 in the year, though, it was Lucent that was on the receiving end of a big check - a really, really big check - and it came from the government. The payment of $861 million came in the form of a tax refund. The company booked the proceeds under its fiscal 2004 fourth quarter, boosting net income for the quarter to $1.21 billion. Benefits no more In September 2004, Lucent announced plans to cut retiree health benefits for dependents of retired workers who retired after March 1, 1990, with a salary of $65,000. The company previously cut the same benefits for dependents of workers who had a base salary of $87,000 in the fall of 2003. The cuts saved Lucent roughly $90 million dollars in expenditures. Dependents still have access to benefits at a group rate, which is lower than the market rate. The cuts were big news, however, because the company had previously paid 100 percent of retirees' healthcare coverage. Visit Vault at www.vault.com for insider company profiles, expert advice, VAULT CAREER career message boards, expert resume reviews, the Vault Job Board and more. LIBRARY Vault Guide to the Top Telecom Employers Lucent Technologies Inc. A Lucent spokesperson declared the cost of retiree benefits to be $800 million annually, an "unsustainable" level for a company with an expanding number retirees and which has suffered loses over the past few years. Ken Raschke, the president of the Lucent Retiree Organization, countered in a statement that the company lacked compassion for retirees, while continuing "excessive" compensation for top management positions. Tensions between the retirees and their former employer cooled somewhat though in November 2004 after the company managed to hammer out an agreement with unions representing the retirees that resulted in the healthcare costs for retirees being much lower than expected. Friends in high places Lucent tapped the resources of former Virginia Governor James Gilmore in the fall of 2004 to help the company's expansion into the federal government sector. The company cre