About Us
Welcome to “Keep Coke On Campus”! This site was founded by students, for students. On campuses throughout the nation, there is a vocal minority seeking to end university contracts with the Coca-Cola Company. Their motives are ideological, their support is waning, and, most of all, their so-called "facts" are erroneous. Despite this reality, some universities are still seduced by the propaganda of the “Killer Cokers” and have neglected the majority voice of their students by canceling their contracts; such has carried serious consequences as local, American workers at nearby, independently owned bottlers directly bear the loss, and hard-working individuals in countries like Columbia are deprived of opportunity for a better life.
Enough is enough! We are a coalition of students who have witnessed firsthand the insidious tactics and manipulative efforts by the “Killer Cokers” and we say “no more”! We are at the head of an ever growing genuine student movement prepared to fight against this corporate profiteering. This site serves as a resource for students on campuses threatened by "Killer Coke" or other such groups. Here, you'll find stories, advice, and testimonies from students who have been able to successfully defend the majority voice on their campuses. We hope to provide you with the facts, the information, and the support needed to ensure your university does not become a victim to sentiment and sensation as well. Please don’t hesitate to contact us.
Senior Contributor: Joseph "Tex" Dozier - University of Chicago
Joseph "Tex" Dozier is Director of Campus Operations for the University of Chicago College Republicans, a student of political science and classics, and co-host of WHPK's The Boiling Point. Joseph is a member of the university's community service leadership training corps and spends time volunteering in the community from a governmental accountability and transparency non-profit during the week to various shelters on the weekends. Joseph, with the aid of students from eclectic backgrounds and political viewpoints, succesfully defended the majority voice at his university by forming the "Coalition of Students for Coke" and running a passionate counter-campaign against the lies of Killer Coke Incorporated. This summer, Joseph is conducting research on African economic development and crisis management in Washington DC.
Managing Contributor: Nicholas G. Hahn III - DePaul University
Nicholas G. Hahn III is the President of the DePaul Conservative Alliance and a student of Political Science and Catholic Studies at DePaul University in Chicago, Illinois. Nicholas is a Phillips Foundation Ronald Reagan College Leaders Scholar and has been named among the 2006-2007 Top Ten Campus Conservative Activists by Young America’s Foundation. Nicholas is a former Senator for Mission and Values in the Student Government Association where he served on the Fair Business Practices Committee during the period of reviewing Coca-Cola’s vendor contract with the University. He argued against a boycott of Coca-Cola products and voted for an extension of the contract, which ultimately resulted in a competitive bidding process for numerous vendors––including the Coca-Cola Company.
Contributor: Christina Pajak - Wheaton College
Christina Pajak is a rising senior at Wheaton College and a student of political science and Spanish. She is currently a Charles G. Koch fellow working as a research assistant for the governmental accountability non-profit, Freedom Foundation of Minnesota. Christina finds Killer Coke Incorporated's claim that they have an impassioned and organized campaign on her campus working to kick coke off amusing as Wheaton College has not done business with the Coca-Cola Co. but has a beverage contract with Pepsi.
BACKGROUND
The nation of Colombia is by far the most dangerous country in South America and among the most dangerous in the world. Over the past forty years, an ongoing civil war between government forces, Marxist guerillas, drug cartels and right-wing paramilitaries has claimed the lives of over 35,000 Colombians.
Early in this decade, SINALTRAINAL, one of the twelve unions representing employees at Coca-Cola licensed Colombian bottling plants charged that the independent bottlers had hired paramilitaries to murder nine union members from 1989-2002. To date, a Colombian court and the Colombian Attorney General have found no evidence to suggest the Colombian independent bottlers in question were behind the killings.
Described by Business Week as “…a militant union…known for its socialist views..,” SINALTRAINAL and its international allies are demanding an “independent third-party” to verify its allegations of human rights violations and unfair labor relations practices. In addition, the union wants Coke to pay reparations in the neighborhood of $1-2 billion. Coca-Cola has already undergone a third-party audit and received favorable reviews for its working conditions in Columbia. Coca-Cola has now sought out the United Nations’ International Labor Organization to conduct its own investigation; it is currently under progress though SINALTRAINAL refused to participate with the United Nations’ efforts.
SINTRAINAL has retained the services of Ray Rogers’ Corporate Campaign, Inc. to “…create a collective bargaining atmosphere that places them on the offensive and that gives them real clout at the bargaining table with political leaders.” Ray Rogers also seeks a payout from Coca-Cola of almost $200 million in order to stop his offensive campaign. Central to creating this atmosphere is the enlistment of United Students Against Sweatshops (USAS) to raise awareness of their issues on university campuses. USAS is organizing boycotts of Coke products and demanding schools cancel contracts with local independent bottlers.
To date, fifteen educational institutions nationwide have canceled contracts with local bottlers. Among the largest has been the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor and New York University. Yet many other schools including Indiana University have rejected the notion that Coke is guilty until proven innocent. Most recently, St. John’s University in New York, an institution guided by its Vincentian values, publicly stated that it had no plans to alter the schools agreement with its local bottler. Campaigns are being conducted at campuses around the nation as more and more students rally each day to defend their majority opinions based upon reason and the facts.
SUMMARY
For nearly five years, the Coca-Cola Company has been the target of Corporate Campaign, Inc., a for-profit consulting firm headed by labor strategist and organizer Roy Rogers. Rogers’ client, SINALTRAINAL, is one of twelve Colombian labor unions representing employees at Coke-licensed independent bottlers. SINALTRAINAL and other groups advised by or controlled by Rogers have claimed that Coke is directly responsible for the murders of nine union officials and numerous other human rights violations.
Investigations by Colombian law enforcement and judicial authorities have found no evidence to support SINALTRAINAL’s allegations. An international lawsuit pending in US federal court has already dismissed Coca-Cola as a defendant. And one independent inquiry into the accusations failed to turn up any proof that Coke or the independent bottlers were involved in any way. Nevertheless, these discredited claims are being presented as fact on university and college campuses in the United States and around the world in an effort to end institutional contracts with the soft drink maker.
Unfortunately, like all vendors of Coca-Cola products, educational institutions do not purchase those products from Coca-Cola. They contract directly with independently owned and operated bottlers. These companies play an important and productive role in the local community and stand to be the only casualties in the high-stakes game of international labor relations.
Any serious inquiry into this issue will find that Coca-Cola is guilty of just one thing – deep pockets. They are the latest in a long line of corporate villains targeted by certain groups and individuals to attain through damaged public image and threat of financial loss what can not be attained in the free and competitive marketplace.
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