Teamsters air job worries at Coca-Cola Enterprises shareholder meeting
Relations between the Teamsters and Coca-Cola Enterprises dominated most of Friday's annual shareholders meeting of the Atlanta-based bottler.
The union, which represents about 15,000 workers involved in the production and distribution of Coke, is trying to kill a proposal to ship beverages through Costco centers on the way to 7-Eleven stores. The union says the use of third-party logistics companies could spread and imperil union jobs.
"For many years, we've enjoyed good relations with CCE and occasionally had some rocky roads," Teamsters official David Laughton said. "I believe we need to be business partners, not in an adversarial relationship."
John Brock, chairman and CEO of Coca-Cola Enterprises, said 7-Eleven requested the test program, and that CCE is just one of several beverage companies -- including PepsiCo and Dr Pepper Snapple -- involved. He said trucking beverages directly to retail outlets was still the cornerstone of CCE's business in the U.S.
