The Postal Service is continuing its Hatch Act education campaign.
The Hatch Act is a law that prohibits postal and other federal employees from engaging in political activity while on duty, while wearing a uniform, while on federal property, or while inside a federal vehicle.
In a new message, USPS is highlighting the case of “John” — not his real name — an employee who ran for Congress.
Representatives from the Office of Special Counsel, which oversees enforcement of the Hatch Act; the Merit Systems Protection Board, a quasi-judicial agency; and an administrative law judge repeatedly explained to John that running for Congress while continuing to work for USPS was a serious violation of the Hatch Act.
John continued his electoral efforts despite these warnings and was eventually removed from the Postal Service.
USPS previously told employees about:
- “Sandy,” a letter carrier who placed a political candidate’s sign in the window of her Postal Service vehicle
- “Daniesha,” a letter carrier who wrote “corrections” on Political Mail pieces before putting them in the mailboxes of her customers
- “Michaela,” a retail associate who made political posts to social media while on the clock
- “George,” a letter carrier who broadcast a political endorsement on social media while on duty and sitting in his postal vehicle.
The Postal Service will highlight more examples this year.
The Ethics Blue page has more Hatch Act resources, including a “Let’s Talk Politics!” fact sheet. Employees who have questions can contact their local field law office or send an email to ethics.help@usps.gov.