In a web posting, mmafan, from Dayton, Ohio, writesabout his experience working for the Coca-Cola company: “Weeven had someone witness a merchandiser, on the clock, inuniform, and in a company vehicle, smoking a joint in a storeparking lot. Not only did the union prevent Coke fromterminating or disciplining him, they protected him fromsubmitting to a drug test. So Coke had to just let it go. All theunion did was protect the lazy, the incompetent, and thescrew-ups if you ask me.”mmafan, comment on Isgchas, “Itsounds like working for Coke is bad all over the country. Doesanybody work for a union shop? Is that anybetter?,”

In response, the union could mount a number of argumentsto defend their decision to not let Coke administer a drugtest. The most frequently cited ethical reasons to refuse drugtests are the following:

? To protect the right to privacy

? To protect the right to freedom

? Because of slippery slope concerns

? Because of imperfect testing

Which of these kinds of arguments would best supportthe union’s decision to protect the employee from a drug test?What would the argument look like?

Case Study as Followed:

John Pemberton came up with the original Coca-Cola recipe in1886 and sold it out of Jacob’s Pharmacy in Atlanta, Georgia.Advertised as a medicine, the drink was supposed to cureheadaches and impotence.

Coke certainly delivered a rush. Brewed to contain a massivedose of cocaine, the drink was virtually guaranteed tosucceed. Not surprisingly, many over-the counter medicinesstarted boosting their appeal by including the cocaleaf extract. By the end of the century, however, publicattitudes began turning. Rather than a cure, cocaine came tobe seen as a ruinous addiction. Coke responded by radicallycutting the cocaine in the drink, and by 1903 there was none,though the product still contained (and to this day contains)flavoring from the same coca leaf that earlier provided thedrug. Finally, in 1914, the Harrison Act effectively outlawedthe sale and distribution of cocaine both on its own and as aningredient.

The other side of the original Coca-Cola jolt came from the kolanut, which added a slightly bitter taste to the drink, andlots of caffeine. (“Coca”

corresponds with the coca leaf and cocaine, “Cola” with the kolanut and caffeine.) That additive also fell out of the public’sfavor, though not to the extent or depth of cocaine. In 1911,the US government sued to get the substance removed on thegrounds of its pernicious effects, but failed (United Statesv. Forty Barrels and Twenty Kegs of Coca-Cola). The next year theFood and Drug Act defined caffeine as “habit forming” and“deleterious,” and required that the substance be listed onCoke’s label.