[Federal Register: January 6, 2003 (Volume 68, Number 3)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Page 459-460]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr06ja03-1]
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Rules and Regulations
Federal Register
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This section of the FEDERAL REGISTER contains regulatory documents
having general applicability and legal effect, most of which are keyed
to and codified in the Code of Federal Regulations, which is published
under 50 titles pursuant to 44 U.S.C. 1510.
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[[Page 459]]
OFFICE OF PERSONNEL MANAGEMENT
5 CFR Part 532
RIN 3206-AJ64
Prevailing Rate Systems; Redefinition of the Scranton-Wilkes-
Barre, PA, Appropriated Fund Wage Area
AGENCY: Office of Personnel Management.
ACTION: Final rule.
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SUMMARY: The Office of Personnel Management is issuing a final rule to
redefine Tioga County, Pennsylvania, from the Scranton-Wilkes-Barre,
PA, appropriated fund Federal Wage System (FWS) wage area to the
Rochester, New York, FWS wage area. This redefinition will better
reflect economic trends in the area, which indicate that a linkage
exists between Tioga County and the Rochester wage area. The change
also will conform more accurately to the regulatory criteria we use to
define FWS wage areas.
DATES: Effective Date February 5, 2003. Affected employees will be
moved to the wage schedule for the Rochester wage area on the first day
of the first applicable pay period beginning on or after the effective
date of this final rule.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Chenty I. Carpenter at (202) 606-2838;
FAX at (202) 606-4264; or e-mail at cicarpen@opm.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On August 1, 2002, the Office of Personnel
Management (OPM) published a proposed rule to redefine Tioga County,
Pennsylvania, from the Scranton-Wilkes-Barre, PA, appropriated fund
Federal Wage System (FWS) wage area to the Rochester, New York, FWS
wage area (67 FR 49878). The proposed rule provided a 30-day period for
public comment, during which OPM received no comments.
Tioga County is currently an area of application in the Scranton-
Wilkes-Barre wage area. This change to redefine the county to the
Rochester wage area is necessary because economic trends indicate more
linkage between Tioga County and the Rochester survey area than between
Tioga County and the Scranton-Wilkes-Barre survey area.
OPM considers the following regulatory criteria in 5 CFR 532.211
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.
Based on our analysis of the regulatory criteria for defining
appropriated fund FWS wage areas, we find that Tioga County would be
more appropriately defined as part of the Rochester wage area. The
distance criterion favors the Rochester wage area more than the
Scranton-Wilkes-Barre wage area. The commuting patterns criterion
favors the Rochester wage area. An additional factor we considered was
that Tioga County is adjacent to the Rochester survey area, but not to
the Scranton-Wilkes-Barre survey area. This change will affect about 10
Department of the Army employees and 1 Department of the Interior
employee.
The Federal Prevailing Rate Advisory Committee (FPRAC), the
national labor-management committee that advises OPM on FWS pay
matters, recommended this change by consensus. Based on its review of
the regulatory criteria for defining FWS wage areas, FPRAC recommended
no other changes in the geographic definitions of the Rochester or
Scranton-Wilkes-Barre FWS wage areas.
Regulatory Flexibility Act
I certify that this regulation will not have a significant economic
impact on a substantial number of small entities because it affects
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.
Kay Coles James,
Director.
Accordingly, the Office of Personnel Management 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.
2. In appendix C to subpart B, the wage area listing for the State
of New York is amended by revising the listing for Rochester; and for
the State of Pennsylvania, by revising the listing for Scranton-Wilkes-
Barre, to read as follows:
Appendix C to Subpart B of Part 532--Appropriated Fund Wage and Survey
Areas
* * * * *
New York
* * * * *
Rochester
Survey Area
New York:
Livingston
Monroe
Ontario
Orleans
Steuben
Wayne
Area of Application. Survey Area Plus
New York:
Allegany
Chemung
Genesee
Schuyler
Seneca
Wyoming
Yates
Pennsylvania:
Tioga
* * * * *
Pennsylvania
* * * * *
Scranton-Wilkes-Barre
Survey Area
Pennsylvania:
Lackawanna
Luzerne
Monroe
[[Page 460]]
Area of Application. Survey Area Plus
Pennsylvania:
Bradford
Carbon
Lycoming (Excluding Allenwood Federal Prison Camp)
Pike
Sullivan
Susquehanna
Wayne
Wyoming
* * * * *
[FR Doc. 03-215 Filed 1-3-03; 8:45 am]
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