What remains is a blue-collar work force once again composed almost entirely of white men, most over 40.

The scene symbolized the season's main theme, the death of blue-collar work in American industry.

It has announced the closing of 11 plants that will reduce the blue-collar work force by about 30,000.

He said he still expected the greatest impact to be on Congress's blue-collar work force.

Their wages, averaging around $36,000 a year, nevertheless put them close to the top of the nation's blue-collar work force.

Then take away the bonuses traditionally given to the blue-collar work force - the people who actually build the cars.

"Not that we had anything against blue-collar work," Gillies said.

It was the early 50's when he joined the blue-collar work force himself as a teen-ager.

Building software, he observed, is "becoming the equivalent of blue-collar work."

As blue-collar work in New York has declined, he said, those people have become harder to find.

More like the blue-collar work ethic of a Buck Williams.

You're a blue-collar working stiff, making $50,000 a year," he said.

Elizabeth is still a Catholic, blue-collar working class town, but there are 110,000 people now and many kids have cars and drugs.

Sammy has always had that smile, but he had a blue-collar work ethic.

Consequently, the number of people available for traditional blue-collar work in manufacturing was bound to decrease and become inadequate by 1990.

Saban, 53, brings a blue-collar work ethic to the Dolphins, who will pay him $22.5 million over five years.

This month, G.M. said it would eliminate more than 20 percent of its blue-collar work force over the next three years.

"It's not classified as manufacturing, but it's like blue-collar work."

All three companies will supply executive talent, but most of the blue-collar work force will be hired locally.

I come from blue-collar working people," he said.

"There was a lot of work around, blue-collar work.

For most of its history, smokestack industries and a blue-collar work ethic defined Lima.

Minorities made small gains, accounting for about a quarter of those hired, up from 23 percent of the current blue-collar work force.

Kotite, for all the talk of his blue-collar work ethic, understands what the Jets have in their midst.

Moreover, wages for blue-collar work have also moved up, albeit modestly, in response to the tightening labor conditions.