By Jesse Russell

With the country gripped in March Madness, the Teamsters are using the opportunity to try and get the NCAA to kick its Coke habit. Last week Teamsters rallied in Chicago, Spokane, Washington, and Columbus, Ohio demanding the college basketball organization drop coca-cola as an advertiser out of concerns over allegations that the company has been involved in the destruction of natural resources, human rights abuses abroad, and the elimination of jobs in the United States. The Teamsters have been handing out informational leaflets that outline some of the allegations. They include the possible contamination of ground water in India, the lack of action by the company when it came to the murders of pro-union workers at plants in Colombia, and a $192 million settlement paid by the cola company to settle a racial discrimination lawsuit. According to the union the company has plans to eliminate thousands of factory jobs as well as undercut pension and healthcare plans for workers.