[Federal Register: December 24, 1997 (Volume 62, Number 247)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Page 67258]
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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