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City Comptroller William C. Thompson, Jr. today announced that WESCO International and Advance Auto Parts, Inc. have agreed to a New York City Pension Funds proposal urging them to prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity.

“I am proud and encouraged that the New York City Pension Funds have been so successful this shareholder season at motivating some of America’s largest companies to strengthen protections in the workplace for members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender communities,” Thompson said. “Both I and the Pension Funds remain committed to fighting for workplace equality.”

WESCO International, the nation's largest provider of integrated supply services based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and Advance Auto Parts, Inc., an automotive aftermarket retailer of parts, accessories and maintenance items based in Roanoke, Virginia, both notified the Comptroller that they would revise their policies.

Thompson has now withdrawn proposals filed on behalf of the New York City Employees’ Retirement System (NYCERS), New York City Police Department Pension Fund, New York City Fire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. Calvert Asset Management Company, based in Bethesda, Maryland, co-sponsored the resolution.

The New York City Pension Funds have more than 243,310 shares with a current market share of $14,309,061 in Wesco and 278,491 shares with a current market value of $9,903,140 in Advance Auto Parts.

This is the latest successful resolution filed by the City’s Pension Funds. On March 1, Thompson announced that Cleveland-Cliffs, Inc. of Cleveland, Ohio, agreed to amend its Equal Employment Opportunity Policy to bar such discrimination. Earlier this year, First Horizon Corporation agreed as well to follow the Pension Funds’ request.

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

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

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.

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 Assoc.

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 Assoc.

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 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.