View non-discrimination resolution

City Comptroller William C. Thompson, Jr. today urged Micron Technology shareholders to vote in favor of a proposal by the New York City Employees’ Retirement System to specifically prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity.

Shareholders will vote on the proposal at Micron Technology’s annual shareholder meeting in Boise, Idaho on December 5. The City filed the proposal on June 5th.

The City’s proposal calls for Micron Technology to amend its written equal employment opportunity policy to explicitly bar discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity. This is the first time that the City has filed this measure with Micron.

“It’s time for Micron Technology to treat all employees with respect and dignity,” Thompson said. “I am hopeful that its shareholders will follow the path charted by so many of America’s largest companies and actively take steps to strengthen protections for gay and lesbian workers.”

“NYCERS believes in investing in companies that employ the best business practices, and that means hiring and promoting employees based on qualifications and performance,” said New York City Department of Finance Commissioner Martha E. Stark, who chairs the NYCERS board. “Micron Technologies is a leader in the semiconductor field; now we want it to step up and be a leader with its employment practices.”
The New York City Pension Funds have more than 2.1 million shares valued at more than $38 million in Micron Technology. NYCERS has more than 706,000 shares valued at more than $13 million.

To date, the Comptroller’s Office and New York City Pension Funds have successfully urged close to four dozen Fortune 1000 companies to bar discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity and expression.

Thompson serves on the NYCERS Board of Trustees with: Commissioner Stark; New York City Public Advocate Betsy Gotbaum; Borough Presidents Scott Stringer (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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