Rose Morat (born February 4, 1906) is a 107-year-old New York City resident and retired telecommunications worker.

Gail Baratta, a telecommunications worker from Levittown, said that each separate increase on its face was not unrealistic.

"I know there are always two sides and there are technicalities that happen," said Ms. James, a telecommunications worker.

A Nissan plant, to be completed in 2003, is hiring, but those jobs are not likely to match the skills of telecommunications workers.

Over all, the number of telecommunications workers represented by a union has fallen 23 percent since 2000, to 273,000, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Later in the month, telecommunications workers began protesting against corruption.

"There is no question that we're not strong at the moment," said Mr. Yamagishi, who heads a 280,000-member union representing telecommunications workers.

And in putting the plan into effect, Bundespost Telekom will become the largest employer in eastern Germany, taking on some 42,000 telecommunications workers.

Her replacement became No. 45, a balding white Westchester man who said he was a retired telecommunications worker with five grown children.