Wal-Mart Puts 12 Lobbyists On Pay Roll To Defeat Employee Benefits Bill…

With a nation watching, Wal-Mart has ramped up its opposition to a groundbreaking bill that would force the retail giant to offer better benefits, a step that could be replicated in state houses across the nation next year.

A dozen lobbyists, nine of them hired in the past six weeks, now represent Wal-Mart in the state capital, two months before lawmakers will consider whether to override Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr.'s veto of the bill.