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New York City Comptroller William C. Thompson, Jr., on behalf of the New York City Employees’ Retirement System (NYCERS), today renewed the call for ExxonMobil to adopt policies that specifically bar discrimination based on sexual orientation.

Thompson’s announcement comes after 29.4 percent of ExxonMobil shares were voted in support of the City’s proposal calling on the company to change its non-discrimination policy. That vote took place today at ExxonMobil’s annual meeting in Dallas, Texas.

“ExxonMobil is one of the two remaining largest American corporations that refuse to strengthen protections for gay and lesbian employees,” Thompson said, referring to the Fortune 50. “In large part, corporate America has recognized the need to prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation. ExxonMobil is the hold-out against a momentum of enlightened business leadership.”

“It’s time for ExxonMobil to get with the times and guarantee equal employment opportunity for all of their employees - it’s good for City pension funds, it’s good business practice and it’s the right thing to do,” added NYCERS Chair and New York City Finance Commissioner Martha E. Stark. “Our effort to modernize the employment policies of the companies in which New York City pension funds invest will continue until they all ensure equal opportunity in the workplace.”

The vote of 29.4 percent representing more than 1.55 billion shares points to a giant leap forward in the percentage of votes cast in the measure’s favor since the City began submitting the proposals in 2001.

Last year, 28.9 percent – which represented more than 1.5 billion shares worth more than $68.3 billion at the time – were voted in support of the City’s proposal. The measures garnered 27.1 percent of shares in 2003, 23.9 percent in 2002, and 5.9 percent in 2001.

The proposal was triggered by ExxonMobil’s repeal of a policy that formally prohibited discrimination. Three years ago, ExxonMobil challenged the City’s non-discrimination resolution with the Securities and Exchange Commission, which ruled that shareholders could vote on the measure.

The resolution called 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.”

NYCERS currently owns 8.6 million ExxonMobil shares worth more than $465.8 million

Over the last few years, the City’s has urged dozens of Fortune 500 companies to adopt policies that explicitly prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation. To date, 32 companies have amended or agreed to amend their policies.

This season, the City targeted: AGCO Corp. of Duluth, GA; Alltel of Little Rock, AR; ExxonMobil of Irving, TX; Alcoa of Pittsburgh, PA; Dana Corp. of Toledo, OH; BB&T Corp. of Winston-Salem, NC; Owens-Illinois of Toledo, OH; EchoStar Communications of Englewood, CO; Coventry Healthcare of Bethesda, MD; Computer Sciences Corp. of El Segundo, CA; Fisher Scientific of Hampton, N.H.; Harrah’s Entertainment of Las Vegas, NV; Universal Health Services of King of Prussia, PA; Advance Auto Parts of Roanoke, VA; Land America Financial Group of Richmond, VA; and United States Steel of Pittsburgh, PA. Thompson, as well, joined Trillium Asset Management in co-sponsoring a proposal submitted to Reliant Resources of Houston, TX.

Of this group, AGCO, Fisher Scientific, Reliant, Altell, US Steel, Alcoa, Owens-Illinois, Coventry Healthcare, Reliant, Dana, and BB&T agreed to change policies to bar such discrimination. Harrah’s subsequently made its proposal public, so the City withdrew its proposal.

Additionally, the City this season expanded those efforts and urged three companies to adhere to the Equality Principles, a 10-point code of conduct aimed at advancing workplace equality by barring discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity. Two, Toys ‘R’ Us of Wayne, N.J., and the Cerner Corporation of Kansas City, MO, agreed to amend their policies and practices to encompass the 10 principles.

The remaining company, Delta Airlines, put the measure before shareholders last week. More than 6.3 million shares - about 8.9 percent of those cast – were voted in the measure’s favor, permitting the City to resubmit the proposal next year.

The trustees of NYCERS are: Comptroller Thompson; Commissioner Stark (Chair); New York City Public Advocate Betsy Gotbaum; Borough Presidents C. Virginia Fields (Manhattan), Helen Marshall (Queens), Marty Markowitz (Brooklyn), Adolfo Carrion (Bronx), and James Molinaro (Staten Island); Lillian Roberts, Executive Director, District Council 37, AFSCME; Roger Toussaint, President Transport Workers Union Local 100; and, Carroll (Carl) Haynes, President, International Brotherhood of Teamsters, Local 237.

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