PepsiCo and Frito-Lay Union Network

Interview with Alexander Mosquea

Frito-Lay Dominicana is a PepsiCo subsidiary that operates in Santo Domingo producing snacks. It has a history of marked antiunionism and abuse against any workers who try to organize themselves. Last week, the Union of Frito-Lay Dominicana Workers (SINTRALAYDO) denounced a new antiunion attack by the transnational corporation. This time the labor abuse was compounded by gender abuse, as the target was a woman leader.

PepsiCo has teamed up with German privately-owned dairy firm Theo Müller to open a US$206m yoghurt facility at Genesee Valley Agri-Business Park in Batvia, New York, US.

Batavia plant will open in about a year with 180 employees. The project is expected to employ 600 people within a few years, becoming Genesee County's largest employer.

Beverage companies such as Coca-Cola and PepsiCo hire lobbying groups to defend themselves against advertising campaigns linking their products to obesity. Same kinds of campaigns were targeted notably against cigarette companies which were also working closely with lobbying groups to vindicate their products' bad effects on customers' health.

Recently the lobbying group which represents beverage companies including PepsiCo and Coca-Cola launched a new campaign arguing that the industry has been offering customers healthier options.

PepsiCo plans to cut 8,700 jobs across 30 countries, or about 3 percent of its workforce, as it seeks to offset high commodity costs and increases investment in advertising and marketing in North America.

The maker of Pepsi soda, Tropicana juice and Doritos chips declared that it expects the restructuring will save an additional $1.5 billion by 2014 - on top of $1.5 billion in cost cutting it previously announced. The announcement of the job cuts came as the company reported slightly higher earnings for the fourth quarter.

Teamsters union members at PepsiCo in upstate New York are seeking help from the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) to fight a health-care policy by the company that charges employees who smoke or have medical issues that may trigger weight gain $50 a month.

The National Union of Workers of Frito Lay Dominicana (SINTRALAYDO) with support from the REL-UITA held a workshop on January for trade union training on collective bargaining. Sirel spoke with Alexander Mosque, secretary general of the Union, who described the content of the activity.

The company, owned by PepsiCo Snacks, has a complete anti-union policy. Openly, the company threatens and harasses the workers who dare to get closer to the union.

Sirel had a conversation with Alexander Mosquea, Secretary general of the National Union of Dominican Frito Lay Workers (SINTRALAYDO), who mentioned that the company is closely persecuting the organized workers. "Recently, our comrade Domingo Peña has been fired, with ten years of uninterrupted work in the company, without just cause". "Domingo was one of those who denounced Fritolay’s persecution policy," he said.

The giant beverage company PepsiCo is asking Vancouver City council's consent for $585,000 in water bill credits over three years. The company claims this will help it make $15 million to $25 million in investments at its Fruit Valley plant. Isn't it hard to believe that PepsiCo company having a net revenue of $16.83 billion would need $585,000 break on water bills in order to invest around $25 million?

Coca-Cola and PepsiCo union representatives from Kenya, South Africa, Ghana, Malawi, Mozambique, Benin, Niger, Nigeria, Zambia, Togo, Tanzania, Tunisia, and Morocco met December 8-9 in Accra, Ghana after the Regional Conference to discuss their present situation of organising in both TNCs and exchange experiences, successes and future plans of trade union work in these giant beverage companies operating in Africa.

PepsiCo has found yet another way of reaching into workers' pockets under the pretext to "enable our associates and their families to live healthier lifestyles".

While Pepsico reaps millions from the popularity of The X Factor, over 550 workers producing Pepsico beverages at the SMV Beverages and Steel City Beverages bottling plants in Jamshedpur, northeastern India, experience The Fear Factor.

The union recognized by management is not only fake, but illegal. The collective agreement signed two years ago remains a secret. The real union is not allowed to function and members are regularly harassed.

In a U-turn in its China strategy, PepsiCo has announced plans to sell its shares in its bottling operations to Tingyi-Asahi Beverages (TAB) in return for a stake in TAB. TAB would become PepsiCo's franchise bottler in China. (see PepsiCo's press release).

Workers of Frito Lay, PepsiCo's flagship snacks brand, held a picket September 15th in front of the factory in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. The union has recently joined the IUF and was supported by other IUF affiliates in the country.

In a reaction to Speculations of a PepsiCo Split, the company has denounced such plans. According to just drinks, the company said "it has no plans to split its snacks and beverage divisions, despite analyst suggestions that it may follow Kraft in its decision to break up its business this week." A company spokesperson told just drinks that ""We are comfortable that our business model is right for today and right for moving forward."