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TechnographDon't kick Coca-Cola off campus; keep it
By Jacob Vial
Posted: 4/30/07 Section: Opinion Columns
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This summer, the University's beverage contract with Coca-Cola will expire. A small group of students on campus is lobbying for the University to disallow Coca-Cola to bid for the new contract, alleging labor violations in Columbia and environmental concerns in India. We cannot allow a few students with unfounded claims speak for all students and miss an opportunity for the University to benefit from a competitive bidding process.
The previous contract with Coca-Cola brought $10 million to the University. In addition to contractual monetary obligations, Coke has been a sponsor of Illini athletics, a corporate scholarship contributor and a friend to local schools. Disallowing Coca-Cola to be included in competitive bidding for future contracts will mean the loss of money and other prerequisites to the University. Pepsi will simply bid the minimum amount necessary to scare off other beverage providers with fewer resources and be granted the contract.
Both the Colombian and U.S. legal systems have investigated the allegations cited by the anti-Coke group on campus. Claims have been dismissed in both Colombian courts and in the Federal Court of Miami. Coke critics assert that the murders of nine Colombian workers employed at Coca-Cola's independently contracted bottlers is an indication that Coke is hostile towards organized labor. However, activists fail to mention that according to BusinessWeek, since 1980, 2,500 union workers have been killed by paramilitary organizations in Columbia. With 31 percent of Coca-Cola's Colombian workforce unionized versus less than 5 percent of all other Colombian workers, it is apparent that anti-union, paramilitary groups would target Coke. It is ludicrous to believe that Coca-Cola would support such activity when unions are already prevalent in Coca-Cola's organization. The International Labor Organization (ILO), an arm of the United Nations, is also conducting a third party investigation of these incidents. Who better to conduct this investigation than the U.N.?
The previous contract with Coca-Cola brought $10 million to the University. In addition to contractual monetary obligations, Coke has been a sponsor of Illini athletics, a corporate scholarship contributor and a friend to local schools. Disallowing Coca-Cola to be included in competitive bidding for future contracts will mean the loss of money and other prerequisites to the University. Pepsi will simply bid the minimum amount necessary to scare off other beverage providers with fewer resources and be granted the contract.
Both the Colombian and U.S. legal systems have investigated the allegations cited by the anti-Coke group on campus. Claims have been dismissed in both Colombian courts and in the Federal Court of Miami. Coke critics assert that the murders of nine Colombian workers employed at Coca-Cola's independently contracted bottlers is an indication that Coke is hostile towards organized labor. However, activists fail to mention that according to BusinessWeek, since 1980, 2,500 union workers have been killed by paramilitary organizations in Columbia. With 31 percent of Coca-Cola's Colombian workforce unionized versus less than 5 percent of all other Colombian workers, it is apparent that anti-union, paramilitary groups would target Coke. It is ludicrous to believe that Coca-Cola would support such activity when unions are already prevalent in Coca-Cola's organization. The International Labor Organization (ILO), an arm of the United Nations, is also conducting a third party investigation of these incidents. Who better to conduct this investigation than the U.N.?
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Viewing Comments 1 - 9 of 12
Lew Friedman
posted 4/30/07 @ 5:56 AM CST
It sounds as though Mr. Vial has gotten all his info from Coke's website retelling their lies. Please look at:
http://www.killercoke.org/critalkpts. (Continued…)
Cassidy Browning
posted 4/30/07 @ 7:45 AM CST
Vial wrote: "The small group of students seen protesting Coke on campus is a convenient tool for pro-union activists. A Jan. 2006 article in BusinessWeek outlines the plan of labor activist Ray Rogers. (Continued…)
Dough Boy
posted 4/30/07 @ 9:27 AM CST
Dear Mr. Vial,
I love your sentiments and believe in your arguements, so much so that I believe that the same logic SHOULD have been used regarding the retirement of the Chief. (Continued…)
Campus Repubublican
posted 4/30/07 @ 9:50 AM CST
Vial is totally wrong. We need more of these so-called "activists" telling people that what they really want, be it Coke, Chief t-shirts, or something else, has now been declared off-limits to them. (Continued…)
NL
posted 4/30/07 @ 10:23 AM CST
We're all forgetting an important fact about Coke. It tastes awful. End their domination of the campus beverage supply once and for all!
No Corporate Greed
posted 4/30/07 @ 2:51 PM CST
Looks like the writer of this article is troubled by the current state of student activism on campus. It is important to know that not "a handful of activists" but over a hundred college campuses have campaigns against Coca-Cola. (Continued…)
Kevin Norris
posted 4/30/07 @ 5:29 PM CST
Can you stick with the correct spelling of Colombia ? Remember, U are not in Colombia. Or should I print up some T-shirts that say "Save the Chef" !
Protectors of the Crown
posted 4/30/07 @ 7:23 PM CST
hear ye hear ye, on this day, the 30th of April, on the day of Saint Suitbert the younger, Two-thousande and seven in the year of our lord, let it be known that all dissenters and traitors are hereby warned that actions against the Royal Crown will be subject to fitting punishment, be it foul odours, ill-tasting over carbonation, toothe-rot, maladjustment of the humours (most notably an over-sanguinity), high-blood pressure, drawing and/or quartering, hanging, stern warnings, and 'indian-burns'. (Continued…)
Loyal Subject
posted 4/30/07 @ 7:30 PM CST
Long Live the Royal Crown!
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