Grinnell College boycotts Coca-Cola
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Wednesday, February 23 2005 @ 12:39 PM PST
Contributed by: Anonymous
GRINNELL, IOWA - Students at Grinnell College recently voted to boycott all Coca-Cola Products. The anti-coke coalition at Grinnell is targeting the corporation for its violation of human rights in Coca-Cola bottling plants in Colombia. The Grinnell students are working in connection with a national campaign against Coca-Cola. This November, the anti-coke coalition passed a student initiative to boycott Coca-Cola products. On February 8, the Coca-Cola Company responded by sending representatives to Grinnell to discuss the company’s policies with students and administrators.
Grinnell Students are boycotting Coca-Cola in order to protest the murders of nine union leaders from Coca-Cola plants, including an instance of paramilitaries entering a bottling plant to shoot a union organizer only a few weeks after the union had specifically requested help from the plant managers to ensure his safety. In 2004 a delegation representing one of the largest populations of Colombians in the United States concluded that "Coca-Cola is complicit in the human rights abuses of its workers in Colombia."
Warren Buffett, a member of Coke's board of directors and owner of more than 200 million shares (8.2%) of Coca-Cola common stock, is a Life Trustee of Grinnell college. Additionally, Grinnell College's exclusive beverage contract with Coca-Cola is not scheduled to end until 2008. Students are taking measures to prevent renewal of this contract. "Human rights violations committed by Coca-Cola violate the spirit and trust of the Grinnell College community," said Molly Offer-Westort, '05. While the boycott petition does not commit the administration to any particular action other than labeling Coke machines in the dining halls, it does provide students with leverage to end Grinnell's contract with Coca-Cola when it expires.
Despite sending five representatives to Grinnell College, including Juan Carlos Dominguez, the legal director for a Coca-Cola bottling plant in Colombia, the Company was unable to convince Grinnell College students of its innocence. According to Linda Wells, a member of the anti-Coca-Cola coalition who attended the meeting, “The fact that Coca-Cola representatives deny any guilt of the Company does not negate that fact that Coca-Cola managers have allowed and even requested the kidnappings, torture, and murder of union members.” The students intend to continue their boycott and ultimately expel Coca-Cola from their campus.
Wednesday, February 23 2005 @ 12:39 PM PST
Contributed by: Anonymous
GRINNELL, IOWA - Students at Grinnell College recently voted to boycott all Coca-Cola Products. The anti-coke coalition at Grinnell is targeting the corporation for its violation of human rights in Coca-Cola bottling plants in Colombia. The Grinnell students are working in connection with a national campaign against Coca-Cola. This November, the anti-coke coalition passed a student initiative to boycott Coca-Cola products. On February 8, the Coca-Cola Company responded by sending representatives to Grinnell to discuss the company’s policies with students and administrators.
Grinnell Students are boycotting Coca-Cola in order to protest the murders of nine union leaders from Coca-Cola plants, including an instance of paramilitaries entering a bottling plant to shoot a union organizer only a few weeks after the union had specifically requested help from the plant managers to ensure his safety. In 2004 a delegation representing one of the largest populations of Colombians in the United States concluded that "Coca-Cola is complicit in the human rights abuses of its workers in Colombia."
Warren Buffett, a member of Coke's board of directors and owner of more than 200 million shares (8.2%) of Coca-Cola common stock, is a Life Trustee of Grinnell college. Additionally, Grinnell College's exclusive beverage contract with Coca-Cola is not scheduled to end until 2008. Students are taking measures to prevent renewal of this contract. "Human rights violations committed by Coca-Cola violate the spirit and trust of the Grinnell College community," said Molly Offer-Westort, '05. While the boycott petition does not commit the administration to any particular action other than labeling Coke machines in the dining halls, it does provide students with leverage to end Grinnell's contract with Coca-Cola when it expires.
Despite sending five representatives to Grinnell College, including Juan Carlos Dominguez, the legal director for a Coca-Cola bottling plant in Colombia, the Company was unable to convince Grinnell College students of its innocence. According to Linda Wells, a member of the anti-Coca-Cola coalition who attended the meeting, “The fact that Coca-Cola representatives deny any guilt of the Company does not negate that fact that Coca-Cola managers have allowed and even requested the kidnappings, torture, and murder of union members.” The students intend to continue their boycott and ultimately expel Coca-Cola from their campus.
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