"There were always rumors that they were going to cut severance offers dramatically," she said.

Some Eastern Airlines employees had accepted severance offers or other jobs before a judge blocked their dismissals.

Mr. Hill acknowledged that he rejected the city's initial severance offer.

She was too young to qualify for early retirement or health coverage, but took a severance offer of roughly 18 months' pay.

Of those who left, 4,000 took severance offers, 400 took early retirement and 2,300 left through normal attrition.

But he declined to comment specifically on the administration's severance offer.

The severance offer would give workers, depending on seniority, from $3,500 to $15,000 to leave.

The Federal law requires companies to give workers 21 days to consider a severance offer and seven days after acceptance to change their minds.

Still, she admitted, taking advantage of the severance offer was not an idea she embraced immediately.

And the deadline for deciding whether to take the severance offer can usually be extended simply by requesting more time from the employer.