The Sinaltrainal lawsuit
Probably the most notable incident regarding Coke's human rights practices was the murder of "SinalTrainal" leaders in Columbia. The SINANTRAINAL Union was a union created in Columbia to help improve wages, working conditions, and human rights for Coke workers. In 2001 and 2006, lawsuits were filed in the U.S by the United Steelworkers of America and the International Labour Rights Fund on behalf of SINALTRAINAL, because of falsely murdered and imprisoned members of the union. According to the lawsuits, the Coca-Cola Company "contracted with or otherwise directed paramilitary security forces that utilized extreme violence and murdered, tortured, unlawfully detained or otherwise silenced trade union leaders." [15]. Since 1990, eight Coke workers in Columbia have been murdered, with the Coca-Cola Company denying all claims. This case led to the launching of the campaign "Killer Coke" in 2003, by sereval SINALTRAINAL union members to call for the boycott of Coke [16].
[15] "Campaign to Stop Killer Coke." KillerCoke. Accessed June 02, 2012. http://killercoke.org/index.php.
[16] "SINALTRAINAL Vs.THE COCA-COLA COMPANY: 2003-Present." Corporate Campaign, Inc. Accessed June 02, 2012. http://www.corporatecampaign.org/history_sinaltrainal_coca-cola_2003.php.
[17] "Ice Cold Killer Coke." Digital image. KillerCoke. Accessed June 2, 2012. http://killercoke.org/icecold2flyer.php.
[16] "SINALTRAINAL Vs.THE COCA-COLA COMPANY: 2003-Present." Corporate Campaign, Inc. Accessed June 02, 2012. http://www.corporatecampaign.org/history_sinaltrainal_coca-cola_2003.php.
[17] "Ice Cold Killer Coke." Digital image. KillerCoke. Accessed June 2, 2012. http://killercoke.org/icecold2flyer.php.