Prevailing rate systems,

[Federal Register: May 18, 2005 (Volume 70, Number 95)]

[Proposed Rules]

[Page 28488-28489]

From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

[DOCID:fr18my05-26]

Proposed Rules Federal Register

This section of the FEDERAL REGISTER contains notices to the public of the proposed issuance of rules and regulations. The purpose of these notices is to give interested persons an opportunity to participate in the rule making prior to the adoption of the final rules.

[[Page 28488]]

OFFICE OF PERSONNEL MANAGEMENT

5 CFR Part 532

RIN 3206-AK83

Prevailing Rate Systems; Redefinition of the Central North Carolina Appropriated Fund Wage Area

AGENCY: Office of Personnel Management.

ACTION: Proposed rule with request for comments.

SUMMARY: The Office of Personnel Management is issuing a proposed rule that would redefine the geographic boundaries of the Central North Carolina Federal Wage System (FWS) appropriated fund wage area. The proposed rule would remove Edgecombe and Wilson Counties, NC, from the survey area and add Hoke County, NC, to the survey area. The redefinition of Edgecombe, Hoke, and Wilson Counties would align the geographic definition of the Central North Carolina wage area more closely with the regulatory criteria used to define FWS wage areas.

DATES: We must receive comments on or before June 17, 2005.

ADDRESSES: Send or deliver comments to Donald J. Winstead, Deputy Associate Director for Pay and Performance Policy, Strategic Human Resources Policy Division, Office of Personnel Management, Room 7H31, 1900 E Street, NW., Washington, DC 20415-8200; email pay-performance-policy@opm.gov; or FAX: (202) 606-4264.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Madeline Gonzalez, (202) 606-2838; email pay-performance-policy@opm.gov; or FAX: (202) 606-4264.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) is engaged in an ongoing project to review the geographic definitions of Federal Wage System (FWS) wage areas. OPM considers the following regulatory criteria under 5 CFR 532.211 when defining FWS wage area boundaries:

(i) Distance, transportation facilities, and geographic features;

(ii) Commuting patterns; and

(iii) Similarities in overall population, employment, and the kinds and sizes of private industrial establishments.

OPM reviewed each county in the Central North Carolina wage area and found that the area of application for the wage area is appropriately defined. As part of the review of wage area boundaries, OPM also considers whether the survey areas within each wage area should be changed. Based on an analysis of the regulatory criteria for defining FWS wage areas, OPM proposes to remove Edgecombe and Wilson Counties, NC, from the survey area because there are no FWS employees working in Edgecombe or Wilson Counties. Defining Edgecombe and Wilson Counties as part of the Central North Carolina area of application would allow FWS pay rates to reflect more closely the prevailing rates where FWS employees actually work. The amount of wage survey data obtained from Edgecombe and Wilson Counties has been relatively low in past surveys, with only about 15 percent of the Central North Carolina survey data during the last full-scale wage survey coming from private industrial establishments located in these two counties. Edgecombe and Wilson Counties would remain in the Central North Carolina area of application.

In addition, OPM proposes to add Hoke County to the Central North Carolina survey area. Hoke County is currently defined as part of the Central North Carolina area of application. While there are no FWS employees working in Hoke County, Fort Bragg, the Central North Carolina's host activity, extends into Hoke County. Also, Hoke County is one of the two counties of the Fayetteville, NC Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA). The other county of the Fayetteville, NC MSA, Cumberland County, is already defined as part of the Central North Carolina survey area.

These changes would be effective for the next full-scale wage survey in the Central North Carolina wage area, which is scheduled to begin in May 2006.

The Federal Prevailing Rate Advisory Committee (FPRAC), the national labor-management committee that advises OPM on FWS pay matters, reviewed and recommended these changes by consensus. Based on its review of the regulatory criteria for defining FWS wage areas, FPRAC recommended no other changes in the geographic definition of the Central North Carolina wage area.

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.

Office of Personnel Management. Dan G. Blair, Acting Director.

Accordingly, the Office of Personnel Management proposes to amend 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. In appendix C to subpart B, the wage area listing for the State of North Carolina is amended by revising the listing for Central North Carolina to read as follows:

    Appendix C to Subpart B of Part 532--Appropriated Fund Wage and Survey Areas

    North Carolina

    * * * * *

    Central North Carolina

    Survey Area

    North Carolina:

    Cumberland

    Durham

    Harnett

    Hoke

    Johnston

    Orange

    Wake

    Wayne

    Area of Application. Survey Area Plus:

    North Carolina:

    Alamance

    Bladen

    Caswell

    [[Page 28489]]

    Chatham

    Davidson

    Davie

    Edgecombe

    Franklin

    Forsyth

    Granville

    Guilford

    Halifax

    Lee

    Montgomery

    Moore

    Nash

    Northampton

    Person

    Randolph

    Richmond

    Robeson

    Rockingham

    Sampson

    Scotland

    Stokes

    Surry

    Vance

    Warren

    Wilson

    Yadkin South Carolina:

    Dillon

    Marion

    Marlboro * * * * *

    [FR Doc. 05-9894 Filed 5-17-05; 8:45 am]

    BILLING CODE 6325-39-P

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