AFT bans Coke
...UFCW Local 555 rejoins AFL-CIO
American Federation of Teachers
(AFT) on Oct. 15 became the latest
union to ban Coke products. The AFT
Executive Council passed a resolution,
held over from its convention in July,
which declares that Coca-Cola Com-
pany is complicit in violence against
union leaders in Latin America, partic-
ularly Colombia and Guatemala. The
resolution also holds the company re-
sponsible for purchasing sugar pro-
duced with child labor in El Salvador.
Since the “Campaign to Stop Killer
Coke” began in 2004, several dozen
union locals and state and central labor
councils have passed resolutions. AFT
is the fifth international union to do so,
following American Postal Workers
Union, Communications Workers of
America, International Longshore and
Warehouse Union, and Service Em-
ployees International Union.
AFT’s resolution says it will refrain
from serving or selling Coca-Cola
products at its offices or at any venue
for events or meetings, recommend the
same to all affiliates, and encourage
them to participate in campaigns to re-
move Coke products from schools, col-
leges, hospitals and other workplaces.
In the United States, Coke bottling
and distribution employees are mostly
represented by the Brewery and Soft
Drink Workers Conference of the
Teamsters. The union has not taken a
position on the Killer Coke campaign.
For its part, the Coca-Cola Com-
pany denies the allegations. In 2001,
the Colombian union Sinaltrainal filed
suit in U.S. District Court against
Coca-Cola and two Colombian bot-
tlers, alleging involvement by the bot-
tlers in the murders of three union
workers by right-wing paramilitaries.
The judge dropped Coca-Cola as a de-
fendant in 2003, and dismissed the case
against the two bottlers in 2006. The
dismissals were upheld by an appeals
court in 2009.
(From Page 1)
At the Dec. 1 quarterly meeting of
the Oregon AFL-CIO Executive Board,
Local 555 President Dan Clay and Sec-
retary-Treasurer Jeff Anderson were
sworn in as members, and were re-
ceived with a spirit of “welcome back”
by other Board members.
“In Oregon, labor has always oper-
ated as one movement even after the
split, but when large unions like this
structurally show that unity, that’s re-
ally important for working people,”
said Oregon AFL-CIO spokesperson
Elana Guiney. “This comes at a time
when working people, union and
nonunion, are tying to increase solidar-
ity and show our strength and unity.”
National AFL-CIO Secretary-Treasurer Liz Shuler (right) joins striking
Klamath Falls Walmart employee Jennifer Sanchez at a Black Friday rally
outside a Walmart store in Southeast Portland. The demonstration, which
drew more than 100 people, was one of 1,600 held throughout the country
Nov. 28 to protest Walmart’s retaliatory discipline against workers who speak
out for better wages and more consistent full-time work schedules.
...Walmart employees strike
(From Page 1)
unfair labor practices.
Sanchez said no one at her store has
been fired for strike activity, so her de-
cision to strike was primarily in support
of workers elsewhere.
“They’ve been retaliating across the
country when we speak up about low
wages,” Sanchez said.
Sanchez and Nuñez have been Wal-
mart stockers for 11 years. They work
full time and make $14.88 an hour.
They have health insurance through
Walmart, but the $5,000 deductible
makes it unaffordable to use.
The Klamath Falls workers ended
their strike Saturday and went back to
work without incident.
Apprenticeship
Opening
Glaziers
The Oregon & SW Washington
Glaziers Joint Apprenticeship &
Journeyman Training Program
will be open to accept
applications to create a pool of
eligible applicants. Applicants
must be at least 18 years old.
Must apply in person and furnish
a copy of a high school diploma
and grade transcript or GED and
test scores at time of application.
Applications will be taken
Jan. 5 thru Jan. 16, 2015
Monday thru Friday,
9 to 11 a.m. and 1 to 3 p.m.
Glaziers Training Center
Mt. Hood Community College,
Room GE 108
26000 SE Stark St., Gresham, OR
Women and minorities
encouraged to apply
PAGE 6
NORTHWEST LABOR PRESS
DECEMBER 5, 2014