好時童工問題折射商界社會責任感缺失

????上個月，萬圣節上“洗劫”鄰居的孩子們收獲了成堆的糖果，這些戰利品很可能來自同一家公司。好時公司（Hershey）自稱是北美地區最大的巧克力生產商，全年總收入超過60億美元，旗下包括瑞斯（Reese's）、奇巧（Kit Kat）、多滋樂（Twizzlers）、喬利蘭奇（Jolly Rancher）和酷力冰（Ice Breakers）等80多個糖果品牌。而向孩子們分發糖果的家長們并不知道，好時同時正陷入一場涉及使用童工的訴訟爭議中。

????萬圣節當天，格蘭特和艾森霍夫律師事務所（Grant and Eisenhofer）提起訴訟，指控好時公司的供應商使用童工。這起訴訟的委托人是好時公司最大的股東之一，也就是路易斯安那市警署雇員退休基金（Louisiana Municipal Police Employees' Retirement System）。起訴書稱：“有充分的事實證據顯示，好時公司董事會指使或批準公司支持使用非法童工，從而事實上將非法使用童工的行為納入了公司的商業模式?！痹谶@份起訴書中，退休基金方面還要求查閱好時公司的內部檔案，以便核實公司是否與那些已知存在非法童工和強迫勞動行徑的供應商合作。

????《財富》網站（Fortune.com）今年2月的一篇新聞中，好時公司“宣布計劃在2017年之前，向西非的可可農場投入1,000萬美元，以解決那里的童工問題?！边@也是好時公司在1月發布的一份媒體新聞稿的主要內容。公司的一位發言人口頭對我說，他們“對正在進行的訴訟不做評論?！辈贿^同時他在電子郵件中對我寫道：“好時公司非常嚴肅地看待自己的采購責任承諾?！彼€在郵件中提到：“上個月我們公布了承諾，將在2020年以前做到百分百向通過第三方認證的可可農場采購原料?！?/p>

????普拉西斯共同基金（Praxis Mutual funds）的投資管理專家克里斯?梅爾說，他從2009年開始就開始與好時公司協商相關問題。他告訴我，到今年年底前，雨林聯盟（Rainforest Alliance）將完成好時公司貝里斯（Bliss）巧克力生產線的人權和環境保護標準認證。

????不過，好時的用工問題不僅限于西非的可可農場?！都~約時報》（the New York Times）報道稱，今年早些時候，美國勞工部（Labor Department）“因為賓夕法尼亞州一家包裝好時巧克力的工廠隱瞞嚴重的工傷事件，對其開具了28.3萬美元的勞工健康和安全違規罰單”。去年，由幾百名在該工廠打工的外國學生發起的抗議行動，引來了《紐約時報》的調查。

????很多公司的董事會成員在遇到勞工問題時，往往會聯想起一些著名的、引起大量公眾注意的勞工糾紛案例，例如耐克公司（Nike）的“血汗工廠”事件。有些則會進而考慮到這對公司用工倫理和聲譽的影響。

????然而，各家公司的董事會對勞工問題的反應參差不齊。蘋果公司（Apple）今年進一步加強了對供應商的約束，它在中國的供應商富士康（Foxconn）此前因為被美國公平勞動協會（Fair Labor Association）指出存在用工問題，遭到《紐約時報》的連續報道揭露。盡管富士康已經改進了一些問題，但今年九月《紐約時報》的新文章還是指出它的一些廠區有強迫勞動的現象。

????Children who amassed stockpiles of Halloween candy last month most likely netted impressive loot from just one company. Hershey claims that it's the largest chocolatier in North America, with over $6 billion in annual revenues and over 80 brands including Reese's, Kit Kat, Twizzlers, Jolly Rancher, and Ice Breakers. Unbeknownst to some parents handing out these treats, Hershey also happens to be embroiled in a child labor controversy.

????A lawsuit filed by law firm Grant and Eisenhofer on All Saints Day alleges that Hershey's suppliers use child labor. Grant and Eisenhofer sued on behalf of one of the chocolate maker's largest shareholders, the Louisiana Municipal Police Employees' Retirement System. "There are substantial grounds to believe that the Company's Board of Directors (the"Board") has caused or permitted the Company to support the use of unlawful child labor, in fact integrating this illegal conduct into its business model," the complaint states.

????In the complaint against Hershey (HSY), the pension fund asks to see corporate records to determine whether the company has been using suppliers known for illegal child and forced labor practices.

????Hershey had "announced plans to put $10 million towards solving child labor problems on West African cocoa farms by 2017," according to a February article from Fortune.com, based on a January press release from the company. A company spokesperson told me they "don't comment on pending litigation," but wrote by email that "The Hershey Company takes its commitment to responsible sourcing very seriously," noting that, "last month we announced our commitment to source 100 percent third-party certified cocoa by 2020."

????Chris Meyer, a stewardship investing specialist with Praxis Mutual funds, says he has been speaking with Hershey on these issues since 2009. By the end of this year, the Rainforest Alliance will have certified Hershey's Bliss chocolate line for human rights and environmental standards, he told me.

????But Hershey's labor issues haven't been confined to cocoa farms. Earlier this year, the Labor Department "issued fines of $283,000 for health and safety violations against a company that operates a plant in Pennsylvania packing Hershey's chocolates, saying it had covered up serious injuries to workers," the New York Times reported. Protests last year by hundreds of the plant's foreign student workers prompted the investigation, according to the Times.

????When many board members consider labor issues, they often think about sweatshops and famous cases like Nike that have received a lot of attention. Some recognize both the ethical and reputational concerns.

????But board members' reactions are a mixed bag. Apple stepped up its efforts this year to police suppliers after a series of New York Times articles on Foxconn, a Chinese plant with questionable labor practices, according to the Fair Labor Association. Although Foxconn improved some of its practices, in September the Times reported new allegations of forced labor at the company's facilities.