,
http://www.jamsadr.com/weinstein/
.
Judge Daniel Weinstein (ret.), biography,
http://www.jamsadr.com/weinstein/
.
Page 271 call off the dogs:
In re: TCCC’s [The Coca-Cola Company’s] Reply Brief, in Support of Motion for Sanctions and Related Relief, February 12, 2008. The documents and e-mail exchanges cited below are taken from exhibits to this brief.
In re: TCCC’s [The Coca-Cola Company’s] Reply Brief, in Support of Motion for Sanctions and Related Relief, February 12, 2008. The documents and e-mail exchanges cited below are taken from exhibits to this brief.
Page 271 resumed criticizing Coke:
Faith Gay to Judge Daniel Weinstein, re: TCCC Motion for Sanctions In re SINALTRAINAL Mediation, December 21, 2006.
Faith Gay to Judge Daniel Weinstein, re: TCCC Motion for Sanctions In re SINALTRAINAL Mediation, December 21, 2006.
Page 271 both sides refrain from public statements:
Judge Daniel Weinstein e-mail to Faith Gay, Terry Collingsworth, et al., September 27, 2006.
Judge Daniel Weinstein e-mail to Faith Gay, Terry Collingsworth, et al., September 27, 2006.
Page 272 trolled Web and newspaper reports:
Linda Spencer e-mails, October 2, 4, 9, and 27, 2006.
Linda Spencer e-mails, October 2, 4, 9, and 27, 2006.
Page 272 they would have to resign from the union:
Draft, “Colombia Settlement Agreement,” October 13, 2006.
Draft, “Colombia Settlement Agreement,” October 13, 2006.
Page 273 “Every request we made for”:
Faith Gay to Terry Collingsworth, November 22, 2006.
Faith Gay to Terry Collingsworth, November 22, 2006.
Page 273 $120,000 in penalties:
Order for Sanctions, January 8, 2007.
Order for Sanctions, January 8, 2007.
Page 273 “Look, don’t waste my time”:
Terry Collingsworth, interview by the author.
Terry Collingsworth, interview by the author.
Page 273 into the “lions’ den”:
Duban Velez, secretary-treasurer of SINALTRAINAL, and Romero, interviews by the author.
Duban Velez, secretary-treasurer of SINALTRAINAL, and Romero, interviews by the author.
Page 274 whatever the union leaders decided:
Rogers, interview by the author.
Rogers, interview by the author.
Page 274 “We don’t intend to give up our fight”:
The Coca-Cola Case
, directed by Germán Gutiérrez and Carmen Garcia (Montreal: Cinema Politica and the National Film Board of Canada, 2009).
The Coca-Cola Case
, directed by Germán Gutiérrez and Carmen Garcia (Montreal: Cinema Politica and the National Film Board of Canada, 2009).
Page 274 a personal money grab:
Romero, interview by the author.
Romero, interview by the author.
Page 274 a bum deal:
Romero, interview by the author.
Romero, interview by the author.
Page 274 Finally Kovalik walked out:
Romero, interview by the author.
Romero, interview by the author.
Page 274 Collingsworth proposed . . . a breakthrough:
Velez and Romero, interviews by the author.
Velez and Romero, interviews by the author.
Page 275 their elation turned to dismay:
Velez, interview by the author.
Velez, interview by the author.
Page 275 “It may be time”:
Ed Potter e-mail to Terry Collingsworth, April 22, 2007.
Ed Potter e-mail to Terry Collingsworth, April 22, 2007.
Page 275 contract at the University of Minnesota:
Amit Srivastava, interview by the author; Jeff Shelman, “U Stands to Get Big Boost from Coke Contract,”
Star Tribune
(Minneapolis), April 3, 2008; Ahnalese Rushmann, “U Renews Aramark, Coca-Cola Contracts,”
Minnesota Daily
, April 14, 2008.
Amit Srivastava, interview by the author; Jeff Shelman, “U Stands to Get Big Boost from Coke Contract,”
Star Tribune
(Minneapolis), April 3, 2008; Ahnalese Rushmann, “U Renews Aramark, Coca-Cola Contracts,”
Minnesota Daily
, April 14, 2008.
Page 275 “When you do something”:
Rogers, interview by the author.
Rogers, interview by the author.
Page 276 “ensur[e] that the Killer Coke Campaign”:
Draft Colombia Settlement Agreement, October 13, 2007.
Draft Colombia Settlement Agreement, October 13, 2007.
Page 276 “Ladies and Gentlemen of The Coca-Cola Company”:
Letter from Javier Correa to The Coca-Cola Company, September 14, 2007.
Letter from Javier Correa to The Coca-Cola Company, September 14, 2007.
Page 276 filing a complaint:
SINALTRAINAL, “SINALTRAINAL Files Complaint Before the ILO,” press release, September 28, 2007.
SINALTRAINAL, “SINALTRAINAL Files Complaint Before the ILO,” press release, September 28, 2007.
Page 276 “cause irreparable damage” . . . another fine:
Faith Gay e-mail to Terry Collingsworth, September 24, 2007; Motion for Injunctive Relief and Sanctions in Order to Permit Parties to Hold Final Settlement Talks, October 15, 2007.
Faith Gay e-mail to Terry Collingsworth, September 24, 2007; Motion for Injunctive Relief and Sanctions in Order to Permit Parties to Hold Final Settlement Talks, October 15, 2007.
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