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Comptroller William C. Thompson, Jr., on behalf of the New York City Pension Funds, has filed shareholder resolutions urging 11 companies to ensure that their overseas suppliers respect workers’ human rights.

“Reports of human rights abuses in the overseas subsidiaries and suppliers of U.S.-based corporations have led to an increased public awareness of the problems of child labor, ‘sweatshop’ conditions, and the denial of labor rights in U.S. corporate overseas operations,” Thompson wrote in the resolutions’ supporting statements.

The resolutions are sponsored by the New York City Employees’ Retirement System (NYCERS), Teachers’ Retirement System for the City of New York (TRS), New York City Police Pension Fund, New York City Fire Department Pension Fund and the New York City Board of Education Retirement System (BERS).

Based on the conventions of the United Nations’ International Labor Organization (ILO) and the United Nations’ Norms on the Responsibilities of Transnational Corporations with Regard to Human Rights, the workplace rights include: banning child labor; protecting workers’ right to form and join trade unions and bargain collectively; prohibiting discrimination of worker representatives; barring discrimination and intimidation in employment; and, forbidding forced labor, including bonded or prison labor.

The resolutions ask the companies to commit to “the implementation of a code of conduct based on the aforementioned ILO human rights standards and United Nations’ Norms on the Responsibilities of Transnational Corporations with Regard to Human Rights by its international suppliers and in its own international production facilities, and commit to a program of outside, independent monitoring of compliance with these standards.”

The proposals were submitted for the first-time to: Altria Group, Inc. of New York, NY; Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company of Akron, OH; Lear Corporation of Southfield, MI; Limited Brands of Columbus, OH; Mattel, Inc. of El Segundo, CA; and Timberland Company of Stratham, NH.

Additionally, proposals were resubmitted this proxy season to Bed Bath & Beyond Inc. of Union, NJ; C.R. Bard, Inc. of Murray Hill, NJ; and Cooper Industries, Ltd. of Houston, TX; Hasbro, Inc. of Pawtucket, RI; and Kimberly Clark of Dallas, TX.

Last year, similar resolutions received 21.6 % of Bed Bath & Beyond shareholder votes; 28.9% of C.R. Bard shareholder votes; 23.2% of Cooper Industries shareholder votes; 10.2% of Hasbro shareholder votes; and 8.5% of Kimberly Clark shareholder votes.

Collectively, the Funds hold 14,319,462 shares in these companies worth $695,570,752.
Besides Thompson, the Pension Funds trustees are:
Fire Department Pension Fund: 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; Peter Gorman, President and Captains’ Rep., Nicholas J. Visconti, Chiefs’ Rep., and Stephen J. Carbone, Lieutenants’ Rep., Uniformed Fire Officers Association; and, Joseph Gagliardi, Marine Engineers Association.
Police Pension Fund: 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; Edwin Mullins, Sergeants Benevolent Association; Anthony Garvey, Lieutenants Benevolent Association; and, John Driscoll, Captains Endowment Association.
NYCERS: New York City Finance Commissioner Martha E. Stark (Chair); 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.
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, Augusta Souza Kappner, Richard Menschel and Marita Regan; Borough President appointees Jesse Mojica (Bronx), Martine G. Guerrier (Brooklyn), Vivian Farmery (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.