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New York City Comptroller William C. Thompson, Jr. today praised Family Dollar Stores for supporting a request by the New York City Pension Funds to prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity.

“I am pleased that Family Dollar Stores’ Board of Directors embraced the Pension Funds’ resolution and moved to ensure that all workers be treated equally and without bias,” Thompson said. “The Pension Funds and I believe that bias and discrimination should not be tolerated in the workplace.”

Earlier this year, the Pension Funds and Thompson filed a proposal with Family Dollar Stores asking it to ban discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity in the implementation of its equal employment opportunity policies.

Family Dollar Stores’ Board of Directors initially agreed to strengthen policies only regarding discrimination based on sexual orientation, but Thompson’s office continued to ask the company to expand those protections. The company’s Board of Directors voted this week to extend those protections to cover gender identity.

Four of the five Pension Funds supported the resolution: the New York City Police Department Pension Fund, New York City Fire Department Pension Fund, New York City Teachers' Retirement System, (TRS) and New York City Board of Education Retirement System. The fifth fund, the New York City Employees’ Retirement System (NYCERS) could not participate because it sponsored another measure this proxy season.

The four Pension Funds hold more than 615,000 shares of Family Dollar shares valued at more than $15 million.

Over the last few years, the Comptroller and Pension Funds successfully have urged 42 of America’s largest companies to prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity and expression.

This season, six other companies have agreed to amend policies, most electing to make the changes before shareholders cast votes. Those companies are: Advance Auto Parts of Roanoke, VA, Wesco International of Pittsburgh, PA, First Horizon Financial Corporation of Memphis, TN, Cleveland-Cliffs, Inc. of Cleveland, OH, Robert Half International of Menlo Park, CA, and Micron Technology of Boise, Idaho.

In April, Thompson took Micron Technology to task after the company ignored substantial shareholder support for the discrimination ban. According to Micron, 55.5% of shares cast supported the City’s proposal. This is the first time that a majority of shareholders at any U.S. company voted to ban discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity.

But Micron initially indicated it would not revise its policies. After further conversations with Thompson and the Pension Funds, Micron reversed its decision and has since adopted the changes.

“It is truly astounding that in this day and age a company would not take steps to protect all of its employees from abuse and discrimination,” Thompson said. “Strong anti-discrimination policies are not simply an expression of proper social policy; they make sound business sense.”

In addition to Thompson, the trustees for the Pension Funds are:

Fire: Mayor Michael Bloomberg; New York City Fire Commissioner Nicholas Scoppetta (Chair); New York City Finance Commissioner Martha E. Stark; Stephen Cassidy, President, James Slevin, Vice President, Robert Straub, Treasurer, and John Kelly, Brooklyn Representative and Chair, Uniformed Firefighters Association of Greater New York; Michael Currid, Captains’ Rep., Nicholas J. Visconti, Chiefs’ Rep., and Stephen J. Carbone, Lieutenants’ Rep., Uniformed Fire Officers Association; and, Joseph Gagliardi, Marine Engineers Association.

Police: Mayor Michael Bloomberg; New York City Finance Commissioner Martha E. Stark; New York City Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly (Chair); Patrick Lynch, Patrolmen’s Benevolent Association; Michael Palladino, Detectives Endowment Association; Edward D. Mullins, Sergeants Benevolent Association; Thomas Drogan, Lieutenants Benevolent Association; and, John Driscoll, Captains Endowment Association.

TRS: New York City Finance Commissioner Martha E. Stark (Chair); Deputy Chancellor Kathleen Grimm, New York City Department of Education; and, Sandra March, Melvyn Aaronson and Mona Romain, all of the United Federation of Teachers.

BERS: Mayoral appointees Schools Chancellor Joel Klein, Alan Aviles, Philip Berry, David Chang, Tino Hernandez, Edison O. Jackson, Richard Menschel and Marita Regan; Luis Peguero, Patrick Sullivan (Manhattan), Michael Flowers (Queens), and Joan Correale (Staten Island); and employee members Thomas J. Malanga of the International Union of Operating Engineers, Local 891, and Milagros Rodriguez of District Council 37, Local 372.

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