It's so much worse than the bit in the headline (emphasis mine)

After spending 35 years as a factory worker for Coca-Cola Canada Bottling Limited, Hopkins says his bosses terminated him last month in a five-minute phone call with no benefits and no severance.

On Jan. 8, 2024, Hopkins says a 907 kg overhead sliding door malfunctioned while he was trying to open it. The force "tore the flap right out" of Hopkins' shoulder joint, also damaging his arm and neck.

"Insane pain. It was really, really bad," Hopkins told Go Public. He says he repeatedly warned a Coca-Cola Bottling supervisor and the maintenance department about the door months before the injury. He says nothing was done.

Hopkins believes his employer's lack of action led to his injury and ultimately his termination. CBC News asked Coca-Cola Bottling about that. It did not answer those questions.

The company offered him a one time "gratuitous" lump sum payment of $2,511.20, "in recognition" of his 35 years of service and to support his transition away from Coke Canada Bottling.

But the payment was conditional on Hopkins signing a non-disclosure agreement and releasing the company from liability.

After decades on the job, Hopkins says the offer felt insulting, so he turned it down.

You break it you buy it.

If you critically injure a worker on the job, who is following all reasonable precautions, you should be liable to pay them out what they could have earned in their whole life, plus medical, physio, and pain and suffering.

I hope this guy can sue and get what he’s owed plus enough that Coke and all other companies think twice on ignoring maintenance and this type of dismissal.

And everyone should stop buying coke products.

On its website, Coca-Cola Canada Bottling Limited describes itself as a "Proudly independent and family-owned" distributor of Coca-Cola products. It operates separately from the Coca-Cola Company.

It employs over 6,000 people nationwide. In January, it opened a $75-million state-of-the-art, AI-enabled facility in Calgary next to the building where Hopkins worked for decades.

Just opened a $75 million facility but you can only give hush money of $2511.20 (how do you arrive at this number even) - piss off

Too hard on the multi-billion dollar a year company. Fuck Coke. This shit is basically what happened to Matt Damon's character in Elysium. Except not cancer.

Can someone with a Canadian labour law background confirm: he has an ironclad case to sue, right?

My boss tired this once... Ended up with the company getting owned in court.

That's the kind of thing that should cause a walkout. What's their union doing?

EDIT: Looks like it's probably this Teamsters local? If it's the same place as this report.

Reminder to drink Canadian pop brands.

Pop Shoppe comes to mind as a brand available across the country. Here in Alberta Grizzly Paw, Drum Soda Works, and Annex are also solid options.

So fucking glad I switched to prebiotic/probiotic sodas and sparkling water.

lol they thought this was America