[Federal Register Volume 62, Number 247 (Wednesday, December 24, 1997)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Pages 67257-67258]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 97-33581]
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Rules and Regulations
Federal Register
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Federal Register / Vol. 62, No. 247 / Wednesday, December 24, 1997 /
Rules and Regulations
[[Page 67257]]
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OFFICE OF PERSONNEL MANAGEMENT
5 CFR Part 532
RIN 3206-AI06
Prevailing Rate Systems; Removal of Putnam, Richmond, and
Rockland Counties, NY, and Monmouth County, NJ, from the New York, NY,
Appropriated Fund Survey Area
AGENCY: Office of Personnel Management.
ACTION: Final rule.
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SUMMARY: The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) is issuing a final
rule to remove Putnam, Richmond, and Rockland Counties, NY, and
Monmouth County, NJ, from the survey area of the New York, NY,
appropriated fund Federal Wage System wage area. The four counties will
remain in the area of application of the New York, NY, wage area.
EFFECTIVE DATE: January 23, 1998.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mark Allen at (202) 606-2848, or send
an email message to maallen@opm.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On November 3, 1997, OPM published a
proposed rule to remove Putnam, Richmond, and Rockland Counties, NY,
and Monmouth County, NJ, from the survey area of the New York, NY,
appropriated fund Federal Wage System (FWS) wage area (62 FR 59300).
The proposed rule provided a 30-day period for public comment, during
which OPM received one comment. The comment was related to the
definition of the Newburgh, NY, wage area--a matter previously decided
by OPM following lengthy discussions at meetings of the Federal
Prevailing Rate Advisory Committee (FPRAC), the statutory national-
level labor-management committee responsible for advising OPM on
matters concerning the pay of FWS employees. The proposed rule is
therefore being adopted as a final rule.
When the FWS was established in 1972, the New York, NY, survey area
was composed of Bronx, Kings, Nassau, New York, Queens, Richmond,
Rockland, Suffolk, and Westchester Counties, NY; and Essex, Hudson,
Morris, and Union Counties, NJ. In 1975, FPRAC agreed by consensus to
recommend that the New York, NY, survey area be expanded to include
Putnam County, NY; and Bergen, Middlesex, Monmouth, Passaic, and
Somerset Counties, NJ. This change was made so as to include 100
percent of the New York wage area's FWS employment in the New York, NY,
survey area and to provide for a larger number of surveyable private
industrial establishments.
As the largest FWS survey--with a sample of more than 900
industrial establishments--the New York, NY, FWS wage survey has become
increasingly difficult to conduct because its logistical demands create
unusual burdens on local agency activities already strained by
downsizing and budget constraints. To reduce the logistical burdens of
the New York, NY, FWS wage survey, OPM is removing Putnam, Richmond,
and Rockland Counties, NY, and Monmouth County, NJ, from the New York,
NY, survey area. Of the 19 counties in the New York, NY, survey area,
OPM is removing these four counties from the survey area because their
removal appears to offer the best means of reducing the logistical
burdens of surveys in the New York, NY, wage area while least affecting
the determination of prevailing rates for FWS employees in that wage
area.
The removal of these four counties from the New York, NY, FWS
survey area leaves about 90 percent of the wage area's FWS employment
in the New York, NY, survey area, and reduces the number of surveyable
private industrial establishments in the New York, NY, survey universe
by only about 4 percent. OPM also considered the possible removal of
other counties from the New York survey area, but none appeared to
offer as convincing a rationale for removal as do Putnam, Richmond,
Rockland, or Monmouth Counties. FPRAC reviewed and concurred by
consensus with this change.
Because of a typographical error in appendix C to subpart B of 5
CFR part 532, the wage area listing for the New York, NY, wage area
follows immediately after the wage area listing for the Newburgh, NY,
wage area without showing the title of the New York, NY, wage area.
This final rule also corrects that inadvertent omission.
Regulatory Flexibility Act
I certify that these regulations will not have a significant
economic impact on a substantial number of small entities because they
affect only Federal agencies and employees.
List of Subjects in 5 CFR Part 532
Administrative practice and procedure, Freedom of information,
Government employees, Reporting and recordkeeping requirements, Wages.
Office of Personnel Management.
Janice R. Lachance,
Director.
Accordingly, OPM is amending 5 CFR part 532 as follows:
PART 532--PREVAILING RATE SYSTEMS
1. The authority citation for part 532 continues to read as
follows:
Authority: 5 U.S.C. 5343, 5346; Sec. 532.707 also issued under 5
U.S.C. 552.
Appendix C to Subpart B of Part 532 [Amended]
2. Appendix C to subpart B is amended by revising the wage area
listings for the Newburgh, New York, and New York, New York, wage areas
to read as follows:
Appendix C to Subpart B of Part 532--Appropriated Fund Wage and Survey
Areas
* * * * *
New York
* * * * *
Newburgh
Survey Area
New York:
Dutchess
Orange
Ulster
Area of Application. Survey Area Plus
New York:
Delaware
Sullivan
[[Page 67258]]
New York
Survey Area
New York:
Bronx
Kings
Nassau
New York
Queens
Suffolk
Westchester
New Jersey:
Bergen
Essex
Hudson
Middlesex
Morris
Passaic
Somerset
Union
Area of Application. Survey Area Plus
New York:
Putnam
Richmond
Rockland
New Jersey:
Monmouth
Sussex
* * * * *
[FR Doc. 97-33581 Filed 12-23-97; 8:45 am]
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