????上個(gè)月，萬(wàn)圣節(jié)上“洗劫”鄰居的孩子們收獲了成堆的糖果，這些戰(zhàn)利品很可能來(lái)自同一家公司。好時(shí)公司（Hershey）自稱是北美地區(qū)最大的巧克力生產(chǎn)商，全年總收入超過(guò)60億美元，旗下包括瑞斯（Reese's）、奇巧（Kit Kat）、多滋樂(lè)（Twizzlers）、喬利蘭奇（Jolly Rancher）和酷力冰（Ice Breakers）等80多個(gè)糖果品牌。而向孩子們分發(fā)糖果的家長(zhǎng)們并不知道，好時(shí)同時(shí)正陷入一場(chǎng)涉及使用童工的訴訟爭(zhēng)議中。

????萬(wàn)圣節(jié)當(dāng)天，格蘭特和艾森霍夫律師事務(wù)所（Grant and Eisenhofer）提起訴訟，指控好時(shí)公司的供應(yīng)商使用童工。這起訴訟的委托人是好時(shí)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(shí)證據(jù)顯示，好時(shí)公司董事會(huì)指使或批準(zhǔn)公司支持使用非法童工，從而事實(shí)上將非法使用童工的行為納入了公司的商業(yè)模式?！痹谶@份起訴書中，退休基金方面還要求查閱好時(shí)公司的內(nèi)部檔案，以便核實(shí)公司是否與那些已知存在非法童工和強(qiáng)迫勞動(dòng)行徑的供應(yīng)商合作。

????《財(cái)富》網(wǎng)站（Fortune.com）今年2月的一篇新聞中，好時(shí)公司“宣布計(jì)劃在2017年之前，向西非的可可農(nóng)場(chǎng)投入1,000萬(wàn)美元，以解決那里的童工問(wèn)題?！边@也是好時(shí)公司在1月發(fā)布的一份媒體新聞稿的主要內(nèi)容。公司的一位發(fā)言人口頭對(duì)我說(shuō)，他們“對(duì)正在進(jìn)行的訴訟不做評(píng)論?！辈贿^(guò)同時(shí)他在電子郵件中對(duì)我寫道：“好時(shí)公司非常嚴(yán)肅地看待自己的采購(gòu)責(zé)任承諾?！彼€在郵件中提到：“上個(gè)月我們公布了承諾，將在2020年以前做到百分百向通過(guò)第三方認(rèn)證的可可農(nóng)場(chǎng)采購(gòu)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(shuō)，他從2009年開(kāi)始就開(kāi)始與好時(shí)公司協(xié)商相關(guān)問(wèn)題。他告訴我，到今年年底前，雨林聯(lián)盟（Rainforest Alliance）將完成好時(shí)公司貝里斯（Bliss）巧克力生產(chǎn)線的人權(quán)和環(huán)境保護(hù)標(biāo)準(zhǔn)認(rèn)證。

????不過(guò)，好時(shí)的用工問(wèn)題不僅限于西非的可可農(nóng)場(chǎng)。《紐約時(shí)報(bào)》（the New York Times）報(bào)道稱，今年早些時(shí)候，美國(guó)勞工部（Labor Department）“因?yàn)橘e夕法尼亞州一家包裝好時(shí)巧克力的工廠隱瞞嚴(yán)重的工傷事件，對(duì)其開(kāi)具了28.3萬(wàn)美元的勞工健康和安全違規(guī)罰單”。去年，由幾百名在該工廠打工的外國(guó)學(xué)生發(fā)起的抗議行動(dòng)，引來(lái)了《紐約時(shí)報(bào)》的調(diào)查。

????很多公司的董事會(huì)成員在遇到勞工問(wèn)題時(shí)，往往會(huì)聯(lián)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(huì)進(jìn)而考慮到這對(duì)公司用工倫理和聲譽(yù)的影響。

????然而，各家公司的董事會(huì)對(duì)勞工問(wèn)題的反應(yīng)參差不齊。蘋果公司（Apple）今年進(jìn)一步加強(qiáng)了對(duì)供應(yīng)商的約束，它在中國(guó)的供應(yīng)商富士康（Foxconn）此前因?yàn)楸幻绹?guó)公平勞動(dòng)協(xié)會(huì)（Fair Labor Association）指出存在用工問(wèn)題，遭到《紐約時(shí)報(bào)》的連續(xù)報(bào)道揭露。盡管富士康已經(jīng)改進(jìn)了一些問(wèn)題，但今年九月《紐約時(shí)報(bào)》的新文章還是指出它的一些廠區(qū)有強(qiáng)迫勞動(dòng)的現(xiàn)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.