[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
________________________________________________________________________

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: <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#4f222e2e23232a210f203f2261282039"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="650804040909000b250a15084b020a13">[email protected]</span></a>.

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


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