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Reply to "AIDS turns 20"

Subject: Fw: Global Protests against Coke: AIDS Treatment for workers


October 17, 2002, Join Health GAP, ACT UP, and AIDS activists around the globe to demand Coca-Cola and other multinational corporations
pay for AIDS treatment for workers living with HIV/AIDS in developing countries.

Multinational corporations like Coke are making a killing in countries in Africa and throughout the Third World. Coke is the largest foreign private sector employer in Africa, employing about
100,000 workers.

An international coalition of activists--from Accra to Manhattan, from Casablanca to Oakland, from Harare to Atlanta--will target Coca-Cola with simultaneous protests, pickets, press conferences, marches and more on October 17, for Coke's refusal to pay for HIV medicines for sick workers in developing countries, particularly
African countries.

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STOP MEDICAL APARTHEID -- FIGHT FOR AIDS TREATMENT FOR WORKERS HOW TO PARTICIPATE IN THE GLOBAL DAY OF PROTEST:

RALLY IN NYC: Join us at on Thursday, Oct. 17 at 2pm at Coca-Cola Headquarters (711 5th Ave near 56th St).

OUTSIDE OF NYC: e-mail salynch@healthgap.org for local actions or to get help planning one.

PLEASE ENDORSE: Complete the form at the end of this e-mail and send to
info@healthgap.org

GO TO: www.treat-your-workers.org

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DE-BUNKING COKE'S "NON-PLAN"

After many months of campaigning, Coke is starting to give in to activist pressure.

AIDS activists have been demanding that the company pay for HIV drugs and treatment for workers living with HIV among the 100,000 people
who bottle and distribute Coke-not just Coke's so-called "direct workforce" of 1500 people.

On September 29, 2002, Coke announced they planned to start an initiative to share the costs of AIDS treatment with 8 of 40 bottlers
in Africa. These 8 participating bottlers are some of the largest in Africa, and several already have insurance plans of their own.

Activists are concerned about Coke's commitment to extending a workable plan quickly to the many smaller bottlers starting medicines schemes from scratch. The devil is in the details, and the details from Coke are not forthcoming.

- Coke will demand workers contribute a 10% co-payment on drugs. Activists point out this is Coke's cynical ploy to drive down use of the program by creating barriers to access. Workers can't afford a co-payment and won't use the program. Coke on the other hand can easily afford the cost of the co-pay-marginal for them.

- Coke isn't committing to buying from multiple drug suppliers. Maximum benefit for workers comes from drugs procured at the cheapest price. That means negotiating price with multiple companies,
including generic producers. When will Coke publicly commit to using generic competition to ensure maximum coverage of workers?

- What about the family?
Children of workers aren't covered under the current plan-only the worker and one spouse. Coke must not be allowed to leave the HIV-positive children of workers behind.

- What about the rest of the world?
Coke's workplace policies in Africa are less than perfect. But in the rest of the developing world, they are worse. Coke workers in regions hard-hit by AIDS need comprehensive treatment, prevention and care programs-including access to antiretroviral drugs.

Keep the pressure on! October 17, 2002 is the Global Day of Protest
against Coke.

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INFORMATION

* Check out our new and updated Global Day of Action campaign materials at
www.treat-your-workers.org

* Want to know if an event is already scheduled for your area?
Contact us at: info@healthgap.org or (212) 674-9598.

* Let us know what you are planning: contact us at info@healthgap.org
or (212) 674-9598 to share information about what you are doing on October 17 as part of the Global Day of Protest.

* Questions or comments about the campaign? Contact Sharonann Lynch at

salynch@healthgap.org

(212) 674-9598

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DEMANDS

We demand that Coca-Cola and other multinational corporations operating in developing countries:

* Provide all workers and their dependents with comprehensive healthcare - including life-sustaining antiretroviral treatments.

* Offer confidential HIV testing and counseling to all workers, in the context of a clear anti-discrimination policy.

* Distribute free condoms in the workplace, and provide safer-sex and sexual health education classes.

* Develop further HIV/AIDS prevention and education policies in collaboration with affected employees, their labor representatives, and community-based health initiatives.


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ENDORSE THE GLOBAL DAY OF ACTION AGAINST COKE, OCTOBER 17, 2002.

(send to info@healthgap.org)

I / We endorse the Global Day of Protest against Coke.

Name:
Organization:
Email:
Address:
Phone:
Fax

Endorsement is
( ) Individual
( ) Organizational
( ) Both

I / my organization can assist with the following needs:
( ) Will organize an event in my area
( ) Will attend / bring others to an event in my area
( ) Will assist with the Global Day of Protest by:


ENDORSE THE GLOBAL DAY OF ACTION AGAINST COKE, OCTOBER 17, 2002.
SEND TO INFO@HEALTHGAP.ORG

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SPONSORS

The organizations sponsoring the Global Day of Protest against Coca-Cola include Treatment Action Campaign (South Africa), Pan-African HIV/AIDS Treatment Access Movement (PHATAM), Health GAP, ACT UP New York, ACT UP Philadelphia, Act Up-Paris, ACT UP East Bay, Global AIDS Alliance, European AIDS Treatment Group, Association Marocaine de Lutte Contre le Sida (Association Fighting AIDS), Morocco, Africa-Japan Forum, the Thai Network of People Living with HIV (TNP+), and Student Global AIDS Campaign.

Endorsing organizations:

Act Up East Bay, (USA)
Act Up New York, (USA)
Act Up philadelphia, (USA)
Act Up/Cleveland (USA)
Act Up-Paris, (France)
Action for Southern Africa (ACTSA)
Africa Action (USA)
Africa Japan Forum (Japan)
African Services Committee (USA)
Aids Action Baltimore (USA)
Aids Action Baltimore, Baltimore, Md (USA)
AIDS Alliance in Nigeria, NIGERIA
Aids Healthcare Foundation (USA)
Alliance For Justice: Medical Mission Sisters, Wash. Dc (USA)
American Friends Service Committee Pmr (USA)
American Jewish World Service (USA)
American Medical Students Association (USA)
Artists Against Aids Worldwide
Association Marocaine De Lutte Contre Le Sida(Association Fighting Aids),
(Morocco)
Bayou La Rose (USA)
Berkeley Gray Panthers, (USA)
Berkeley Vice Mayor Maudelle Shirek
Bread And Roses Community Fund (USA)
California Newsreel (USA)
California Nurses Association (USA)
Canadian Treatment Action Council (Ctac) (Canada)
City Councilor Kriss Worthington (USA)
Connecticut Peace Coalition/ New Haven (USA)
Conscious Movements Collective, Nyc (USA)
Councillors Kriss Worthington, Berkeley (USA)
Councillors Linda Maio, Berkeley (USA)
Councillors Margaret Breland, Berkeley (USA)
Deseret International Foundation Namibia (Namibia)
Disciples Peace Fellowship (Usa)
Drop-In Center For People Living With Aids, New Britain, Ct (USA)
East Bay Community Law Center, Berkeley (USA)
Ecology Center (USA)
Essential Action Wash. Dc (USA)
European Aids Treatment Group,
Fiar (Foundation For Integrative Aids Research), Brooklyn, Ny (USA)
First Congregational Church Of Oakland, Oakland, Ca (USA)
Food First, USA
Freedom Foundation-India (India)
Ganismo Para O Desenvolvimento Socio-Economico Integrado (Mozambique)
GAT - Grupo PortuguÍs de Activistas sobre Tratamentos de VIH/SIDA
Global Aids Alliance, (USA)
Global Campaign For Microbicides (USA)
Global Exchange, Sf (USA)
Global- Gay, Lesbian, Or Bisexual Alliance (Student Organization At Uh)
(USA)
Global Sweatshop Coalition_(USA)
Green Students For Environmental Awareness, Philadelphia, Pa (USA)
Gri Charitable Foundation (USA)
Harm Reduction Coalition, Nyc (USA)
Hayward City Councilor Kevin Dowling (USA)
Health Gap, (USA)
Indy Design (Canada)
Institute For Agriculture And Trade Policy (USA)
International Action Center (USA)
International Gay And Lesbian Human Rights Commission (Iglhrc) (USA)
International Labor Rights Fund (USA)
Jubilee Northwest Coalition (Usa)
Kaippg/International, Barrington, Ri (USA)
Kenya Association Of Forest Users (Kenya)
Kenya Association Of Forest Users, Nairobi(Kenya)
Lironga Eparu (Namibia)
Lungujja WomenÃŒs Association (Uganda)
Management Communication (Germany)
MÈdecins Sans FrontiÃ"¹res, Luxembourg
Michigan Pwa Task Force (USA)
Middle East Childrens Alliance, (USA)
Millsaps College Cmt Aids Awareness Task Group (USA)
Mother Africa And Child Care Org/Ghanet/Plwhas (Ghana)
Nadir Hiv Treatment Group, Italian Community Advisory Board, Bologna (Italy)
Northwest Coalition For Aids Treatment In Africa(USA)
Nyc Aids Housing Network, Ny (USA)
Philadelphia Chapter, Coalition Of Labor Union Women (Cluw) (USA)
Prakritajan. (Bangladesh)
Project Teach, (USA)
Queer Youth Training Collaborative (USA)
Resources For Survival, (USA)
San Francisco Bay View, (USA)
Sf Bay Area Jubilee Debt Cancellation Coalition (USA)
SF Supervisor Tom Ammiano, USA
Soja - Students Organizing For Justice In The Americas, Oakland, Ca (USA)
Student Global Aids Campaign,(USA)
Students For Global Public Health (USA)
Survive Aids, San Francisco, Ca (USA)
The Center (Zimbabwe)
The Thai Network Of People Living With Hiv (Tnp+), (Thailand)
Treatment Action Campaign (South Africa),
University Of The Witwatersrand Faculty Of Health Sciences, (South Africa)
University of Vermont: Students for Peace and Global Justice, USA
Ursuline of Tildonk for Justice and Peace, USA
Ursuline Sisters of Tildonk, US Province, USA
Vote Health, Oakland, Ca (USA)
Vso Mozambique, Maputo (Mozambique)
World-Women Organized To Respond To Life Threatening Diseases, Oakland, Ca
(USA)
Yale Aids Network (USA)
Zimbabwe Aids Network (Zan) (Zimbabwe)
--
Sharonann Lynch
salynch@healthgap.org
ACT UP New York
Health GAP (Global Access Project)
Tel +1 212 674-9598
Mob +1 646 645-5225
http://www.healthgap.org
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