Prevailing Rate Systems; Changes in Federal Wage System Survey Jobs

OFFICE OF PERSONNEL MANAGEMENT

5 CFR Part 532

RIN 3206-AH81

Prevailing Rate Systems; Changes in Federal Wage System Survey

Jobs

AGENCY: Office of Personnel Management.

ACTION: Final rule.

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SUMMARY: The Office of Personnel Management is issuing a final rule

that will change the Helper (Trades) WG-5 appropriated fund Federal

Wage System (FWS) survey job from required to optional, add the word

``Heavy'' to the name of the Janitor WG-2 FWS survey job, change the

title of the Warehouseman WG-5 survey job to Warehouse Worker WG-5, and

remove the Boiler Plant Operator WG-9 survey job from the list of

optional survey jobs. These changes are being made to make FWS survey

jobs more useful survey tools for local wage surveys.

DATES: This regulation is effective on January 10, 2000.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mark A. Allen, (202) 606-2848, FAX:

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

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On April 26, 1999, the Office of Personnel

Management (OPM) published a proposed rule (64 FR 20221) to make

changes in four Federal Wage System (FWS) survey jobs. The FWS is the

pay system for the Federal Government's blue-collar workforce. OPM is

engaged in an ongoing project to review the survey job descriptions

used by Federal agencies during FWS local wage surveys to determine

prevailing rates of pay for FWS employees.

In the past, the Helper (Trades) WG-5 survey job has produced

adequate data for use in calculating FWS pay rates in only about one-

quarter of the appropriated fund FWS wage areas. Because of this, we

are making its use optional rather than required. Also, we are adding

the word ``Heavy'' to the title of the Janitor WG-2 appropriated fund

FWS survey job. This will better distinguish the Janitor WG-2 survey

job from the Janitor (Light) WG-1 survey job. The Warehouseman WG-5

survey job title is changing to Warehouse Worker WG-5 to modernize the

Warehouseman WG-5 survey job title.

Finally, we are removing the Boiler Plant Operator WG-9 survey job

from the list of optional survey jobs. The Boiler Plant Operator WG-10

survey job will remain an optional survey job. This change is being

made because only 0.5 percent of FWS employment in WG-9 positions is

represented by this survey job, and matching private sector jobs only

at the WG-10 journey level will be more consistent with the other

survey jobs used in FWS wage surveys.

The Federal Prevailing Rate Advisory Committee, the national labor-

management committee responsible for advising OPM on matters concerning

the pay of FWS employees, has reviewed and concurred by consensus with

these changes. The proposed rule provided a 30-day public comment

period. We received no comments during this period.

E.O. 12866, Regulatory Review

This rule has been reviewed by the Office of Management and Budget

in accordance with E.O. 12866.

Regulatory Flexibility Act

I certify that these regulations will not have a significant

economic impact on a substantial number of small entities because they

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.

U.S. 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.

Sec. 532.217 [Amended]

2. In Sec. 532.217, the table in paragraph (a) is amended by adding

the word ``(Heavy)'' after the Job title ``Janitor'', by removing the

Job title Warehouseman and replacing it with ``Warehouse Worker'', by

removing the Job title and Job grade for ``Helper (Trades)'' and adding

it to the table in paragraph (c) after ``Light Vehicle Operator'' and

the table in paragraph (c) is also amended by removing the Job title

``Boiler Plant Operator'' and Job grade ``9''.

[FR Doc. 99-32067 Filed 12-9-99; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 6325-01-P