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

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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