Scandals and Lack of Ethics Plague
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Victims suing Coca-Cola for racial discrimination in New York facilities demonstrate with families. Students, including many from NYU, demonstrate in NYC. New York Coca-Cola Plants: ‘Cesspools of Racial Scandals and Lack Discrimination’ of Ethics Plague NYU Coca-Cola Victim Since 2009, after NYU pay and often fired. Coca-Cola Victim Yvette Butler Sandra Walker What happened at The Wall Street Journal, “for violating merger reporting rules…” brought Coca-Cola back on Before Sandra Walker and As of November 15, 2013, Diller owns 4,000,000 shares of campus, numerous books, were unjustly Yvette Butler Brooklyn, New York Queens, New York res- New York University? Coke valued at $160,880,000. It’s laughable that Coca-Cola calls reports, documentary films and terminated from their jobs Diller an “independent director.” resident Yvette Butler, ident Sandra Walker was NYU was once a leader on human rights. In 2005, the lawsuits have exposed the Com- at The Coca-Cola Compa- in retaliation for speak- VXVSHQGHGEXWIRXQGLQ- pany’s widespread labor, human ny-owned bottling plant in New ing up, was unjustly QRFHQWRIFKDUJHVWKDWVKH University Senate banned the sale of Coca-Cola beverages on rights and environmental abus- York City, they already had three ÀUHGIURPKHUMREµ$V WROGDVXSHUYLVRU´<RXҋUHD campus, citing allegations of Coke’s complicity in widespread Diller’s Maserati, $1 Million O!ce es. And right here in NYU’s own strikes against them — they DUHVXOW,ORVWP\KRPH GHDGPDQµDIWHUZLWQHVVHV labor and human rights abuses in Colombia. These abuses Carpet and $469 Million Pay Grab backyard, Coca-Cola is facing are black, they are women, and DQGZLWKWKUHHFKLOGUHQ SURYHGVKHWROGWKHVXSHU- included the torture and murder of union leaders and members many lawsuits by black and they dared to speak up against KDGWRPRYHLQWRDFLW\ YLVRU<RXҋUHDUDFLVWµ<HW of their families who organized against the company’s brutal In 2010, CNET News reported that as Diller stepped down Latino workers charging racial the abuses inflicted upon them. KRPHOHVVVKHOWHUIRU 6DQGUDZDVQHYHUUHLP- labor policies. NYU joined dozens of other colleges and as CEO of IAC/Interactive while remaining as board chair, discrimination. They, like labor leaders in PRQWKV,HQGXUHG EXUVHGIRUÀYHZHHNVORVW universities in kicking Coke o" their campuses. some IAC employees were blogging about their discontent Unfortunately, Coca-Cola has Colombia, need the support of RIIHQVLYHUDFLDOFRP- SD\´,FRPSODLQHGDERXW Four years later, NYU turned away from their over his obscene expenditures and abuse of company PHQWVDQGKDUDVVPHQW UHFXUULQJDEXVHV7KLVOHG commitment to human rights and invited Coca-Cola money that included his $1 million o#ce carpeting, a long history of racial discrim- students and faculty at NYU. RQWKHMREDVZHOODV WRPHEHLQJLQWHUURJDWHG back on campus. Je" Olshansky, co-chair of NYU his spending thousands of dollars of IAC money on ination, which persists to this Try to understand the pain of unfair and dangerous E\SHUVRQVIURP&RNHҋV day. Martin Luther King, Jr., being a victim of discrimination ZRUNDVVLJQPHQWVµ +XPDQ5HVRXUFHV'HSWLQ Law Students for Economic Justice at the time said, personal travel daily and his company car being in 1968, called for a boycott of and the resulting unfair treat- <YHWWHVWLOOVXIIHUVIURP $WODQWD,ZDVDVNHGVXFK “NYU made a promise to these Colombian workers upgraded from a Mercedes to a Maserati. Coke. In 2001, Coca-Cola paid ment, nightmares, panic attacks, depression and anxiety irrational questions as, and to human rights and they broke that promise.” As early as 2006, in a New York Times editorial, $192.5 million, the largest racial constant stress and emotional IURPWKHPLVWUHDWPHQW Ҋ6DQGUDGR\RXKDYHDQ\ The decision to bring back Coca-Cola caught “America’s Laziest Man?” Nicholas Kristo" discrimination settlement in turmoil. Learn more about DWWKHKDQGVRIVXSHU- SHUVRQDOIULHQGVZKRDUH many by surprise. Coke had done nothing to change described how Diller was plundering IAC/ U.S. history. Coca-Cola’s human rights abuses YLVRUVPDQDJHUVDQG +,93RVLWLYH"ҋ7KHQ,ZDV its ways in Latin America, so why would NYU Interactive. Diller owned 2% of IAC at the time but In 2012, the New York Daily from Latin America to India to FRZRUNHUV WHUPLQDWHGµ turn its back on Colombian workers? Could it have controlled 56% of its voting stock. The board and News reported that numerous the United States and Yvette’s something to do with NYU Trustee Barry Diller? compensation committee he controlled authorized lawsuits describe Coke’s plants and Sandra’s stories and that of It’s time for New York University Diller sits on both the NYU Board of Trustees and on paying him $469 million in 2005, by all accounts a in New York as “cesspools of many other victims of Coke’s the Board of The Coca-Cola Company. He’s also Chair voracious money grab and not in the interest of IAC/ racial discrimination” where abuses at: to dump Coke, dump Diller and of IAC/Interactive Corp. He purchased $20 million of Interactive shareholders. “Let’s hope that that Mr. Diller black and Latino workers who Coca-Cola stock just weeks after NYU surprisingly reversed will…learn the concept of shame,” Mr. Kristo" said. KillerCoke.org speak up against abuse are rea!rm its commitment to its ban on “Killer Coke.” Coincidence? Hardly! Unfortunately, trustee Barry Diller, like other selfish, self- retaliated against with unfair StopCokeDiscrimination.org When he bought more Coca-Cola stock between 2010 absorbed honchos at NYU doesn’t understand the concepts of discipline, suspensions without Email: [email protected] human rights and social justice! and 2012, Diller was fined $480,000, according to greed and shame. NYU Trustees: Greed & Shady Dealings The unethical actions of NYU and Barry Diller’s support of Coca-Cola shouldn’t surprise anyone in light of revelations of recent scandals besmirching the university that involve President John Sexton, top administrators and the Board of Trustees. Pam Martens pointed out in Wall ‘The unethical actions Street on Parade (6/23/13) that the scandal at NYU whereby tens of of NYU and Barry millions of dollars are funneled into the bank accounts of Sexton’s friends Diller’s support of and the Board of Trustees has the same cast of characters involved in Coca-Cola shouldn’t the “NYSE-Grasso-Gate” big money surprise anyone in scandal that rocked the New York Stock Exchange in 2003. light of revelations The cast is led by three prominent members of NYU’s Board of of recent scandals Trustees: Martin Lipton, Chair; besmirching the and Vice Chairs Kenneth Langone and Laurence Fink. At that time, university that Langone was sued for “breach of his fiduciary duty” by then Attorney involve President General Eliot Spitzer. John Sexton, top While the Rich Play — administrators and NYU Students Pay NYU student protest against burden of high tuition. the Board of Trustees.’ Martens, in her story, flashes forward to NYU in 2013, a “non- profit” subsidized by the taxpayer, to a finance executive at NYU, the Caught: Citibank and Lew walked away with $685,000 in and an inordinate amount of debt, why Nick Pinto reported in the Village Voice now accused of “financing obscene university has made 168 loans to “severance pay” to take a more profitable is the university paying its administra- (2/20-26/13), “…NYU has a startling- perks for its president, John Sexton,” faculty and administrators totaling at Jack Lew Prosper While job at Citigroup. According to NYU tors huge sums of money and also ad- ly high tuition and extremely scarce including a “luxurious Fire Island least $72 million. Such goings on led Miring Students In Debt Local, “…the university made Citigroup vancing them huge loans which in some financial aid…Newsweek called NYU beach house…courtesy of NYU,” and a ‘preferred lender’ which would lead cases are not repaid because they are the fourth least-a"ordable school in the Professor David Rubin to raise this According to Gary Tomei in West his cronies. students to believe the bank o"ered the forgiven by the university? According country…generates a staggering amount question, “…how many parents are View News (6/13), Jack Lew, NYU’s “The board of trustees has happy paying top tuition dollars that lowest rate. But Citi didn’t, in fact, o"er to reports, seven loans of more than $1 of student debt…graduates owe 40 former Executive VP of Operations the lowest rates and the university was million each were made to the school’s percent more than the national aver- raised [Sexton’s] salary to nearly they know will go to line the pockets $1.5 million, with a $2.5 million from 2001-2006 and now President later to have pushed Citigroup loans in top administrators, including $5.73 age.” So far, five schools at NYU have of Team Sexton?” One mother ‘length of service’ bonus to come Obama’s treasury secretary, received exchange for cash and other incentives. million to Law School Dean Richard voted no-confidence in Sexton, who has commented to The New York Times: in 2015, and has guaranteed him a yearly salary of $840,339 from The loans were deemed deceptive and at Revesz. This is in addition to his $1.04 agreed to retire in 2016 when his ridicu- retirement benefits of $800,000 a “It is outrageous that NYU is giving NYU and a $100,000 employment times illegal by the Attorney General and million salary.” lously repulsive pension is vested. Many year,” according to The New York these administrators forgivable signing bonus. It appears that he was NYU paid out $1.4 million to students; Under the unscrupulous leadership of believe he should leave now! Times (6/17/13). “The university loans for vacation homes. How can given very favorable mortgage loans Citigroup paid $2 million.” Sexton, Lipton, Langone and Fink, New NYU could begin to clean up its act also provides him an apartment by they live in luxury on the backs of of $1.5 million and $500,000.