Wal-Mart Expands Definition of Family

Bentonville, Ark., When Wal-Mart Stores internal ethics code talks about “immediate family,” it is talking about husbands, wives, and – in a new twist -- same-sex partners. The company modified its ethics policy earlier this week to keep pace with state laws that recognize domestic partnerships and civil unions. The company’s code bars employees, as one example, from accosting Wal-Mart suppliers about jobs for immediate family members.