[Federal Register Volume 77, Number 135 (Friday, July 13, 2012)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Pages 41247-41248]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2012-17123]
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Rules and Regulations
Federal Register
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Federal Register / Vol. 77, No. 135 / Friday, July 13, 2012 / Rules
and Regulations
[[Page 41247]]
OFFICE OF PERSONNEL MANAGEMENT
5 CFR Part 532
RIN 3206-AM59
Prevailing Rate Systems; Abolishment of the Washington, DC,
Special Wage Schedule for Printing Positions
AGENCY: U.S. Office of Personnel Management.
ACTION: Interim rule with request for comments.
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SUMMARY: The U.S. Office of Personnel Management is issuing an interim
rule to abolish the Washington, DC, Federal Wage System (FWS) special
wage schedule for printing and lithographic positions. Printing and
lithographic employees in the Washington, DC, wage area will now be
paid from the regular Washington, DC, appropriated fund FWS wage
schedule. This change is necessary because Federal employment in
printing and lithographic occupations in the Washington, DC, wage area
has declined sharply in recent years, and a separate wage schedule is
no longer viable or beneficial to employees.
DATES: Effective date: This regulation is effective on July 13, 2012.
We must receive comments on or before August 13, 2012. Applicability
date: Agencies will place employees who are paid from the Washington,
DC, special wage schedule on the Washington, DC, regular wage schedule
on the first day of the first applicable pay period beginning on or
after October 21, 2012.
ADDRESSES: Send or deliver comments to Jerome D. Mikowicz, Deputy
Associate Director for Pay and Leave, Employee Services, U.S. Office of
Personnel Management, Room 7H31, 1900 E Street NW., Washington, DC
20415-8200; email [email protected]; or Fax: (202) 606-4264.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Madeline Gonzalez, (202) 606-2838;
email [email protected]; or Fax: (202) 606-4264.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The U.S. Office of Personnel Management
(OPM) is issuing an interim rule to abolish the Washington, DC, Federal
Wage System (FWS) special wage schedule for printing and lithographic
positions. The Department of Defense (DOD) recommended that we abolish
this special wage schedule because Federal employment in printing and
lithographic occupations in the Washington, DC, wage area has declined
sharply in recent years, from 235 employees in 2004 to 24 today. Of the
24 remaining employees, there are 20 nonsupervisory (XP), 2 leaders
(XL), and 2 supervisors (XS) employed by 10 agencies, and DOD expects
the decline to continue.
None of the 24 employees benefit from being paid from the special
printing schedule compared to what they would be paid under the regular
wage schedule for the Washington, DC, wage area. OPM regulations
provide that special printing schedules must have three step rates.
Section 532.279(g) of title 5, Code of Federal Regulations, provides
that no step 3 rate on a special printing schedule may be less than the
maximum rate of the corresponding grade on the regular wage schedule
for the wage area. This means that each step 3 printing survey rate is
compared to the step 5 regular schedule rate, and the higher rate for
each grade is selected for the special printing schedule. The step 3
rates for the first 10 XP and XL grades and all XS grades in the
special printing schedule are equal to the step 5 rates in the
Washington, DC, regular wage schedule. Although the remaining grades in
the XP and XL schedules are higher than the Washington, DC, regular
wage schedule step 5 rates, there are no employees in these remaining
grades.
Printing and lithographic employees will convert to the Washington,
DC, FWS regular wage schedule on a grade-by-grade basis. Each
employee's new rate of pay will be set at the step-rate for the
applicable grade of the regular wage schedule that equals the
employee's existing rate of pay. If an employee's existing rate of pay
falls between two steps on the regular schedule, the new rate will be
set at the higher of the two steps. If an employee's existing rate of
pay is higher than the highest rate for his or her grade on the regular
schedule, the employee will, if otherwise eligible, be entitled to pay
retention.
The Federal Prevailing Rate Advisory Committee, the national labor-
management committee that advises OPM on FWS pay matters, reviewed and
concurred by consensus with this change.
Since the special wage schedule for printing and lithographic
occupations in the Washington, DC, wage area was the sole special
printing schedule remaining, this interim rule removes section 532.279
from title 5, Code of Federal Regulations.
Waiver of Notice of Proposed Rulemaking and Delay in Effective Date
Pursuant to 5 U.S.C. 553(b)(3)(B), I find that good cause exists to
waive the 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 of proposed rulemaking is
being waived and the regulation is being made effective in less than 30
days because notice and comment on this matter is unnecessary. Federal
employment in printing and lithographic occupations in the Washington,
DC, wage area has declined sharply in recent years and is expected to
continue to decline until there are no printing and lithographic
employees left in the wage area; no affected employees will lose pay as
result of converting to the FWS regular wage schedule; and, requiring
DOD to conduct a full-scale wage survey for the diminishing number of
employees in printing and lithographic positions in the Washington, DC,
wage area in August 7, 2012, would be an unnecessary expenditure of
resources.
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.
[[Page 41248]]
U.S. Office of Personnel Management.
John Berry,
Director.
Accordingly, the U.S. Office of Personnel Management amends 5 CFR
part 532 as follows:
PART 532--PREVAILING RATE SYSTEMS
0
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.
Sec. 532.279 [Removed]
0
2. Remove Sec. 532.279.
[FR Doc. 2012-17123 Filed 7-12-12; 8:45 am]
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