Compensation and Working Conditions (17.005)

Program

17.005 Compensation and Working Conditions

Federal Agency

Agency: Department of Labor
Office: Bureau of Labor Statistics

Authorization

Public Laws 62-426, 71-537, 91-596 and 94-206, 29 U.S.C. 1-2; 29 U.S.C. 2b; 29 U.S.C. 4; 5 U.S.C. 5305; 29 U.S.C. 651; 29 U.S.C. 673.

Program Number

17.005

Last Known Status

Active

Objectives

To provide timely and relevant data on levels and trends in wages; employee benefits; occupational safety and health; and work stoppages.

Types of Assistance

DISSEMINATION OF TECHNICAL INFORMATION; PROJECT GRANTS

Uses and Use Restrictions

This program provides the following information: (A) trend data on employee wages and compensation; (B) occupational wage data in about 150 localities nationwide and studies of employee benefits plans; (C) national and State data on occupational injuries, illness and fatalities; and (D) information on work stoppages. It also makes available funds in the form of cooperative agreements to State agencies or designated local governments for collection of data on occupational injuries, illnesses, and fatalities. The Occupational Safety and Health Statistics program authorizes funds on a matching basis to States or local governments to assist them in developing and administering programs.

Eligibility Requirements

Applicant Eligibility

State agencies or designated local governments are eligible to apply for cooperative agreement funding to share costs in operating statistical programs dealing with occupational safety and health statistics. Request for copies of published studies and reports may be made by the general public.

Beneficiary Eligibility

General public.

Credentials/Documentation

No Credentials or documentation are required. OMB Circular No. A-87 applies to this program.

Application and Award Process

Preapplication Coordination

Preapplication coordination is not applicable. Environmental impact information is not required for this program. This program is excluded from coverage under E.O. 12372.

Application Procedure

OMB Circular No. A-102 applies to this program. OMB Circular No. A-110 applies to this program. Requests for information may be made to the nearest regional office of the Bureau of Labor Statistics listed in Appendix IV of the catalog. Applications for cooperative agreement funding are submitted to the appropriate regional office of the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Award Procedure

Upon submission of an acceptable application and after negotiation of specific program deliverables and costs, the Bureau of Labor Statistics awards cooperative agreement funding to the State or local government.

Deadlines

Contact the headquarters or regional office, as appropriate, for application deadlines.

Range of Approval/Disapproval Time

From 60 to 90 days. The typical process would include guidelines and application material being mailed to State or local government in early summer, with initial drafts required by mid- summer, and final applications due by late summer. Cooperative agreements are executed by early-September and become effective October 1.

Appeals

Not Applicable.

Renewals

Each fiscal year the Bureau of Labor Statistics enters into new cooperative agreements with appropriate State or local governments.

Assistance Considerations

Formula and Matching Requirements

This program has no statutory formula.

This program has no matching requirements.

This program does not have MOE requirements.

Length and Time Phasing of Assistance

Cooperative agreement funding generally is for a single fiscal year. Method of awarding/releasing assistance: quarterly.

Post Assistance Requirements

Reports

Cooperative agreements with State or local government specify quarterly financial reports and periodic program reports. Cash reports are not applicable. Progress reports are not applicable. No expenditure reports are required. No performance monitoring is required.

Audits

This program is excluded from coverage under OMB Circular No. A-133. In accordance with the provisions of OMB Circular No. A-133 (Revised, in Federal Register June 27, 2003), "Audits of States, Local Governments, and Non-Profit Organizations," nonfederal entities that expend financial assistance of $500,000 or more in Federal awards shall have a single or a program-specific audit conducted for that year. Nonfederal entities that expend less than $500,000 a year in Federal awards are exempt from Federal audit requirements for that year, except as noted in Circular No. A-133.

Records

Recordkeeping is in accordance with 29 CFR 97 (implementing OMB Circulars No. A-102 and No. A-110).

Program Accomplishments

Fiscal Year 2008: No Current Data Available Fiscal Year 2009: The Office of Compensation and Working Conditions (OCWC) produces statistics in the areas of employee compensation, working conditions, and safety and health. Major programs within OCWC include the National Compensation Survey (NCS) and Occupational Safety and Health Statistics (OSHS). The NCS program provides comprehensive measures of occupational wages, employment cost trends, benefit incidence, and detailed benefit plan provisions. Throughout the year the NCS program published data on occupational earnings for metropolitan and non-metropolitan areas, broad geographic regions, and on a national basis. The index component of the NCS, the Employment Cost Index (ECI), measures changes in labor costs and was published quarterly. Average hourly employer costs were also presented quarterly by the NCS in the Employer Costs Index for Employee Compensation (ECEC). The OSH program produces data on illnesses and injuries on the job and data on worker fatalities. The Survey Occupational Injuries and Illnesses (SOII) within the OSHS program produced annual statistics on nonfatal occupational injuries and illnesses including industry counts and frequency rates as well as information on the characteristics of cases and affected workers for nonfatal injuries and illnesses requiring days away from work. Fatality data come from the Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries (CFOI data were also produced for metropolitan areas. Fiscal Year 2010: No Current Data Available

Financial Information

Account Identification

16-0200-0-1-505.

Obligations

(Salaries) FY 08 $82,147,990; FY 09 est $86,881,000; FY 10 est $88,151,000 - (Grants) FY 08 $5,911,735; FY 09 est $6,574,000; FY 10 est $6,574,000.

Range and Average of Financial Assistance

The size of each cooperative agreement reflects the staff and nonpersonal resources required to operate the program. The range of awards in fiscal year 2008 is from $4,100 (Idaho) to $642,100 (California). The average is $111,542.

Regulations, Guidelines and Literature

NCS national news releases on Employee Benefits in the U.S., the Employment Costs Index, and Employer Costs for Employee Compensation; NCS regional news releases on compensation data for localities and metropolitan area Employment Costs Index data; NCS publications on wages at the national level, census division level, and localities; NCS publications on benefits at the national level; monthly releases on Major Work Stoppages and an annual summary; OSHS news releases on occupational injuries, illnesses and fatalities; OSHS publications on injuries, illnesses, and fatalities at the national and State level; other information about these programs can be found in "Major Programs of the Bureau of Labor Statistics," "Bureau of Labor Statistics Customer Service Guide," and "BLS Handbook of Methods."

Related Programs

17.002 Labor Force Statistics; 17.003 Prices and Cost of Living Data

Information Contacts

Regional or Local Office

See Regional Agency Offices. Contact the appropriate regional office of the Bureau of Labor Statistics listed in Appendix IV of the Catalog.

Headquarters Office

William Wiatrowski 2 Massachusetts Avenue, N.E., Washington, District of Columbia 20212 Phone: 202-691-6300

Web Site Address

http://www.bls.gov.

Examples of Funded Projects

Not Applicable.

Criteria for Selecting Proposals

Acceptable application and specific program deliverables and cost.