Campaign to Stop Killer Coke Update

Newsletter November 4, 2004

Contents of This Newsletter

1. Report from Halloween Parade in Jackson Heights, Queens, New York
2. Coca-Cola Enterprises' Profit Falls
3. Special Report: Why Does the IUF Attack SINALTRAINAL? The IUF, SINTRAINAGRO and SICO on home page
4. Blue Sky Soda
5. Pacific Green Party of Oregon Supports the Campaign
6. Report by International Labor Communications Assn. From the UNITY convention this summer
7. Organizing Leaflets all on "News" page-Organizing Leaflet for Campuses, Unions, Communities and Jazz Clubs.
8. Call Coca-Cola and tell them to stop their worldwide abuses at 1-800-GET-COKE.

(Over the past couple of weeks, many supporters have signed on to our Newsletter list. We would like to know in which country or which region of the U.S. our supporters are from. Can you send us your name and city/state/region/country to stopkillercoke@aol.com?)

1. Halloween Parade in Jackson Heights, Queens, New York
Members of the Campaign went out to the Jackson Heights, Queens, Halloween parade "sponsored" by Coca-Cola (we were told that Coke distributed their "liquid sugar" to all children in the parade).

When we got off the subway, we were met by two police officers who knew we were coming. They tried to convince us to enter a pen set up for us, but we got them to agree to allow us to distribute our "community organizing leaflet" in Spanish to passersby. The police tailed us throughout, but backed off when a photographer friend and Council Member Hiram Monserrate appeared to chat with us. We assume that the NY Police Department receives this newsletter. Photos can be seen in our Protest Pics section. See Photos

2. Coca-Cola Enterprises' Profit Falls
ATLANTA — Coca-Cola Enterprises Inc. said last Thursday its profit fell 20 percent in the third quarter, as volume was hurt by bad weather, a sluggish retail environment and a turn away from regular soft drinks."
Read more

This followed a similar report from The Coca-Cola Co which we reported on last week:

"The Coca-Cola Company said yesterday that its third-quarter earnings fell 24 percent as higher prices hurt sales in the United States and Europe. Net income fell to $935 million, or 39 cents a share, from $1.22 billion, or 50 cents a share, a year earlier, the company said. Sales fell 0.2 percent to $5.66 billion. Ineffective advertising, price increases and a work force suffering from poor morale have hurt sales in the United States, the company's biggest market, the chief executive, E. Neville Isdell, said. Some improvements in operations and new products will not occur until 2006, he said in a conference call with investors. Coca-Cola is based in Atlanta."
(Bloomberg News) from The New York Times, 10/22/04

3. "Special Report: Why Does the IUF Attack SINALTRAINAL? The IUF, SINTRAINAGRO and SICO" is now on our home page at www.killercoke.org.
Read report in html — pdf

4. Blue Sky Soda at www.blueskysoda.com
Another alternative to Coke, Pepsi and Cadbury/Schweppes is Blue Sky Soda which is sold in many parts of the United States, British Columbia, Puerto Rico and Guam in health food stores and food coops. You can find out if it's sold in your area. Blue Sky soda runs a fundraising program in support of humane societies and their pet adoption efforts across America. From now until Feb 28, 2005, Blue Sky Soda will donate ten cents per Blue Sky Soda blue can tab collected and sent in.

If you know of any other alternative to the three major beverage companies, please notify us so that we can publicize it.

5. Pacific Green Party of Oregon Supports the Campaign to Stop Killer Coke
See Pacific Green Party Site

6. Report by International Labor Communications Assn. From the UNITY convention this summer
The UNITY Journalists of Color convention in Washington DC this past August was bigger than the Seattle 1999 or Atlanta 1994 conventions and brought together at least 7,000 journalists of color. Bush and Kerry were among the speakers. For more info, see the ILCA website.

The event was also heavily corporate. The ILCA (International Labor Communications Association) had a booth representing labor (along with about three other union booths) in an enormous space seemingly containing booths for every media outlet and media-related organization in the country, plus a booth for every major corporation. The room thus brought together reporters with those who pay their wages. Coca Cola had an especially large and colorful booth at which they handed out large plastic bags bearing the Coke logo, which a lot of people used to collect literature from the various booths.

At the ILCA booth, we handed out Stop Killer Coke literature and asked people to trade in their Coke bags in exchange for union bags from the Civil Service Employees Association. We collected boxes full of Coke bags and recycled them. Their lives, after being produced in China and shipped to DC, were cut short — not unlike those of some Coke employees.

7. Organizing two-sided leaflets can all be found on our "News" page
Organizing Leaflet for Campuses, Unions, Communities and Jazz Clubs. These leaflets can be printed and used for organizing.

       Organizing Leaflet for Communities in Spanish and English
       Read Leaflet in pdf (English)
       Read Leaflet in pdf (Español)

       Organizing Leaflet for Unions
       Read Leaflet in pdf

       Organizing Leaflet for Campuses
       Read the Leaflet in pdf

       Leaflet for Jazz Clubs — Dizzy's Club Coca-Cola opened in New
       York City on Oct. 21. This leaflet was prepared to distribute at
       the opening. We intend to distribute at the club in the future.
       Read Leaflet in pdf

8. Call Coca-Cola and tell them to stop their worldwide abuses at 1-800-GET-COKE (1-800-438-2653)