Teamsters Ratify Contract at Oceanside’s Coca-Cola Facility

    Teamster Benefit Plan Now Covers Employees



    SAN DIEGO, July 15 /EMWPresswire/ -- Workers at Coca-Cola

warehouse facility in Oceanside, California voted overwhelmingly in favor

of a first contract Sunday. The vote, 64 to 6 in favor of the contract,

firms up a three-year collective bargaining agreement between the Teamster

drivers and warehouse employees and the soft drink giant.



    "Our workers were very strong here at Oceanside," said Shannon Silva,

Secretary-Treasurer of Teamsters Local 683 which represents the workers.

"We had terrific support during the 14-day strike from the community, from

the Teamsters joint council and from the Teamsters Brewery and Soft Drink

Workers Conference."



    Community and union groups in the Oceanside and San Diego areas joined

the strike effort by urging consumers to stop buying Coca-Cola products

until the strike was resolved.



    Among the benefits of this contract is the inclusion of workers in a

Teamster-sponsored health benefit program. Previously, workers had been

participating in a company plan that had expensive co-pays for prescription

medicines, and very high deductibles for doctors' visits. The Teamster

plan, in contrast, has no deductibles and much lower prescription co-pays.



    Coca-Cola's Oceanside facility opened in February 2007 and workers

quickly organized and voted to become Teamster members. Sunday's contract

ratification brings the process full circle by establishing a written

collective bargaining agreement which the company and the union will

follow. There are a total of 100 Teamster members working in the Oceanside

facility.