[Federal Register Volume 62, Number 247 (Wednesday, December 24, 1997)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Pages 67257-67258]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 97-33581]



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 Rules and Regulations
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  Federal Register / Vol. 62, No. 247 / Wednesday, December 24, 1997 / 
Rules and Regulations  

[[Page 67257]]


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OFFICE OF PERSONNEL MANAGEMENT

5 CFR Part 532

RIN 3206-AI06


Prevailing Rate Systems; Removal of Putnam, Richmond, and 
Rockland Counties, NY, and Monmouth County, NJ, from the New York, NY, 
Appropriated Fund Survey Area

AGENCY: Office of Personnel Management.

ACTION: Final rule.

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SUMMARY: The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) is issuing a final 
rule to remove Putnam, Richmond, and Rockland Counties, NY, and 
Monmouth County, NJ, from the survey area of the New York, NY, 
appropriated fund Federal Wage System wage area. The four counties will 
remain in the area of application of the New York, NY, wage area.

EFFECTIVE DATE: January 23, 1998.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mark Allen at (202) 606-2848, or send 
an email message to [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On November 3, 1997, OPM published a 
proposed rule to remove Putnam, Richmond, and Rockland Counties, NY, 
and Monmouth County, NJ, from the survey area of the New York, NY, 
appropriated fund Federal Wage System (FWS) wage area (62 FR 59300). 
The proposed rule provided a 30-day period for public comment, during 
which OPM received one comment. The comment was related to the 
definition of the Newburgh, NY, wage area--a matter previously decided 
by OPM following lengthy discussions at meetings of 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. The proposed rule is 
therefore being adopted as a final rule.
    When the FWS was established in 1972, the New York, NY, survey area 
was composed of Bronx, Kings, Nassau, New York, Queens, Richmond, 
Rockland, Suffolk, and Westchester Counties, NY; and Essex, Hudson, 
Morris, and Union Counties, NJ. In 1975, FPRAC agreed by consensus to 
recommend that the New York, NY, survey area be expanded to include 
Putnam County, NY; and Bergen, Middlesex, Monmouth, Passaic, and 
Somerset Counties, NJ. This change was made so as to include 100 
percent of the New York wage area's FWS employment in the New York, NY, 
survey area and to provide for a larger number of surveyable private 
industrial establishments.
    As the largest FWS survey--with a sample of more than 900 
industrial establishments--the New York, NY, FWS wage survey has become 
increasingly difficult to conduct because its logistical demands create 
unusual burdens on local agency activities already strained by 
downsizing and budget constraints. To reduce the logistical burdens of 
the New York, NY, FWS wage survey, OPM is removing Putnam, Richmond, 
and Rockland Counties, NY, and Monmouth County, NJ, from the New York, 
NY, survey area. Of the 19 counties in the New York, NY, survey area, 
OPM is removing these four counties from the survey area because their 
removal appears to offer the best means of reducing the logistical 
burdens of surveys in the New York, NY, wage area while least affecting 
the determination of prevailing rates for FWS employees in that wage 
area.
    The removal of these four counties from the New York, NY, FWS 
survey area leaves about 90 percent of the wage area's FWS employment 
in the New York, NY, survey area, and reduces the number of surveyable 
private industrial establishments in the New York, NY, survey universe 
by only about 4 percent. OPM also considered the possible removal of 
other counties from the New York survey area, but none appeared to 
offer as convincing a rationale for removal as do Putnam, Richmond, 
Rockland, or Monmouth Counties. FPRAC reviewed and concurred by 
consensus with this change.
    Because of a typographical error in appendix C to subpart B of 5 
CFR part 532, the wage area listing for the New York, NY, wage area 
follows immediately after the wage area listing for the Newburgh, NY, 
wage area without showing the title of the New York, NY, wage area. 
This final rule also corrects that inadvertent omission.

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.

Appendix C to Subpart B of Part 532 [Amended]

    2. Appendix C to subpart B is amended by revising the wage area 
listings for the Newburgh, New York, and New York, New York, wage areas 
to read as follows:

Appendix C to Subpart B of Part 532--Appropriated Fund Wage and Survey 
Areas

* * * * *

New York

* * * * *

Newburgh

Survey Area

New York:
    Dutchess
    Orange
    Ulster

Area of Application. Survey Area Plus

New York:
    Delaware
    Sullivan

[[Page 67258]]

New York

Survey Area

New York:
    Bronx
    Kings
    Nassau
    New York
    Queens
    Suffolk
    Westchester
New Jersey:
    Bergen
    Essex
    Hudson
    Middlesex
    Morris
    Passaic
    Somerset
    Union

Area of Application. Survey Area Plus

New York:
    Putnam
    Richmond
    Rockland
New Jersey:
    Monmouth
    Sussex
* * * * *
[FR Doc. 97-33581 Filed 12-23-97; 8:45 am]
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