"Based on an initial legal review when New Jersey's law was enacted, it did not appear that a 'civil union' and 'marriage' were equivalent," said Allen Hill, UPS senior vice president for human resources. "Over the past week, however, we have received clear guidance that at least in New Jersey, the state truly views civil union partners as married. We've heard that loud and clear from state officials and we're happy to make this change."

The extension of benefits will affect about 8,700 workers in New Jersey, although it's impossible to know how many of those employees have joined in civil unions, UPS said. Already, about 5,400 non-union UPS workers in New Jersey are eligible.

Since 2004, UPS said it has offered same-sex benefits to all non-union employees throughout the United States. The company has plans to address the issue of same-sex benefits for all of its hourly workers, no matter where they live, during negotiations with the Teamsters on a new 2008 contract.

But until a new contract is hammered out with the Teamsters in 2008, the company must follow individual state definitions of "spouse." In New Jersey, UPS had been grappling with the legal question of whether a "civil union" could be equated to "married spouse" when the state's law does not explicitly use that language. —Staff