Hurricane Ida made landfall Aug. 29, bringing destructive winds, heavy rain and life-threatening storm surges to the Louisiana coast. To ensure the safety of customers and employees, the Postal Service temporarily suspended operations at facilities in some areas. The organization is monitoring conditions and will work to restore service as soon as it is safe […]
Thanks for “Off balance,” the article about vertigo. My wife has dealt with this condition for years. Fortunately, she has been able to control her symptoms through medication and diet. The article included great resources for people who want to learn more. […]
Rural Carrier Judy Kehn was delivering mail on a March day in Roscommon, MI, when she heard someone screaming for help and saw an unattended dog wandering around. Kehn stopped and found an older customer who’d fallen on ice in a driveway while taking her pet outside. The Postal Service employee immediately called 911 for […]
The USPS Health and Wellness team is encouraging employees to join the Worldwide Wellness challenge, a six-week interactive program that helps build behaviors for lifelong wellness while virtually traveling the globe. Employees can use their personal, nonpostal devices to log into the Worldwide Wellness website or download the program app to track physical activity and […]
The Postal Service is reminding employees and contractors that while office email is an efficient way to communicate, it can also leave the organization vulnerable to cyberattacks if misused. Research shows most malicious software — also known as malware — is delivered through emails, often as HTML attachments. Once downloaded, the malware allows cybercriminals to […]
A Postal Service employee’s assistance to a business has led to a shipping deal worth more than $112,000 for USPS. After talking with a business that makes customized gifts, Lewisville, TX, Postmaster Venora Lowery submitted a lead through Business Connect. This program allows Postmasters, managers and customer services supervisors to initiate discussions with customers about […]
Christine Thom was 5 years old when she met Rob Durbin, the rural carrier with whom she would forge a lifelong friendship. It was 2005, and Thom looked forward each day to retrieving the newly delivered mail at her family’s Corvallis, OR, home. As soon as she spotted “Mailman Rob” approaching, she would run outside […]
Mid-Atlantic Lighthouses — the stamps highlighted in “History and hope” — are majestic. […]
Letter Carrier Lee Gammage was recently delivering mail in an Arlington, TX, neighborhood when he heard someone yelling for help inside a residence. Gammage yelled back through the mail slot in the front door, a customer responded that she’d fallen, and she asked him to come inside via an open back door. The Postal Service […]
The first 50 years of USPS as an independent federal agency has been a story of change, be it in governance, working conditions or how the mail gets delivered. But one thing hasn’t changed: the Postal Service’s mission to bind the nation. Many of the 25 employees who participated in the USPS 50th Anniversary Oral […]
Here’s a look at Postal Service employees who received appointments or recognition recently: • Edward F. Houston was named sortation systems technology manager in Merrifield, VA. He previously served as automated guided vehicles and robotics center of excellence manager. • Karla A. Kirby, benefits program manager at USPS headquarters in Washington, DC, was named acting […]
It’s National Wellness Month, a time to focus on mental, physical and emotional well-being — or “caring for the whole you,” as the USPS Health and Wellness team defines the term on LiteBlue. Here are six facts about this wraparound concept of health: 1. The idea isn’t new. The Global Wellness Institute dates the idea […]
Ogden, IA, Postmaster Angela Sonksen was recently on duty when she grew concerned about a regular customer who nervously inquired about purchasing money orders worth over $1,500. The man divulged that someone contacted him, claimed he’d won a vehicle in a sweepstakes, and instructed him to ship the money orders overnight as payment for so-called […]
I’m a Postal Service retiree who salutes the memory of Anthony Puccio — the late letter carrier highlighted in the “Celebrating ‘The Dean’” article — for his outstanding work ethic and long career. […]
USPS has notified the Postal Regulatory Commission of plans to temporarily increase some package product prices for the peak holiday season. If approved by the commission, the increases will affect Priority Mail, Priority Mail Express, First-Class Package Service, Parcel Select, USPS Retail Ground and Parcel Return Service. International products won’t be affected. The temporary price […]
The Postal Service has reported its financial results for fiscal year 2021’s third quarter (April 1-June 30). Here are some highlights: • Revenue. Total operating revenue was approximately $18.5 billion, up 4.8 percent compared with the same quarter one year earlier. First-Class Mail revenue increased 1 percent, while Marketing Mail revenue increased 42.2 percent. Revenue […]
The Postal Service has issued guidelines about promoting the sale of semipostal stamps, which raise funds related to the cause associated with the stamps. USPS currently sells four semipostal stamps and has designated a month to promote each one: Alzheimer’s (September), Breast Cancer Research (October), Save Vanishing Species (November) and Healing PTSD (December). Here are […]
Postal Service employees can participate in a new webinar series to learn about a variety of wellness topics. Kaiser Permanente, a provider of health plans for federal employees, will offer the “Mindful Monday,” “Thriving Tuesday” and “Wellbeing Wednesday” virtual sessions. Here’s an overview of the webinars and when they’ll be offered (all times are Eastern). […]
I thoroughly enjoyed reading the “Pay it forward” and “Golden eagle” articles on the Postal Service’s 50th anniversary, particularly since I’ve been through it all. I’ve been privileged to have a postal career since 1967. I’ve advanced in this organization and worked with terrific people. […]
Fifty years ago, the Postal Service was born. Here are eight other notable highlights from 1971: 1. We woke up and smelled the coffee. Starbucks opened its first shop, in Seattle’s Pike Place Market. The three founding friends chose a character from the novel “Moby Dick” for the store’s name. (It was almost “Pequod.”) At […]
Here’s a look at some recent changes in the Postal Service leadership ranks: • Lisa H. Arcari was named domestic package pricing director at USPS headquarters in Washington, DC. She previously served as pricing innovation manager. • Deborah Brady was named Western Pacific Area’s customer relations director in San Francisco. She previously served as San […]
The U.S. Office of Personnel Management is requiring all federal agencies to verify eligible family members who are enrolled in the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program (FEHB). This means that the Postal Service, the Office of Personnel Management and insurance companies that offer FEHB plans can request proof of family member eligibility from an employee […]
Nice job, James McCollum. The Fort Washington, PA, retail associate submitted a lead through Clerks Care that resulted in a shipping deal worth more than $2.8 million for the Postal Service. […]
Scanning snapshot. A snapshot of Postal Service scanning data shows the national rating was 97.06 percent during the week ending June 25, down 0.13 percent from one week earlier. The data was collected June 30. Western Pacific led the four areas with a rating of 97.32 percent, while Atlantic ranked last with a 96.75 percent […]
July is UV Safety Awareness Month, a time to learn more about sun and skin protection. Ultraviolet (UV) radiation is emitted naturally by the sun, as well as through artificial sources, such as tanning beds and different forms of lighting. It has some benefits — such as providing vitamin D — but it also poses […]
The Postal Service is reminding employees that it is of the utmost importance to protect the sanctity of the mail. When people send and receive mail through USPS, they trust that their mail will be treated with respect and arrive safely. Damaging, delaying, tampering with or destroying mail of any kind violates the sanctity of […]
The Postal Service will continue regular operations June 18-19. President Joe Biden signed legislation on June 17 that makes June 19 — also known as Juneteenth — a federal holiday commemorating the end of slavery in the United States. In a June 17 memo to USPS executives, Deputy Postmaster General and Chief Human Resources Officer […]
USPS is taking additional steps to improve its service reliability by initiating the process of requesting a Postal Regulatory Commission advisory opinion on a proposal to modify service standards for First-Class Package Service. The new service standards, announced June 17, are designed to improve use of surface transportation, while decreasing reliance on costly and less […]
USPS has announced price changes for letters, postcards and flats in alignment with Delivering for America, its 10-year plan to achieve financial stability and service excellence. If favorably reviewed by the Postal Regulatory Commission, the changes would take effect Aug. 29. Here are the current and planned prices: • Letters (1 ounce): 55 cents (current), […]
President Joe Biden has ordered U.S. flags flown at half-staff to honor the victims of this week’s mass shooting in San Jose, CA. Flags should be flown at half-staff until May 30 at sunset. To fly the flag at half-staff, hoist the flag to the peak for an instant and then lower it to the […]