[Federal Register Volume 63, Number 120 (Tuesday, June 23, 1998)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 34134-34135]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 98-16668]
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Proposed Rules
Federal Register
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This section of the FEDERAL REGISTER contains notices to the public of
the proposed issuance of rules and regulations. The purpose of these
notices is to give interested persons an opportunity to participate in
the rule making prior to the adoption of the final rules.
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Federal Register / Vol. 63, No. 120 / Tuesday, June 23, 1998 /
Proposed Rules
[[Page 34134]]
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Office of Personnel Management
5 CFR Part 532
RIN 3206-AI30
Prevailing Rate Systems; Redefinition of Philadelphia, PA, and
New York, NY, Appropriated Fund Wage Areas
AGENCY: Office of Personnel Management.
ACTION: Proposed rule with request for comments.
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SUMMARY: The Office of Personnel Management is issuing a proposed rule
that would redefine Ocean County, NJ, excluding the portion occupied by
the Fort Dix Military Reservation, from the area of application of the
Philadelphia, PA, appropriated fund Federal Wage System (FWS) wage area
to the area of application of the New York, NY, wage area. This
redefinition will more accurately reflect the transportation facilities
and commuting patterns criteria of Ocean County, NJ (excluding Fort Dix
Military Reservation).
DATES: Comments must be received by July 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) 606-0824.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mark A. Allen at (202) 606-2848, or e-
mail: maallen@opm.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) is
engaged in an ongoing project to review the geographic definitions of
selected Federal Wage System (FWS) appropriated fund wage areas. 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, has recommended by
majority vote that OPM redefine Ocean County, NJ, excluding the portion
occupied by the Fort Dix Military Reservation, from the area of
application of the Philadelphia, PA, appropriated fund FWS wage area to
the area of application of the New York, NY, wage area.
Section 532.211 of title 5, Code of Federal Regulations, lists the
following criteria that OPM considers when defining FWS wage area
boundaries:
(i) Distance, transportation facilities, and geographic features;
(ii) Commuting patterns; and
(iii) Similarities in overall population, employment, and the kinds
and sizes of private industrial establishments.
Ocean County is located in central New Jersey and is bordered by
Burlington County to the West and Monmouth County to the North. The
members of FPRAC studied the appropriate wage area definition of Ocean
County exhaustively. Based on their analysis of the regulatory
criteria, the management members of FPRAC found no compelling reason to
change the wage area designation of Ocean County. The labor members of
the Committee argued that the transportation facilities and commuting
patterns criteria favor placing Ocean County in the New York wage area.
After failing to reach consensus, the Committee voted to accept the
labor recommendation. The management members of FPRAC filed a minority
report in opposition to the FPRAC majority recommendation.
After careful consideration, OPM finds that it is appropriate to
accept the FPRAC recommendation in this case. The distance, geographic
features, and overall population, employment, and the kinds and sizes
of private industrial establishments criteria do not clearly favor
defining Ocean County to one wage area more than another. However, we
find that the transportation facilities and commuting patterns criteria
clearly favor defining Ocean County to the New York wage area rather
than to the Philadelphia wage area.
The largest employer of FWS workers in Ocean County is Lakehurst
Naval Air Station, although several other smaller employment sites
would be affected by the redefinition of Ocean County to the New York
wage area. Employees with official duty stations in the Fort Dix
Military Reservation portion of Ocean County would remain in the
Philadelphia wage area. Employees with official duty stations at
Lakehurst Naval Air Station and other facilities in Ocean County would
be redefined from the Philadelphia wage area to the New York wage area
on the first day of the first applicable pay period beginning on or
after 30 days after the issuance of a final regulation implementing
this proposed change.
Regulatory Flexibility Act
I certify that these regulations would not have a significant
economic impact on a substantial number of small entities because they
would 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 proposes to amend 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.
2. Appendix C to subpart B is amended by revising the wage area
listings for the New York, New York, and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania,
wage areas to read as follows:
Appendix C to Subpart B of Part 532--Appropriated Fund Wage and
Survey Areas
* * * * *
New York
* * * * *
New York
Survey Area
New York:
Bronx
Kings
Nassau
New York
Queens
Suffolk
Westchester
New Jersey:
Bergen
Essex
[[Page 34135]]
Hudson
Middlesex
Morris
Passaic
Somerset
Union
Area of Application. Survey Area Plus
New York:
Putnam
Richmond
Rockland
New Jersey:
Monmouth
Ocean (excluding the Fort Dix Military Reservation)
Sussex
* * * * *
Pennsylvania
* * * * *
Philadelphia
Survey Area
Pennsylvania:
Bucks
Chester
Delaware
Montgomery
Philadelphia
New Jersey:
Burlington
Camden
Gloucester
Area of Application. Survey Area Plus
Pennsylvania:
Lehigh
Northampton
New Jersey:
Atlantic
Cape May
Cumberland
Hunterdon
Mercer
Ocean (Fort Dix Military Reservation only)
Warren
* * * * *
[FR Doc. 98-16668 Filed 6-22-98; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6325-01-P
