Scanning has always been important to the Postal Service’s operations — and it’s about to take on added significance. Internal Service Performance Measurement (SPM) will soon become the organization’s official method to measure service performance. The system relies on accurate scanning by employees at Post Office Boxes and various collection and delivery points across the […]
Commercial countdown. The deadline to audition for this year’s Postal Service holiday advertising campaign is Wednesday, Sept. 19, at 5 p.m. EDT. The audition is open to all employees. No prior acting experience is required. The USPS Holiday 2018 Employee Casting site has instructions on creating and submitting audition videos. The commercials will be filmed […]
Postal Service employees accepted 71.6 million pounds of donations during this year’s Stamp Out Hunger food drive. These National Association of Letter Carriers (NALC) branches collected the most food, in approximate pounds: 1. Los Angeles, Branch 24 (2 million) 2. Oklahoma City, Branch 458 (1.8 million) 3. San Juan, PR, Branch 869 (1.7 million) 4. […]
John Lennon was hailed as one of the world’s most-renowned musicians at the Sept. 7 stamp dedication ceremony in his honor. “It’s a privilege to commemorate the life of John Lennon — one of the most celebrated musicians and iconic personalities of the 20th century,” said Postmaster General Megan J. Brennan. “The world was influenced […]
Letter Carrier Todd Bettgenhauser was recently delivering mail in a Chicopee, MA, neighborhood when he smelled a strong odor of gas outside a customer’s home. Bettgenhauser alerted the resident, who contacted the gas company. A hazardous line fracture was soon discovered and repaired. The customer later contacted the Chicopee Post Office, describing Bettgenhauser’s actions as […]
My co-workers and I enjoyed the “Heroes’ corner” article about Retail Associate Willie Jones, who leaped over the counter to catch a man who was about to collapse. Super effort, Willie. […]
Scanning snapshot. The Postal Service’s national scanning rating was 98.03 percent during the week ending Aug. 31, up from one week earlier. Dakotas (99.26 percent) topped the districts, while Western (98.24 percent) led the areas. Scanning allows customers to track their packages and mail, and it helps USPS improve efficiency and network management. To see […]
Willie Clemmons is celebrating a milestone few others have achieved. Last month, the 91-year-old Los Angeles Processing and Distribution Center mail handler marked 68 years as a postal employee. “I wanted to work at the Postal Service because I wanted to be of service to the people,” he said. Clemmons, who served in the Army […]
USPS will soon introduce a web-based tool that will allow employees to better handle customer service issues. Customer 360 will replace eCustomer Care, the application currently used to process and track business and residential customer inquiries. The new tool will be available in Consumer Affairs offices, Customer Care Centers and Post Offices, allowing employees in […]
Highlights from this year’s second United States Air Mail stamp dedication ceremony are featured in a new video from USPS. The stamp commemorates a 1918 flight from College Park, MD, to New York City that became the first step in establishing transcontinental routes for airmail service. “It is a testament to the tenacity and the sometimes brazen […]
I look forward to reading Link each day. It keeps employees aware of important happenings in the Postal Service. […]
Letter Carrier Christine Garcia was recently delivering mail in a Whittier, CA, neighborhood when she smelled smoke outside an older customer’s residence. As Garcia got closer, she could hear a smoke detector beeping inside the home, and she instantly grew worried that the woman could be in harm’s way. The Postal Service employee immediately started […]
Several employees were honored this month for their work with the Postal Customer Councils (PCCs), local groups that help strengthen relationships between USPS, business mailers and their mutual customers. The PCC Leadership Awards were presented during a ceremony in Washington, DC, that featured Postmaster General Megan J. Brennan and other postal leaders. In most categories, awards […]
Disasters happen. Prepare now. Learn how. This is the message the Postal Service will deliver to you and your co-workers in September, which is National Preparedness Month. Throughout the month, the organization will offer reminders and tips to help you make preparedness part of your daily lives. For example, to ensure your overall preparedness, you […]
It’s magic. To help promote a commemorative deck of cards based on The Art of Magic stamps, USPS has produced five brief videos that showcase card tricks. Each trick corresponds to one of the magic acts featured on the stamps, which the Postal Service released this month. The five videos are available on YouTube and […]
Here’s Link’s latest “News quiz,” a weekly feature that invites readers to test their knowledge of recent stories. The correct answers appear at the end. 1. By what percentage has revenue from USPS passport application and photo services increased since October? a) 2.4 percent b) 3.7 percent c) 6.2 percent d) 18 percent 2. What’s […]
Letter Carrier Scott Bayer was recently delivering mail in a Carbondale, PA, neighborhood when he discovered an older customer unconscious on her porch. Bayer immediately called 911 and enlisted a neighbor to provide further assistance. Emergency responders soon arrived and took the woman to a hospital. She was treated for an accidental overdose of prescription […]
I am incredibly thankful for Sacramento, CA, Letter Carrier Ivan Crisostomo, who was highlighted in a recent “Heroes’ corner” article, and those like him who walk the streets of our communities every day with a willingness to protect the most vulnerable in our society. […]
An Oklahoma girl is receiving national media attention after her request for postcards went viral on social media. Aspen Kelly, who has leukemia, will turn 13 this weekend. She’s too sick to travel, so her mother, V Kelly, used Facebook last month to share the girl’s request for postcards from around the world. “She would […]
Cara Greene has been appointed acting controller and vice president for USPS. The appointment took effect last week. She is responsible for certifying financial filings and overseeing external reporting, corporate accounting, accounting services, international accounting and compliance with the Sarbanes-Oxley law, among other duties. Greene worked as a senior manager for a large accounting firm […]
More than 700 job seekers attended a recent career fair organized by Greater Indiana District. “If we organize it, they will come,” said Acting Field Recruiter Mary Banks. Attendees included professionals interested in beginning second careers, as well as newcomers like Chandler Page, 22, a recent Ball State University graduate. “I came to the job […]
To help you get ready for Labor Day next week, here are five things you may not have known about the holiday. 1. Labor unions helped establish Labor Day. The holiday was first celebrated in New York City on the first Tuesday of September 1882 by members of the Central Labor Union, a group comprised […]
City Carrier Assistant Christopher Turner was driving home from work in Spencerport, NY, in March when he spotted a raging fire at an apartment complex. Turner stopped, heard cries for help and soon discovered that a father and daughter were trapped in a second-floor unit. Knowing that firefighters had been summoned but were not yet […]
I’m so glad that Lisa Light, the Hazel Park, MI, letter carrier who was recently highlighted in “Heroes’ corner,” warned her customer that she smelled natural gas on the front porch. […]
Two people who live 4,700 miles apart were recently reminded of the power of mail to leave lasting impressions. When Andrew Piotrowski was a child living in Vernon Hills, IL, in the mid-1990s, he penned a letter to Kristina Brunjai, a young refugee who had fled to a safe zone in war-torn Croatia. Brunjai, who […]
Here come the holidays. The Postal Service will issue its Global: Poinsettia Forever stamp Sunday, Aug. 26. The stamp can be used to mail a 1-ounce letter to any country where First-Class Mail International service is available. The current First-Class Mail 1-ounce international letter rate is $1.15. The stamp, which also can be used domestically, features […]
The Postal Service has released Safety Depends on Me video that underscores the importance of operating powered industrial trucks (PITs) safely. The video features a simulation in which a worker listens to music on headphones while operating a PIT at a postal plant. The employee, who isn’t wearing a seatbelt, uses the PIT to lift […]
Here’s Link’s latest “News quiz,” a weekly feature that invites readers to test their knowledge of recent stories. The correct answers appear at the end. 1. True or false: USPS-produced Priority Mail Express Flat Rate Envelopes and Priority Mail Flat Rate Envelopes are not flat-sized mailpieces. a) True b) False 2. Through the Inform 5 […]
Rural Carrier Michele Williams was on her way to work recently in Ocklawaha, FL, when she spotted a disabled customer being attacked by a dog. Williams stopped to assist the man, using dog repellent spray to safely end the attack. After the customer retrieved a lost shoe, Williams comforted him until he regained his composure. […]
I recently used the new HERO career activities platform and loved how easy it was. […]