20 companies already revised policies due to Pension Fund proposals

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New York City Comptroller William C. Thompson, Jr., on behalf of the New York City Employees’ Retirement System and the Teachers’ Retirement System, today urged the Winn-Dixie Stores, Inc. of Jacksonville, Fla., to include sexual orientation in its non-discrimination policy to strengthen protections for gay and lesbian workers.

In recent months, Thompson and the Funds have called on a number of Fortune 500 companies to adopt policies that specifically bar discrimination based on sexual orientation. This is the first time the Funds have made the request of Winn-Dixie, one of the largest food retailers in the nation. The company ranks 149th on the Fortune 500.

"We want to send a message to companies that the time has come to provide the same rights to all workers, whether they are straight or gay,” Thompson said. “We will not give up until Winn-Dixie and all of these companies amend their policies to ensure equal treatment for all.”

The New York City Employees’ Retirement System (NYCERS) holds 120,004 shares worth approximately $914,430 in the company, while the Teachers’ Retirement System (TRS) holds 86,200 shares worth approximately $656,844 in Winn-Dixie. In total, the five pension funds hold 259,716 shares valued at $1.9 million in Winn-Dixie.

“Equal employment opportunity is good for shareholders and good for business,” said New York City Finance Commissioner Martha E. Stark, who is Chair of the Boards of Trustees of NYCERS and TRS. “Winn-Dixie is a leader in the supermarket business - now it needs to act like a leader and start treating all of its employees fairly, regardless of sexual orientation.”

“This effort is about fairness, equality and corporate responsibility,” said Manhattan Borough President C. Virginia Fields, a NYCERS Trustee. “We expect Winn-Dixie to include gay and lesbian people in its non-discrimination policies because that is the right thing to do.”

“Equal opportunity for all is the measure we should be using for all companies with whom the City of New York does business,” added NYCERS Trustee and Queens Borough President Helen Marshall. “As a member of NYCERS, I heartily endorse the boards’ action in calling for Winn-Dixie Stores to ban discrimination in any form.”

“An increasing number of smart businesses are adding sexual orientation to their non-discrimination policies. Winn-Dixie should step up now and join those corporate leaders,” said Kim I. Mills, education director of the Human Rights Campaign, the largest national gay and lesbian advocacy organization. “We again commend Comptroller Thompson and the Funds for using their influence to help protect employees from discrimination.”

Over the last two years, Thompson and the Funds have called on a number of Fortune 500 companies to adopt policies that specifically bar discrimination based on sexual orientation. This is the fourth time, for instance, they submitted the resolution with ExxonMobil.

Last year, 27.3 percent of ExxonMobil shares were voted in support of the resolution, which calls for ExxonMobil to adopt a policy stating: "Employment discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation diminishes employee morale and productivity….Our company would benefit by a consistent, corporate-wide policy to enhance efforts to prevent discrimination, resolve complaints internally, and ensure a respectful and supportive atmosphere for all employees.”

The following 20 companies have amended their policies due to the City’s efforts: CSX; Cracker Barrel; American Electric Power; Duke Energy; CenterPoint Energy; Dynegy; Marathon Oil; JCPenney; Mirant; TXU Corp.; Ingram Micro; Lockheed Martin; FedEx; El Paso Corp.; Masco Corp.; Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company; Smurfit-Stone Container Corp.; Waste Management, Inc.; Southern Company; and Centex Corp.

Serving with Comptroller Thompson on the NYCERS board are: Commissioner Stark; Public Advocate Betsy Gotbaum; Borough Presidents Fields, Marshall, Marty Markowitz (Brooklyn), Adolfo Carrion (Bronx), and James Molinaro (Staten Island); Lillian Roberts, Executive Director of District Council 37, AFSCME; Roger Toussaint, President, TWU-Local 100; and, Carroll Haynes, President, International Brotherhood of Teamsters, Local 237.

In addition to Thompson, TRS trustees are: Commissioner Stark; Kathleen Grimm, Deputy Chancellor, New York City Department of Education; Phillip Berry, Department of Education's Panel for Educational Policy; and, Sandra March, Melvyn Aaronson and Mona Romain, all of the United Federation of Teachers.