*Sexual Orientation
Discrimination
2005 – Computer Sciences Corp.
WHEREAS: ExxonMobil Corporation does not explicitly
prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation in its written employment
policy;
Many of our peers, including Amerada Hess, BP,
Chevron Texaco, ConocoPhillips, Marathon Oil, Occidental Petroleum, Shell Oil,
Sunoco and Unocal explicitly prohibit this form of discrimination in their
written policies, according to the Human Rights Campaign.
Over 80% of the Fortune 500 companies have
adopted written nondiscrimination policies prohibiting harassment and
discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation, as have more than 95% of
Fortune 100 companies, according to the Human Rights Campaign;
We believe that corporations that prohibit
discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation have a competitive advantage
in recruiting and retaining employees from the widest talent pool;
According to a September 2002 survey by Harris
Interactive and Witeck-Combs, 41% of gay and lesbian workers in the United
States reported an experience with some form of job discrimination related to
sexual orientation; almost one out of every 10 gay or lesbian adults also
stated that they had been fired or dismissed unfairly from a previous job, or
pressured to quit a job because of their sexual orientation;
Minneapolis, San Francisco, Seattle and Los
Angeles have adopted legislation restricting business with companies that do
not guarantee equal treatment for lesbian and gay employees, and similar
legislation is pending in other jurisdictions;
Fourteen states, the District of Columbia, and
more than 150 cities and counties, including the city of Dallas, have laws
prohibiting employment discrimination based on sexual orientation;
Our company has operations in, and makes sales to
institutions in states and cities that prohibit discrimination on the basis of
sexual orientation;
National public opinion polls consistently find
more than three-quarters of the American people support equal rights in the
workplace for gay men, lesbians and bisexuals; for example, in a Gallup poll
conducted in March, 2003, 88% of respondents favored equal opportunity in
employment for gays and lesbians.
RESOLVED: The Shareholders
request that ExxonMobil amend its written equal employment opportunity policy
to explicitly prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation and to
substantially implement that policy.
STATEMENT: Employment
discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation diminishes employee morale
and productivity. Because state and local laws are inconsistent with respect to
employment discrimination, our company would benefit from a consistent,
corporate wide policy to enhance efforts to prevent discrimination, resolve
complaints internally, and ensure a respectful and supportive atmosphere for
all employees. ExxonMobil will enhance
its competitive edge by joining the growing ranks of companies guaranteeing
equal opportunity for all employees.
Sponsors:
Lead: New York City Employees Retirement System (NYC Pension
Funds), Mr. Patrick Doherty