六宗罪：那些年沃尔玛犯过的错

高层腐败

    2006年，曾与传奇创始人山姆•沃尔顿密切合作过的前副董事长汤姆•库格林承认犯有电讯欺诈和逃税罪。当时，沃尔玛一项内部调查发现库格林存在不当使用礼品卡和其他费用。之后，库格林承认他从公司窃取了数千美元，用于个人的卡车升级、购买啤酒和狩猎权。

    库格林称，这笔报销费用花在了一个旨在让工会远离沃尔玛店面的“工会项目”上面，沃尔玛公司借此也堵住了工会方面的指责。

性别歧视

    2001年，沃尔玛公司被控性别歧视，起诉书称这家零售商在职务晋升和工薪待遇方面偏袒男性，歧视女性。最初的诉讼主要依据原告的专家团队编撰的一份统计资料：2001年，女性占沃尔玛时薪雇员的65%，但仅占管理人员的33%。

    这项诉讼最终演化为一起集体诉讼案，进而发展成为美国历史上最大的就业歧视案件。虽然最高法院最终在2011年否决了这起诉讼案，但这宗备受关注的案件还是伤害了沃尔玛的形象。

    今年2月份，为了保持针对沃尔玛的个人和地区集体诉讼权，500位现任和前任女员工向美国平等就业机会委员会（U.S. Equal Employment and Opportunity Commission）提交了歧视索赔申请。

公关乱局

    1996年，由于格莱美奖得主雪儿•克罗的一首歌暗示沃尔玛向儿童出售枪支，这家零售商禁止她的一张唱片在店内销售，此举震惊了美国音乐界。尽管克罗个人形象良好，这家连锁超市依然向《爱是个好东西》（Love Is a Good Thing）这首歌发难，导致A&M唱片公司损失了数十万张唱片的销量。

医保问题

    近年来，沃尔玛公司改善了给予员工的医疗保健福利，由此安抚了批评者。但该公司去年大幅降低了面向兼职员工的医保覆盖率，同时提高了许多全职员工缴纳的保费比例。

    沃尔玛出台这个政策的时机再糟糕不过了。因为高企的失业率持续困扰着许多家庭，许多人只能找到非全日制工作。

    沃尔玛这家美国最大的私人雇主以成本不断上升为由向员工发布公告称，未来聘用的每周平均工作时间不到24小时的兼职员工将不再有资格申请公司的医疗保险计划。

    此举明显背离了沃尔玛公司在短短几年之前的做法。当时，员工和州政府的批评浪潮愈演愈烈，马里兰州议会甚至在2005年通过了一项法案，实质上是要求这家公司提升医疗保健支出。面对这样的局面，沃尔玛当时扩大了医保覆盖面。

    译者：任文科

Corruption at the top

    In 2006,Tom Coughlin, a former vice chairman who worked closely with legendary founder Sam Walton, pleaded guilty to wire fraud and tax evasion. After an internal investigation that found improper use of gift cards and other expenses, Coughlin admitted he stole thousands of dollars from Walmart to upgrade his truck, buy beer and pay for hunting rights.

    Walmart stumped union critics when Coughlin said the reimbursement were for money spent out of pocket for a "union project" aimed at keeping unions out of stores.

Gender discrimination

    In 2001, a discrimination lawsuit was filed against the retailer, accusing it of favoring men over women in promotions and pay. The initial suit rested largely on one statistic compiled by the plaintiffs' experts: That in 2001, women made up 65% of Wal-Mart's hourly employees but only 33% of its managers.

    The case eventually turned into a class-action suit, making it the biggest employment discrimination case in U.S. history. Though the Supreme Court threw out the suit in 2011, the high-profile case nevertheless bruised Walmart's image.

    In February, in a move to preserve the right to pursue individual and regional class-action suits against Walmart, 500 current and former female employees filed discrimination claims with the U.S. Equal Employment and Opportunity Commission.

Public imbroglios

    In 1996, the retailer stunned the music industry by banning an album by Grammy-winner Sheryl Crow because of a song's lyrics suggesting that Walmart sells guns to children. Despite Crow's feel-good image, the chain raised issue with the song, ""Love Is a Good Thing," costing A&M Records hundreds of thousands of album sales.

Health care problems

    After appeasing critics in recent years by offering better health care benefits to its employees, Walmart last year substantially scaled back coverage for part-time workers and raised premiums for many full-time employees.

    It couldn't come at a worse time. High unemployment continued weighing on many families, many only able to find part-time work.

    Walmart, the nation's largest private employer, cited rising costs when it told employees that all future part-timers who work less than 24 hours a week on average will no longer qualify for any of the company's health insurance plans.

    The move represented a marked departure from only a few years ago when Walmart expanded health coverage amid growing criticisms from workers and state governments, including lawmakers in Maryland who in 2005 passed legislation effectively requiring that the company boost health care spending.