Coca-Cola Offers Reward for Truck Shootings, Asks Teamsters to Match Offer

Coca-Cola Bottling Co. Consolidated in Charleston, WV, has asked the Teamsters to match a $50,000 reward the company is offering for information leading to the capture and conviction of the person or people who hit three Coke delivery trucks with gunfire along Interstate 64 last week.

Teamsters are striking the company's Huntington facility.

According to Coca-Cola Consolidated, the Teamsters haven't agreed to the matching-funds request. Teamsters spokesmen were unavailable for comment early today.

West Virginia State Police and the FBI are investigating the shooting. Neither agency was available to comment on the investigation.

Coca-Cola Consolidated said it has also filed an unfair labor-practices charge with the National Labor Relations Board because of what Coke said were many incidents of vandalism, intimidation and a threat to kill a manager.

"There is no place for this kind of violence and unlawful intimidation," Coke spokesman Lauren Steele said.

Steele added that the company wants the union to join in ensuring the safety of Coca-Cola Consolidated employees and the general public.

Steele said that Coke has made a "very generous contract offer" and has negotiated in good faith. He said that workers on strike at Huntington earned $37,784.07 on average last year and would earn nearly $38,000 under the proposed contract. He said the company has asked employees to make a "minor contribution toward" health-insurance premiums.