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                                                                   EXHIBIT 10(j)

                                  1st AMENDMENT
               TO THE RETIREMENT PLAN FOR EMPLOYEES OF ONEIDA LTD.

     THIS AMENDMENT is made this 11th day of December, 2002 by Oneida Ltd. (the
"Company").

                              W I T N E S S E T H:

     WHEREAS, the Company maintains the Retirement Plan of Employee of Oneida
Ltd., amended and restated effective as of January 1, 1997 (the "Plan"); and

     WHEREAS, the Company reserves the right under Article 12 of the Plan to
amend the Plan by action of its Board of Directors; and

     WHEREAS, the Company desires to amend the Plan to effect certain Plan
design changes thereto;

     NOW, THEREFORE, the Plan is amended as follows, effective as of December
11, 2002:

1. Article 2 is amended by adding thereto the following new Section 2.69, to
read in its entirety as follows (and the existing Section 2.69, and each
successive section of Article 2, and any cross references thereto, are
renumbered accordingly):

          2.69 Special Benefit shall mean the minimum benefit substituted for
          Participants' Accrued Benefits pursuant to the Special Rule described
          in Section 5.01(d).

2. Section 5.01 is amended by adding at the end thereof the following new
subsection (d):

          (d) Special Rule: (i) the Accrued Benefit for each of the Employees
          listed in Exhibit IV shall be not less than the Special Benefit shown
          in that Exhibit (expressed as a monthly benefit payable in the form of
          a life annuity commencing on the first day of the month that is
          coincident or next follows the date the Participant has attained age
          62 while in continuous employment and has completed at least 5 Years
          of Service (the Participant's "Unreduced Special Benefit Date")). As
          the alternative Accrued Benefit, these Special Benefits are payable at
          the same time and in the same form as other Plan benefits. If a
          Participant elects to begin receiving his benefit before the
          Participant's Unreduced Special Benefit Date, the factors described in
          Schedule A of Exhibit IV below will be applied to the Participant's
          Special Benefit, whether or not the Participant has attained his Early
          Retirement Date under the Plan.

3. Exhibit IV is added to the Plan, as attached.


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     IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the Company has caused this Amendment to be executed by
the Board of Directors as of the date first set forth above.

     ONEIDA LTD.


By: /s/ GREGG R. DENNY
    ------------------------------
      Gregg R. Denny
      Chief Financial Officer
Date: December 11, 2002


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                                   EXHIBIT IV
                                 SPECIAL AMOUNTS

Below are the Special Amounts credited to Employees' Accrued Benefits.



- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                              Minimum Monthly
    Employee                                                  Accrued Benefit*
- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                             
Harold J. DeBarr                                                $ 7,690.67
- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Thomas A. Fetzner                                               $ 7,801.33
- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Robert J. Houle                                                 $ 9,655.24
- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Peter J. Kallet                                                 $25,096.92
- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------


* The Minimum Monthly Accrued Benefit listed above will be reduced by fifty
percent (50%) of the Primary Insurance Benefit applicable to a Participant under
the Social Security Act as of the Participant's normal retirement age under the
Social Security Act.


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                                   SCHEDULE A
                                  TO EXHIBIT IV

             EARLY RETIREMENT REDUCTION FACTORS FOR SPECIAL AMOUNTS

The early retirement reduction table is:



- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Age                                                                Benefit % (1)
- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                    
62                                                                      100
- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
61                                                                       90
- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
60                                                                       80
- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
59                                                                       70
- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
58                                                                       65
- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
57                                                                       60
- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
56                                                                       55
- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
55                                                                       50
- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
54                                                                     47.5
- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
53                                                                       45
- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
52                                                                     42.5
- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
51                                                                       40
- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
50                                                                     37.5
- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
49                                                                       35
- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
48                                                                     32.5
- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
47                                                                       30
- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
46                                                                     27.5
- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
45                                                                       25
- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
44                                                                       24
- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
43                                                                       23
- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
42                                                                       22
- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
41                                                                       21
- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
40                                                                       20
- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Note: Early Retirement Factors for ages less than age 55.


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