At our recent Stewards' and new members' conference, the hotel had "Coke" products on the tables at lunch.

Our President Bill Pickering immediately requested that all Coke products be removed. The hotel staff, unaware of the issues, honored our request and removed Coca-Cola from the tables. By doing this, they acknowledged our continued support of the ongoing struggles surrounding Coca-Cola, as well as being enlightened about the plight of Coca-Cola workers.

The members of Local 259 UAW thanked the hotel staff, as they stood in wholehearted support of the workers in Central and South America where lives and families have been destroyed; that we deplore the horrible injustices and are outraged by the personal attacks on their freedom and rights to belong to a union.

As UAW members, we have diligently voiced concern at various forums and community venues about how the "corporate" powers at Coke blatantly turn a blind eye and deaf ear to the wrong-doings against workers at their Coca-Cola bottling plants in Central and South America, by encouraging as many as will listen not to support Coca-Cola, and take immediate action by signing and sending petitions letting Coke know, if they do not change their policy, workers united across North America will continue spreading the word until injustices have been addressed.