[Federal Register Volume 70, Number 127 (Tuesday, July 5, 2005)]
[Notices]
[Pages 38732-38733]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 05-13071]


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OFFICE OF PERSONNEL MANAGEMENT


Personnel Demonstration Project; Alternative Personnel Management 
System for the U.S. Department of Commerce

AGENCY: Office of Personnel Management.

ACTION: Notice of modification to the Department of Commerce Personnel 
Management Demonstration Project.

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SUMMARY: The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) has authority to 
conduct demonstration projects that experiment with new and different 
human resources management concepts to determine whether changes in 
policies and procedures result in improved Federal human resources 
management. OPM approved a demonstration project covering several 
operating units of the U.S. Department of Commerce (DoC). OPM must 
approve all modifications to approved demonstration project plans. This 
notice proposes to further expand the coverage of the demonstration 
project to include two bargaining units contained within organizations 
already included in the project. This notice also announces the 
realignment of the Space Environment Center (SEC), Boulder, Colorado, 
from the Office of Atmospheric Research (OAR) of the National Oceanic 
and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to the National Weather Service 
(NWS) of NOAA located in Boulder, Colorado. This notice also adds 
several new occupational series used in the project and identifies 
changes to the Federal Register notice document Volume 68, Number 180, 
on page 54506, dated Wednesday, September 17, 2003. These changes do 
not require waivers.

DATES: This notice modifying the DoC Demonstration Project may be 
implemented upon publication.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Department of Commerce: Joan 
Jorgenson, U.S. Department of Commerce, 14th and Constitution Avenue, 
NW., Room 5014, Washington, DC 20230, (202) 482-4233. Office of 
Personnel Management: Jill Rajaee, U.S. Office of Personnel Management, 
1900 E Street, NW., Room 7667, Washington, DC 20415, (202) 606-0836.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

1. Background

    The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) approved the Department of 
Commerce (DoC) Demonstration Project and published the final plan in 
the Federal Register Volume 62, Number 247, Part II, on Wednesday, 
December 24, 1997. The project was implemented on March 29, 1998, and 
modified in the Federal Register on Thursday, September 30, 1999, 
Volume 64, Number 189 (Notices)(Pages 52810-52812) and on Tuesday, 
August 12, 2003, Volume 68, Number 155 (Notices)(Pages 47948-47949). 
OPM approved a request to extend the DoC Demonstration Project for five 
years as stated in an administrative letter from OPM, dated February 
14, 2003. The project was approved for expansion in Federal Register 
notice Volume 68, Number 180, dated Wednesday, September 17, 2003 
(Notices) (Pages 54505-54507) to include an additional 1,505 employees.

    Authority: 5 U.S.C. 4703; 5 CFR 470.31.5.

    Office of Personnel Management.
Dan G. Blair,
Acting Director.

Table of Contents

I. Executive Summary
II. Basis for Project Plan Modification
III. Changes to the Project Plan

I. Executive Summary

    The Department of Commerce (DoC) Demonstration Project utilizes 
many features similar to those implemented by the National Institute of 
Standards and Technology (NIST) demonstration project in 1988. The DoC 
Demonstration Project supports several key objectives: To simplify the 
classification system for greater flexibility in classifying work and 
paying employees; to establish a performance management and rewards 
system for improving individual and organizational performance; and to 
improve recruitment and retention to attract highly qualified 
candidates. The project is designed to test whether the interventions 
of the NIST project, which is now a permanent alternative personnel 
system, could be successful in other DoC environments. The current 
participating organizations include the Office of the Chief Financial 
Officer and Assistant Secretary for Administration (CFO/ASA), the 
Technology Administration, the Bureau of Economic Analysis, the 
Institute for Telecommunication Sciences, and three units of the 
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration: Office of Oceanic and 
Atmospheric Research, National Marine Fisheries Service, and the 
National Environmental Satellite, Data, and Information Service.

II. Basis for Project Plan Modification

    (1) Employees of two bargaining units within the Office of the 
Chief Financial Officer and Assistant Secretary for Administration 
(CFO/ASA) have requested participation in the DoC Demonstration 
Project. The Washington Printing and Graphic Communications Union 
(WPGC), Local 1-C of the Graphic Communications International Union, 
AFL-CIO, has requested inclusion. This unit consists of all employees 
engaged in printing and production work, in the Publications and 
Graphics Division, Office of Administrative Services (OAS), located in 
Washington, DC. The American Federation of Government Employees, Local 
2186, AFL-CIO, has requested inclusion. This unit consists of Police 
Officers and Security Guards in the Office of Security (OSY), located 
in Boulder, Colorado. Appropriate consultations have been conducted 
with officials of both locals, and all employees have received a 
specific briefing on the demonstration project. Management will also 
notify the employee organizations representing these employees and 
provide all employees with a copy of this Federal Register notice upon 
publication.
    (2) The Space Environment Center (SEC) currently consists of 50 
employees who are participating in the project whose duty location is 
Boulder, Colorado. The SEC is an organizational component of the Office 
of Atmospheric Research (OAR), which is a component of the National 
Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). In order to improve 
organizational efficiency, NOAA realigned the SEC from OAR to the 
National Weather Service (NWS), another organizational component of 
NOAA. The duty location of these employees remains Boulder, Colorado. 
Appropriate consultations with the National Weather Service Employees 
Organization (NWSEO) were conducted. All employees of the Space 
Environment Center have received a specific briefing on this 
realignment of the demonstration project. Management also notified the 
employee organizations representing these employees and will provide 
all employees with a copy of this Federal Register notice upon 
publication.
    No other organizational components of NWS are participating in the 
project. The SEC remains a separate and distinct organization 
consisting solely of employees participating in the project.
    (3) In the Federal Register notice Volume 68, Number 180, on page 
54506,

[[Page 38733]]

dated Wednesday, September 17, 2003, the following corrections are 
noted:
    On page 54506, in C. Changes to the Plan (1) Section II. E: 
Participating Employees, move the series 0083, Police, and the series 
0085, Security Guard, from the Administrative (ZA) Career Path to the 
Support (ZS) Career Path. Move the series 0350, Equipment Operator, 
from the Scientific and Engineering Technician (ZT) Career Path to the 
Support (ZS) Career Path. Move the series 0150, Geography, and the 
series 0170, History, from the Administrative (ZA) Career Path to the 
Scientific and Engineering (ZP) Career Path. Move the series 0963, 
Legal Instruments Examining, from the Administrative (ZA) Career Path 
to the Support (ZS) Career Path.
    The changes to the placement of these series in different career 
paths will have no impact on the pay, series, or pay band 
classification of employees in these series. Employees have been 
notified of these changes, and management will provide a copy of this 
approved Federal Register notice to the affected employees and to the 
employee organizations representing these employees.

III. Changes to the Project Plan

    The following discussion refers readers to the substantive changes 
to the project plan.
    (1) Section II. D. Participating Organizations. Add:

National Weather Service (NWS) to the participating organizations on 
behalf of the 50 reorganized employees.

    DoC has realigned an organization within the Office of Atmospheric 
Research (OAR) containing 50 employees already included in the DoC 
Demonstration Project to NWS. This realignment will not increase the 
total number of employees covered by the DoC Demonstration Project 
beyond the 5,000 statutory limit. The total number of employees 
currently covered by the project is 4,285.
    NWS, a major subcomponent of NOAA, provides weather, hydrologic, 
and climate forecasts and warnings for the United States, its 
territories, adjacent waters, and ocean areas, for the protection of 
life and property and the enhancement of the national economy. NWS data 
and products form a national information database and infrastructure 
which can be used by other Governmental agencies, the private sector, 
the public, and the global community.
    The dominant occupation within NWS is Meteorologist. Other key 
occupations are Meteorologist Technician, Physical Scientist, and 
Hydrologist.
    (2) Section II. E: Participating Employees.
    The following bargaining units are added to Table 4--Bargaining 
Unit Coverage.

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         Operating unit               Location           Union local
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CFO/ASA........................  Boulder, Co.......  AFGE 2186
CFO/ASA........................  Washington, DC....  WPGC 1-C
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    (3) Section II. E: Participating Employees
    The following series are added to Table 2.

                     Administrative (ZA) Career Path
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0132...................................  Intelligence Series.
0299...................................  Human Resources Management
                                          Student Trainee Series.
1099...................................  Information and Arts Student
                                          Trainee Series.
1199...................................  Business and Industry Student
                                          Trainee Series.
1499...................................  Library and Archives Student
                                          Trainee Series.
1699...................................  Equipment and Facilities
                                          Management Student Trainee.
1899...................................  Investigation Student Trainee
                                          Series.
2099...................................  Supply Student Trainee Series.
2199...................................  Transportation Student Trainee
                                          Series.
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[FR Doc. 05-13071 Filed 7-1-05; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6325-43-P