[Federal Register: August 1, 2002 (Volume 67, Number 148)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Page 49878-49879]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr01au02-21]
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Proposed Rules
Federal Register
________________________________________________________________________
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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[[Page 49878]]
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: Proposed rule.
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SUMMARY: The Office of Personnel Management is issuing 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. This redefinition would reflect
economic trends in the area that indicate a linkage exists between
Tioga County and the Rochester wage area and would more accurately
conform to the regulatory criteria we use to define FWS wage areas.
DATES: We must receive comments by September 3, 2002.
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 20415-8200, or FAX: (202) 606-4264.
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: The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) is
proposing to redefine Tioga County, Pennsylvania, from the Scranton-
Wilkes-Barre, PA, Federal Wage System (FWS) wage area to the Rochester,
NY, FWS wage area. Tioga County is currently an area of application in
the Scranton-Wilkes-Barre wage area. This change is necessary because
economic trends indicate more linkage between Tioga County and the
Rochester survey area than to the Scranton-Wilkes-Barre survey area.
OPM considers the following regulatory criteria under 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 is
that Tioga County is adjacent to the Rochester survey area, but not to
the Scranton-Wilkes-Barre survey area. This change would affect about
10 employees in the Department of the Army and 1 employee in the
Department of the Interior. These employees would be placed on the wage
schedule for the Rochester wage area on the first day of the first
applicable pay period beginning on or after 30 days following
publication of the final regulations.
The Federal Prevailing Rate Advisory Committee (FPRAC), the
national labor-management committee that advises OPM on FWS pay
matters, reviewed and concurred by consensus with this change. 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 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.
Kay Coles James,
Director.
Accordingly, the Office of Personnel Management 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. 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
Area of Application. Survey area plus:
Pennsylvania:
[[Page 49879]]
Bradford
Carbon
Lycoming (Excluding Allenwood Federal Prison Camp)
Pike
Sullivan
Susquehanna
Wayne
Wyoming
* * * * *
[FR Doc. 02-19460 Filed 7-31-02; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6325-39-P