Nearly 2,000 workers at Coca-Cola Enterprises Inc. went on strike Monday at bottling and distribution plants in the Los Angeles area and in Hartford, Conn., the International Brotherhood of Teamsters said in a press release.

The Teamsters said workers at these sites went on strike at 6 a.m. due to the breakdown of current contract negotiations and because the company continues to push for workers to pay more for health care benefits.

Workers are striking at plants in downtown L.A., Torrance, the City of Industry, Montebello, Sylmar and at two locations in Downey, said Galen Munroe, spokesman for the International Brotherhood of Teamsters.

“We want Coke to continue to be one of the more successful soft drinks in America,” said Jack Cipriani, director of the Teamsters Brewery and Soft Drink Workers Conference. “Our members don’t deserve to be saddled with increased health care costs while executives at Coke are still doled out expensive perks.”

The Teamsters pointed to Summerfield Johnston, a former Coca-Cola Enterprises CEO and chairman of the board, as an example of an executive who received excessive perks, saying that last year Johnston was given health care coverage for life for himself and his children and a consulting contract worth $600,000 a year.

Founded in 1903, the International Brotherhood of Teamsters represents 1.4 million workers throughout the U.S. and Canada.