The Colombia Action Network, The DePaul Coke Campaign and the Nicaragua Solidarity Committee need your or your organization's endorsement/phone calls/attendance regarding this emergency delegation to the Coca Cola regional bottling plant in Niles, IL ( 20min drive from Chicago) regarding recent dire developments with SINALTRAL union organizers at the Cocoa Cola bottling plant in Colombia, the Coca-Cola corporation, and the Colombian Courts.

A Chicago delegation will leave from the Argyle stop on the red line at 1:15pm tomorrow afternoon to arrive at 2:00 pm, and plans to stay no more than an hour and return immediatly to Chicago.

We need anther car, the first one is full....please call 773.793.9143 IF YOU HAVE AND/OR IF YOU NEED A RIDE.

PHONE NUMBERS/MESSAGE TO CALL COKE's plant here near Chicago in Niles, as well as their national headquarters in Atlanta, GA., ARE BELOW THE DETAILS OF THE SITUATION

PLEASE CALL TOM ASAP AT 773.583.2749 TO ADD YOUR ORGANIZATIONS ENDORSEMENT OF THE DELEGATION)

SITUATION DETAILS:
On July 22, an International Day of Action to Boycott Coca-Cola is being
organized, with the help of the Colombia Action Network (CAN) in the U.S.
Seven students and solidarity activists from the CAN recently returned from
a two-week trip to Colombia to investigate human and labor rights in Bogotá,
Barrancabermeja and Arauca. While in Colombia, they met with SINALTRAINAL,
the food and beverage union that Coca-Cola is trying to break. The CAN
activists are asking people to call Coca-Cola and demand that the remaining
members of the union in Colombia not be fired or dismissed.

AS OF THIS DATE:

The situation for the members of SINALTRAINAL has become extremely
> critical.
> > Twenty days after the union is formally notified of the decision, the
> > company will be able to dismiss more than 30 of the union workers. The
> other
> > affected workers are union leaders who have union protection. In order
to
> > dismiss those union leaders, the company will have to formally request
the
> > removal of their union protection. That process can take as little as
one
> > month. Through this process the union could be eliminated from ALL the
> > Coca-Cola plants. The union's leadership, like SINALTRAINAL Vice
> President
> > William Mendoza, could be out of work and without security protection in
> > less than two months.
> >
> > William Mendoza explained the importance of the government's decision
as,
> > "The judicial system in this country is now making its decisions based
on
> > politics rather than the law. The most likely outcome is that Coca-Cola
> > (with its economic, political, and legal power) will apply pressure so
> that
> > the decision comes out in its favor and it can dismiss the union
leaders.
> > This will then conclude the greatest infamy against an organization that
> > struggles to improve the conditions of workers and in favor of the human
> > rights of all Colombians. The only desire of Colombian president Alvaro
> > Uribe's government is to eliminate all the forms of organization of the
> > Colombian people in order to impose a totalitarian regime. A regime in
> which
> > the common denominator will be terror, hunger, and misery for the
people,
> so
> > that the rich can become even richer."
> >
> > SINALTRAINAL and the Colombia Action Network are calling for solidarity.
> > They are asking for supporters to call or contact Killer Coke
headquarters
> > on July 22, the International Day of Action Against Coke, to denounce
> > Coca-Cola's union busting. Colombian union leaders need support from
the
> > US. They are concerned that current international pressure is
protecting
> > them and their families from murder, and that when they are laid off
from
> > Coca-Cola and no longer members of a union in the spotlight that the
> > para-militaries will kill them. By voicing support for the members of
> > SINALTRAINAL, we can try to prevent another murderous attack against the
> > courageous sisters and brothers of the Colombian labor movement!
> >
> > To CALL COKE:
> > Douglas N. Daft, CEO
> > Coca-Cola Company
> > One Coca-Cola Plaza
> > Atlanta, GA 30313
> >HEADQUARTERS PHONE:404.515.9600

COCA COLA NILES, IL BOTTLING PLANT:
847.647.0607

WRITE TO:
> > Board of Directors
> > Coca-Cola Company
> > PO Box 1734
> > Atlanta, GA 30301
> >
MESSAGE:

TELL COKE THAT YOU ARE VOICING YOUR SUPPORT FOR THE UNION MEMBERS OF SINALTRAL AND THAT YOU DENOUNCE COCA-COLA’S UNION BUSTING AND HUMAN RIGHTS ABUSES AND DEMAND THAT THEY STOP IMMEDIATELY.



> > For more information go to:
> > www.colombiaactionnetwork.org
> > www.sinaltrainal.org
> > www.fightbacknews.org
> >