Prevailing Rate Systems; Definition of Napa County, CA, to a Nonappropriated Fund Wage Area

OFFICE OF PERSONNEL MANAGEMENT

5 CFR Part 532

RIN 3206-AI86

Prevailing Rate Systems; Definition of Napa County, CA, to a

Nonappropriated Fund Wage Area

AGENCY: Office of Personnel Management.

ACTION: Interim rule with request for comments.

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SUMMARY: The Office of Personnel Management is issuing an interim rule

that will define Napa County, California, as an area of application to

the Solano, CA, nonappropriated fund (NAF) Federal Wage System (FWS)

wage area. This change is necessary because there will be NAF FWS

employees stationed in Napa County, and the county is not currently

defined to an NAF wage area.

DATES: This interim rule is effective on December 15, 1999. Comments

must be received by December 15, 1999.

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, (202) 606-2848, FAX:

(202) 606-0824, or email: [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) is redefining the Solano,

California, Federal Wage System (FWS) nonappropriated fund (NAF) wage

area to add Napa County, CA, as an area of application. The Army and

Air Force Exchange Service (AAFES) recently acquired the Yountville

Retail Facility located in Napa County and plans to staff the new

activity with approximately eight employees, two of whom will be paid

under the FWS. Under section 532.219 of title 5, Code of Federal

Regulations, each NAF wage area ``shall consist of one or more survey

areas, along with nonsurvey areas, having nonappropriated fund

employees.'' Currently, the Solano wage area consists of one survey

county, Solano County, and two areas of application counties, Marin and

Sonoma Counties, CA.

Section 532.219 of title 5, Code of Federal Regulations, lists the

regulatory criteria that OPM considers when defining FWS 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.

Based on an analysis of the regulatory criteria for defining NAF

wage areas, OPM is defining Napa County, CA, as an area of application

to the Solano, CA, NAF FWS wage area. The Federal Prevailing Rate

Advisory Committee, the national labor-management committee responsible

for advising OPM on matters concerning the pay of FWS employees,

reviewed and concurred by consensus with this change.

Napa County does not meet the regulatory criteria under 5 CFR

532.219 to be established as a separate NAF wage area; however,

nonsurvey counties may be combined with a survey area to form a wage

area. Therefore, Napa County will be defined as an area of application

to an existing NAF wage area. The closest major Federal installation to

Yountville is Travis Air Force Base (AFB) in the Solano survey area.

Travis AFB has approximately 444 NAF FWS employees. Yountville is

approximately 43 km (27 miles) from Travis AFB. Commuting patterns,

which indicate that 11 percent of the Napa County resident workforce

commutes to work in the Solano survey area, favor the Solano wage area.

Transportation facilities consist of major interstates and highways and

do not favor one wage area more than another.

A review of employment and kinds and sizes of industrial

establishments shows that the Solano survey area is composed of a

moderately sized population and workforce that most closely resembles

Napa County. The Solano survey area also has a similar distribution of

employment in surveyable industries to Napa County, with a high

proportion of employment in the services sector.

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 general notice of proposed

rulemaking. The notice is being waived because it is necessary to

define Napa County, CA, to an NAF wage area as soon as possible to set

pay for new FWS employees.

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.

Office of Personnel Management.

Janice R. Lachance,

Director.

Accordingly, the Office of Personnel Management 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.

2. Appendix D to subpart B is amended by revising the wage area

listing for the Solano, California, wage area to read as follows:

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

Survey Areas

* * * * *

CALIFORNIA

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[[Page 61770]]

SOLANO

Survey Area

California:

Solano

Area of Application. Survey area plus:

California:

Marin

Napa

Sonoma

* * * * *

[FR Doc. 99-29686 Filed 11-12-99; 8:45 am]

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