Prevailing Rate Systems; Abolishment of Cook, IL, Nonappropriated Fund Wage Area

SUMMARY: The Office of Personnel Management is issuing interim

regulations to abolish the Cook, IL, nonappropriated fund (NAF) Federal

Wage System wage area and add Cook County, IL, as an area of

application to the Lake, IL, NAF wage area for pay-setting purposes. No

employee's wage rate will be reduced as a result of this change.

DATES: This interim rule becomes effective on November 23, 1994.

Comments must be received by December 23, 1994. Employees paid rates

from the Cook, IL, NAF wage schedule will continue to be paid from that

schedule until their conversion to the Lake, IL, NAF wage schedule

effective on December 5, 1994.

ADDRESSES: Send or deliver comments to Donald J. Winstead, Acting

Assistant Director for Compensation Policy, Personnel Systems and

Oversight Group, U.S. Office of Personnel Management, Room 6H31, 1900 E

Street NW., Washington, DC 20415.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Paul Shields, (202) 606-2848.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Department of Defense recommended to the

Office of Personnel Management that the Cook, IL, NAF wage area be

abolished and that Cook County be assigned to another wage area. With

the scheduled 1995 closing of the host installation, Naval Air Station,

Glenview, IL, there will no longer be a local activity with the

capability to do the survey. There will, however, still be about 44 NAF

employees in Cook County.

The provisions of 5 CFR 532.219 list the following criteria for

consideration when two or more counties are to be combined to

constitute a single wage area:

(1) Proximity of largest activity in each county;

(2) Transportation facilities and commuting patterns; and

(3) Similarities of the counties in:

(i) Overall population;

(ii) Private employment in major industry categories; and

(iii) Kinds and sizes of private industrial establishments.

These criteria are discussed in turn below.

Lake County, IL, is much closer to Cook County than any other NAF

wage area. Distances from Naval Air Station, Glenview, IL, to the host

activities of the surrounding wage areas are as follows: Great Lakes

Naval Training Center, Lake County, 35 km (22 miles); Rock Island

Arsenal, Rock Island County, 285 km (177 miles); Fort Benjamin

Harrison, Marion County, IN, 325 km (202 miles); and Scott Air Force

Base, St. Clair County, 509 km (316 miles).

Transportation facilities and commuting patterns show Cook County

to be much more closely associated with Lake County than the other NAF

wage areas. Transportation facilities consist of interstate highways

providing access from Glenview to each of the surrounding wage areas.

An analysis of 1990 commuting patterns data indicates that 2,356,264

workers live in Cook County. Of these, 2,148,226 (91 percent) also work

in Cook County. Of the counties under consideration, more Cook

residents (39,585) commute to work in Lake County than any of the

others. Only 211 Cook County residents commute to Marion County, IN,

and none commute to Rock Island or St. Clair Counties.

The overall populations of Marion County (797,159) and Lake County

(516,418) are much smaller than Cook County (5,105,067) but are more

similar to Cook County than either Rock Island County (148,723) or St.

Clair County (262,852).

In terms of private industry employment in major industry

categories and kinds and sizes of private industry establishments, Cook

County more closely resembles Marion County, followed by Lake County,

and least resembles Rock Island and St. Clair Counties.

In summary, proximity, transportation facilities, and commuting

patterns strongly favor assigning Cook County to the Lake, IL, NAF wage

area. In terms of population, employment, and industry, none of the

candidate areas is very similar to Cook County. However, Marion County,

with the largest population and employment of the areas reviewed, is

the most similar, and Lake County is the next most similar. On balance,

evaluation under the criteria favor the definition of Cook County to

the Lake, IL, NAF wage area.

The Federal Prevailing Rate Advisory Committee reviewed this

recommendation and by consensus recommended approval.

Employees paid rates from the Cook, IL, NAF wage schedule will be

converted to the Lake, IL, NAF wage schedule on December 5, 1994, the

date the current Cook, IL, NAF wage schedule would have been superseded

were the Cook wage area not abolished.

Pursuant to 5 U.S.C. 553(b)(3)(B), I find that good cause exists

for waiving the general notice of proposed rulemaking. Also, pursuant

to section 553(d)(3) of title 5, United States Code, 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 preparations for the October 1994 Cook survey

must otherwise begin immediately.

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.

U.S. Office of Personnel Management.

James B. King,

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 D to Subpart B of Part 532 [Amended]

2. In Appendix B to the subpart B, the listing for the State of

Illinois is amended by removing the entry for Cook.

3. Appendix D to subpart B is amended by removing the wage area

list for Cook, Illinois, and by revising the list for Lake, Illinois,

to read as follows:

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

Survey Areas

* * * * *

Illinois

Lake

Survey area

Illinois:

Lake

Area of application. Survey area plus:

Illinois:

Cook\1\

Wisconsin:

Dane

Milwaukee

\1\Effective date December 5, 1994.

* * * * *

[FR Doc. 94-28856 Filed 11-22-94; 8:45 am]

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