Protest to Support Hunger Striking Workers in Colombia

Protest to Support Hunger Striking Workers!
Defend Trade Unions in Colombia!

Tuesday March 23rd 11:00am – 2:00pm
Coca-Cola Corporate Headquarters
7901 Oakport, Oakland, CA
(just off Hegenburger and 880, near Coliseum BART,
Berkeley Students Meet at Bancroft and Telegraph 10:30am to carpool.)

“If we lose the fight against Coca-Cola, we will first lose our union, next our jobs and then our lives.” Juan Carlos Galvis, VP of local union in Colombia.

On February 25th, the Colombian Ministry of Labor authorized Coca-Cola to dismiss 91 workers – 70% of whom are union leaders. This is Coca-Cola’s effort to essentially eliminate the union. On March 15th, workers at 7 bottling plants began a hunger strike.

Hunger Striking Workers are demanding that instead of being fired, those workers be relocated to other bottling plants in accordance to Articles 18 and 91 of their current collective bargaining agreement.

Since 1990 eight Coke workers have been killed and 67 have received death threats from paramilitaries. Management has used this to intimidate workers out of being part of the union.

for more info contact Students Organizing for Justice in the Americas at sojistas@yahoo.com

for background info check out the Indybay Labor page for links and other articles http://www.studentsagainstsweatshops.org