(Newsday posted the following article on its website on May 23.)
EAST HARTFORD, Conn. — The Teamsters union went on strike against Coca-Cola operations in Connecticut and California early Monday.
A union spokesman said the walkout began at 6 a.m. with picket lines set up at a Coca-Cola bottling and distribution center on Main Street in East Hartford.
David White, a spokesman for the Teamsters, said the East Hartford strike affected some 400 workers including drivers, mechanics production workers and warehouse workers. The Los Angeles walkout affected a 1,750 union workers, according to White.
The union said the walkouts were prompted by a breakdown in contract talks over health care benefits.
A message seeking comment was left with Coca-Cola at its headquarters in Atlanta.