Poor areas got old Coke, workers say

For years, he says, he stripped expired soda cans from their cardboard sheaths, stuffed them into fresh boxes with new dates stamped on the side, then piled them on store shelves as if they were new. As long as they had no leaks, dented cans sometimes were repackaged, too. It was all part of what co- workers called the fire sale.

"I knew what we were doing was not right," said Wright, a Coke deliveryman for 14 years. "But every time I brought it up, I'd hear: 'I'm the boss. You do what I say.' "

Marching with bullhorns and spreading their message over talk radio, dozens of Coke drivers, plant workers and salespeople are accusing their bosses of inching up profits for almost a decade by pawning off expired soda cans and bottles on minority communities across North Texas.
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