According to AFGE, in a meeting with Beth Cobert, deputy director for management at the Office of Management and Budget, the union has received assurances that new pay localities will be established in 13 cities in January.
The 13 cities are: Albany, N.Y.; Albuquerque, N.M.; Austin, Texas; Charlotte, N.C.; Colorado Springs, Co.; Davenport, IA; Harrisburg, PA.; Kansas City, MO.; Laredo, TX; Las Vegas, NV.; Palm Bay, FL.; St. Louis, MO.; and Tucson, AZ..
More information on these localities is available on FedSmith.com. (See New Locality Pay Areas? Not in 2015) As noted in this FedSmith article, the President’s Pay Agent, a group of three agency officials who advise the president on federal pay issues, tentatively approved establishing the new pay localities in a report published in May 2013. (Also see New Locality Pay Areas? Not in 2014)
However, no further action was taken to implement the new locality pay areas. There is no official confirmation of approval of the locality pay areas. Based on the AFGE report, however, we anticipate approval will be made public in the near future. Presumably, more information will also be forthcoming about the amount of the pay increase that will be implemented in these areas. We will continue to provide more information on the new locality areas as it becomes available.
