????《紐約時報》（The New York Times）上周末報道稱，沃爾瑪公司（Walmart）涉嫌掩蓋一項內部調查，該調查證明其墨西哥分公司向該國官員行賄。事件曝光之后，這家零售巨頭的股價于周一大幅下挫。市場真的需要這么大驚失色嗎？盡管沃爾瑪的高管們多年來一直不遺余力地維系其美國精神典型代表的形象，但這家公司的不良表現卻多次見諸報端。現在，讓我們一起來回顧一下沃爾瑪這些年來的種種丑聞。

工作條件

????Over the weekend, the New York Times reported that Walmart allegedly covered up an internal investigation proving its Mexican subsidiary bribed officials in the country. The retail giant's stock fell sharply Monday following the expose. Should the market be really that surprised? Over the years, Walmart has made headlines for behaving badly even as executives work tirelessly to maintain its all-American image. Here, take a look at Walmart's blunders.

Working conditions

????工人有權獲得午餐時間和加班費。但沃爾瑪一些門店的員工們并不總是能享受到這樣的待遇。

????2005年，沃爾瑪數千名員工稱被非法剝奪了午餐用餐時間。加州一個陪審團裁定，沃爾瑪需要向這些員工賠付1.72億美元。當時，全美各地因雇主侵犯勞工權利引發的類似訴訟案至少有40起。

????這些案件的最終結果不盡相同，但那些走上法庭的員工為這家公司帶來了壞消息。2002年，俄勒岡州聯邦陪審團發現沃爾瑪員工被迫延時工作，并裁定沃爾瑪向83名員工補發工資。

????2000年一次類似的案件中，這家零售巨頭就科羅拉多州沃爾瑪超市前雇員和現有雇員發起的集體訴訟案達成了和解，并為此支付了5,000萬美元。

打壓工會

????沃爾瑪一直密切留意那些試圖組織起來的員工。這家零售巨頭因堅決反對員工組建工會而臭名昭著。2000年，得克薩斯州杰克遜維爾市一家沃爾瑪超級購物中心的牲畜屠宰員投票決定加入一個工會。隨后，這個購物中心就轉而銷售預先包裝的肉類產品。沃爾瑪公司當時聲稱，此舉在工會投票前就已經安排好了，但它還是向員工們傳遞了一個清晰的訊息。2005年，就在魁北克一家門店的工人即將達成工會組建協議之際，沃爾瑪公司關掉了這家店。

????但沃爾瑪并非反對所有的工會——它只針對美國的工會組織。正如《華盛頓郵報》（The Washington Post）去年所指出的那樣，工會在英國的沃爾瑪超市中普遍存在。數十年來，這家零售商已經與巴西和阿根廷兩國強大的勞工團體談成了多項合同。

????

????A worker's got a right to lunch. And get paid for overtime. That wasn't always the case at some Walmart stores.

????In 2005, a California jury awarded $172 million to thousands of workers who claimed they were illegally denied lunch breaks. The case was one of at least 40 similar suits filed nationwide at the time, alleging workplace violations.

????The outcomes of the cases varied, but those that stood in court brought bad news for the company. In 2002, a federal jury in Oregon found Walmart employees were forced to work off the clock and awarded back pay to 83 workers.

????And in a similar case in 2000, Walmart settled a class-action lawsuit against former and then current employees in Colorado and paid $50 million.

Quashing unions

????Walmart has gone toe-to-toe with workers that tried to organize themselves. The retail giant is infamous for staunchly opposing labor groups. In 2000, it switched to prepackaged meats after a handful of butchers at a Walmart Supercenter in Jacksonville, Texas voted to join a union. The retail giant at the time said the move was planned ahead of the union vote, but it nevertheless sent workers a clear message. And, in 2005, Walmart shut down a store in Quebec where workers were close to reaching a union contract.

????It's not as if Walmart is against all unions -- only those in the U.S. As the Washington Post pointed out last year, unions are prevalent in the United Kingdom. And for decades, the retailer has negotiated contracts with powerful labor groups in Brazil and Argentina.????