97-33583. Prevailing Rate Systems; Abolishment of Kansas City, MO, Special Wage Schedule for Printing Positions  

  • [Federal Register Volume 62, Number 247 (Wednesday, December 24, 1997)]
    [Rules and Regulations]
    [Page 67258]
    From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
    [FR Doc No: 97-33583]
    
    
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    OFFICE OF PERSONNEL MANAGEMENT
    
    5 CFR Part 532
    
    RIN 3206-AI11
    
    
    Prevailing Rate Systems; Abolishment of Kansas City, MO, Special 
    Wage Schedule for Printing Positions
    
    AGENCY: Office of Personnel Management.
    
    ACTION: Interim rule with request for comments.
    
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    SUMMARY: The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) is issuing an interim 
    rule to abolish the Federal Wage System (FWS) special wage schedule for 
    printing positions in the Kansas City, Missouri, wage area. Printing 
    and lithographic employees in Kansas City will now be paid rates from 
    the regular Kansas City wage schedule.
    
    DATES: This interim rule becomes effective on January 4, 1998. Comments 
    must be received by January 23, 1998.
    
    ADDRESSES: Send or deliver comments to Donald J. Winstead, Assistant 
    Director for Compensation Administration, Workforce Compensation and 
    Performance Service, Office of Personnel Management, Room 7H31, 1900 E 
    Street NW., Washington, DC 20415, or FAX: (202) 606-4264.
    
    FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mark Allen at (202) 606-2848, or send 
    an email message to maallen@opm.gov.
    
    SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Department of Defense recommended to OPM 
    that the Kansas City, MO, special wage schedule for printing positions 
    be abolished and that the regular Kansas City wage schedule apply to 
    printing employees in the Kansas City wage area. This recommendation 
    was based on the fact that the number of employees paid from the 
    special schedule has declined in recent years from a total of about 70 
    employees in 1985 to a current total of about 30 employees. With the 
    reduced number of employees, it has become increasingly difficult to 
    comply with the requirement that workers paid from the special printing 
    schedule participate in the local wage survey process. A full-scale 
    special wage survey in the Kansas City wage area would require the 
    substantial work effort of contacting about 70 printing establishments 
    spread over 8 counties and would require the participation of about 10 
    percent of the employees who are paid from the special printing 
    schedule.
        Upon abolishment of the Kansas City special printing schedule, the 
    printing and lithographic employees will be converted to the regular 
    schedule for the Kansas City wage area on a grade-for-grade basis. An 
    employee's new rate of pay will be set at the rate for the step of the 
    applicable grade of the regular schedule that equals the employee's 
    existing scheduled rate of pay. When the existing rate falls between 
    two steps, an employee's new rate will be set at the rate for the 
    higher of those two steps. Pay retention provisions will apply for the 
    few employees not receiving increases upon conversion. This conversion 
    does not constitute an equivalent increase for within-grade increase 
    purposes.
        The Federal Prevailing Rate Advisory Committee, the statutory 
    national-level labor-management committee responsible for advising OPM 
    on matters concerning the pay of FWS employees, has reviewed and 
    concurred by consensus with this change.
        Pursuant to 5 U.S.C. 553(b)(3)(B), I find that good cause exists 
    for waiving the general notice of proposed rulemaking. Also, pursuant 
    to 5 U.S.C. 553(d)(3), I find that good cause exists for making this 
    rule effective in less than 30 days. The notice is being waived and the 
    regulation is being made effective in less than 30 days because a new 
    regular wage schedule will go into effect in the Kansas City wage area 
    on January 4, 1998, and employees currently paid from the special 
    printing schedule for the wage area would have received a wage 
    adjustment on that date had the Department of Defense been able to 
    conduct a special wage survey in the wage area in 1997.
    
    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.
    
    
    Sec. 532.279  [Amended]
    
        2. In Sec. 532.279, paragraph (j)(3) is removed, and paragraph 
    (j)(4) is redesignated as paragraph (j)(3).
    
    [FR Doc. 97-33583 Filed 12-23-97; 8:45 am]
    BILLING CODE 6325-01-P
    
    
    

Document Information

Effective Date:
1/4/1998
Published:
12/24/1997
Department:
Personnel Management Office
Entry Type:
Rule
Action:
Interim rule with request for comments.
Document Number:
97-33583
Dates:
This interim rule becomes effective on January 4, 1998. Comments must be received by January 23, 1998.
Pages:
67258-67258 (1 pages)
RINs:
3206-AI11: Prevailing Rate Systems; Abolishment of Kansas City, MO, Special Wage Schedule for Printing Positions
RIN Links:
https://www.federalregister.gov/regulations/3206-AI11/prevailing-rate-systems-abolishment-of-kansas-city-mo-special-wage-schedule-for-printing-positions
PDF File:
97-33583.pdf
CFR: (1)
5 CFR 532.279