[Federal Register Volume 65, Number 40 (Tuesday, February 29, 2000)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Pages 10673-10674]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 00-4688]



 ========================================================================
 Rules and Regulations
                                                 Federal Register
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
 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.
 
 The Code of Federal Regulations is sold by the Superintendent of Documents. 
 Prices of new books are listed in the first FEDERAL REGISTER issue of each 
 week.
 
 ========================================================================
 

  Federal Register / Vol. 65, No. 40 / Tuesday, February 29, 2000 / 
Rules and Regulations  

[[Page 10673]]



OFFICE OF PERSONNEL MANAGEMENT

5 CFR Part 532

RIN 3206-AJ00


Prevailing Rate Systems; Abolishment of the Franklin, PA, 
Nonappropriated Fund Wage Area

AGENCY: Office of Personnel Management.

ACTION: Interim rule with request for comments.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: The Office of Personnel Management is issuing an interim rule 
that will abolish the Franklin, PA, nonappropriated fund (NAF) Federal 
Wage System (FWS) wage area and redefine Franklin and Blair Counties, 
PA, to the Cumberland, PA, NAF FWS wage area. The abolishment of the 
Franklin, PA, wage area is necessary because of the recent downsizing 
at the Franklin, PA, wage area's host installation, Letterkenny Army 
Depot. This downsizing left the Department of Defense without an 
installation in the survey area capable of hosting local wage surveys 
in the wage area.

DATES: Effective date: This interim rule is effective on February 29, 
2000. Applicability date: FWS employees remaining in Franklin and Blair 
Counties, PA, will be transferred to the Cumberland, PA, NAF wage area 
schedule on the first day of the first applicable pay period beginning 
on or after March 16, 2000. Comments must be received by March 30, 
2000.

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: Jennifer Hopkins by phone at (202) 
606-2848, by FAX at (202) 606-0824, or by email at [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Franklin, PA, nonappropriated fund (NAF) 
Federal Wage System (FWS) wage area is presently composed of one survey 
county, Franklin County, and one area of application county, Blair 
County, PA. Under section 532.219(b) of title 5, Code of Federal 
Regulations, NAF wage areas are established when there are a minimum of 
26 NAF wage employees in the survey area, the local activity has the 
capability to host annual local wage surveys, and there are within the 
survey area a minimum of 1,800 private enterprise employees in 
establishments within survey specifications. Although there are 
approximately 26 NAF FWS employees stationed in the Franklin wage area, 
downsizing at the Franklin, PA, wage area's host activity, Letterkenny 
Army Depot, left the Department of Defense (DOD) without an activity in 
the survey area with the capability to conduct local NAF wage surveys 
in the wage area. DOD recommended that the Office of Personnel 
Management (OPM) abolish the Franklin, PA, NAF wage area, and redefine 
its counties as area of application counties to the Cumberland, PA, NAF 
wage area. The Cumberland, PA, wage area will be composed of one survey 
county, Cumberland County, PA, and two area of application counties, 
Blair and Franklin Counties, PA.
    When defining NAF wage areas, OPM evaluates several factors under 5 
CFR 532.219. OPM considers the following criteria when defining NAF 
wage area boundaries:
    (i) Proximity of largest activity in each county;
    (ii) Transportation facilities and commuting patterns; and
    (iii) Similarities of the counties in :
    (A) Overall population;
    (B) Private employment in major industry categories; and
    (C) Kinds and sizes of private industrial establishments.
    For Franklin County, the closest major Federal installation to 
Letterkenny Army Depot is Carlisle Barracks in Cumberland, PA. 
Letterkenny Army Depot is approximately 50 km (31 miles) from Carlisle 
Barracks. Commuting patterns indicate that approximately 5 percent of 
the Franklin County, PA, resident workforce commutes into Cumberland 
County, PA. Transportation facilities consist of major Interstate and 
State highways and do not favor one county more than another. Also, a 
review of the similarities of the counties in terms of overall 
population, employment, and kinds and sizes of industrial 
establishments does not favor one county more than another.
    For Blair County, the closest major Federal installation to the 
Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Altoona, is the U.S. 
Army Support Element in Allegheny County, PA. The VA Medical Center is 
approximately 175 km (109 miles) from the U.S. Army Support Element. 
However, the VA Medical Center is approximately 190 km (118 miles) from 
Carlisle Barracks. Commuting patterns were indeterminate. 
Transportation facilities consist of major Interstate and State 
highways and do not favor one county more than another.
    Also, a review of the similarities of the counties in terms of 
overall population, employment, and kinds and sizes of industrial 
establishments did favor Cumberland County, PA. Therefore, OPM finds 
that Blair County best fits with Cumberland County because the 
proximity and commuting patterns criteria offered no convincing 
evidence for combining Blair County with the Allegheny wage area, but 
demographic and economic statistics show that Blair County is more 
similar to the Cumberland, PA, wage area.
    Based on an analysis of these regulatory criteria, OPM is 
abolishing the Franklin, PA, NAF FWS wage area and redefining its 
counties as area of application counties to the Cumberland, PA, NAF FWS 
wage area. FWS employees remaining in the Franklin wage area will be 
transferred to the Cumberland, PA, wage area schedule on the first day 
of the first applicable pay period beginning on or after March 16, 
2000. The Federal Prevailing Rate Advisory Committee, the national 
labor-management committee responsible for advising OPM on matters 
concerning the pay of FWS employees, has reviewed and concurred by 
consensus with these changes.

Waiver of Notice of Proposed Rulemaking

    Pursuant to section 553(b)(3)(B) of title 5, United States Code, I 
find that good cause exists for waiving the

[[Page 10674]]

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 of the need to 
transfer the remaining NAF FWS employees in Franklin and Blair Counties 
to a continuing wage area as soon as possible.

Regulatory Flexibility Act

    I certify that this regulation will not have a significant economic 
impact on a substantial number of small entities because it will 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.

U.S. Office of Personnel Management.
Janice R. Lachance,
Director.

    Accordingly, the Office of Personnel Management amends 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 B to subpart B of part 532 is amended for the State of 
Pennsylvania by removing the entry for ``Franklin''.

    3. Appendix D to subpart B is amended by removing the wage area 
listing for Franklin, Pennsylvania, and revising the wage area listing 
for Cumberland, Pennsylvania, to read as follows:

Appendix D to Subpart B of Part 532--Nonappropriated Fund Wage and 
Survey Areas

                  *        *        *        *        *
                              PENNSYLVANIA
 
                  *        *        *        *        *
                               CUMBERLAND
 
                               Survey Area
 
Pennsylvania: Cumberland
 
                 Area of Application. Survey area plus:
 
Pennsylvania: Blair, Franklin
 

[FR Doc. 00-4688 Filed 2-28-00; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6325-01-P