2008 Woodie Awards
Students play hardball with soft drinks
Charles Wester '07
Issue date: 11/3/06 Section: News
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A student resolution that raises serious challenges to Saint Joseph's vendor contract with the Coca-Cola Company was passed last week by University Student Senate and signed by Student Body President Jim Finore.
The resolution, crafted by Students for Workers' Rights, addresses alleged human rights violations and environmental recklessness charges leveled against Coca-Cola, while urging the University to denounce Coca-Cola's transgressions and adopt a code of conduct for present and future vendors.
"As a Jesuit institution, we should be aware of the ethical dilemmas international corporations face in the world," said Finore. The resolution, he continued, was intended to promote "awareness on a student and administrative level."
Colleen Klees, '07, president of Students for Workers' Rights, celebrated the Senate's vote to pass the resolution. "It is a symbol that both the student body and Senate recognize that this is an important issue on campus," she said, adding that the Senate's approval lends her group's effort more credibility. "Having this resolution passed and signed is really huge."
The two-page resolution cites a recent fact-finding delegation which accuses Coca-Cola of 179 human rights violations in Colombia, including nine murders.
The delegation, led by New York City Council member Hiram Monserrate, refers to "persistent allegations" of "paramilitary violence against workers" from Coca-Cola bottling plants in Colombia. This violence, the report claims, "was done with the knowledge of and likely under the direction of company managers."
The report further accuses Coca-Cola of "bringing criminal charges against union activists who have spoken out about the company's collusion with paramilitaries."
In 2005, Coca-Cola responded to similar accusations by issuing a joint statement with the International Union of Food, Agricultural, Hotel, Restaurant, Catering, Tobacco and Allied Workers' Associations (IUF).
The resolution, crafted by Students for Workers' Rights, addresses alleged human rights violations and environmental recklessness charges leveled against Coca-Cola, while urging the University to denounce Coca-Cola's transgressions and adopt a code of conduct for present and future vendors.
"As a Jesuit institution, we should be aware of the ethical dilemmas international corporations face in the world," said Finore. The resolution, he continued, was intended to promote "awareness on a student and administrative level."
Colleen Klees, '07, president of Students for Workers' Rights, celebrated the Senate's vote to pass the resolution. "It is a symbol that both the student body and Senate recognize that this is an important issue on campus," she said, adding that the Senate's approval lends her group's effort more credibility. "Having this resolution passed and signed is really huge."
The two-page resolution cites a recent fact-finding delegation which accuses Coca-Cola of 179 human rights violations in Colombia, including nine murders.
The delegation, led by New York City Council member Hiram Monserrate, refers to "persistent allegations" of "paramilitary violence against workers" from Coca-Cola bottling plants in Colombia. This violence, the report claims, "was done with the knowledge of and likely under the direction of company managers."
The report further accuses Coca-Cola of "bringing criminal charges against union activists who have spoken out about the company's collusion with paramilitaries."
In 2005, Coca-Cola responded to similar accusations by issuing a joint statement with the International Union of Food, Agricultural, Hotel, Restaurant, Catering, Tobacco and Allied Workers' Associations (IUF).
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