When Luis Cardona, a Colombian trade unionist, worked for the Coca-Cola Company he was the subject of death threats against himself and other union members. Cardona alleged Coca-Cola representatives working in conjunction with Colombian paramilitary groups made the threats.
Cardona's lecture, "Coca-Cola: Killing Colombian Labor," was part of a campaign to raise awareness about the human rights violations made by Coca-Cola and how American consumption supports these actions.
Cardona made a call to action to students and activists assembled at an event sponsored by New Jersey Solidarity last week at the Labor Education Center on Cook campus. He asked them to boycott Coca-Cola products and to aid the petition to break the exclusive contract Rutgers has with the beverage company.
Through a translator, Cardona spoke of the collaboration between multinational corporations and the Colombian government to suppress any and all protests made by Colombian workers concerning the civil injustices imposed on the impoverished people of the country.
Cardona is now living in the United States as a political refugee under the protection of the American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations. He is seeking asylum from the Colombian government, whom he said is responsible for the assassinations of more than 150 Colombian union leaders.
Cardona said he was kidnapped by Colombian paramilitary groups on Dec. 5, 1986, and forced to sign documents promising he would desist from the union. He said these demands were made to all other members of the union SINALTRAINAL, who were identified to the paramilitary groups by Coca-Cola representatives.
Cardona closed his presentation with three statements for the audience to consider. "Because I love life, I do not consume Coke. I do not finance death. I do not consume Coke; I [choose] consciousness."
These Coca-Cola Company has denied accusations of committing human rights violations to its workers. The company offered the following prepared response:
"Colombian labor union SINALTRAINAL's oft-repeated allegations against the Coca-Cola Company and its Colombian bottling partners are completely false. They are nothing more than a shameless effort to generate publicity using the name of our Company, its trademarks and brands."
Culture Jam, an activist group at the University, was present at the lecture and said he takes Cardona's testimony seriously.
Mateo Bueno, a Rutgers Business School senior and a representative from RU Culture Jam, appealed to students to help the organization's effort to discontinue the contract between the University and Coca-Cola.
Bueno and other students from Culture Jam attended the event wearing shirts mocking the "Enjoy Coca-Cola" slogan by saying "Enjoy Campus-Control".
However, Culture Jam is up against a corporation with significant financial backing. Bueno said the contract gives the University $600,000 a year for 10 years and $400,000 from the placement of vending machines throughout the campus each year. He encouraged students to get involved by signing petitions and attending a workshop on April 7 in Alexander Library on the College Avenue campus.
"Rutgers is preaching this trend of monopoly, and we don't think it is consistent with what the University teaches," Bueno said.
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