Letter Carrier LaTorre Gardner was recently delivering mail to a longtime customer in Waukegan, IL, when he noticed that she did not greet him at the front door as usual. Gardner then heard the woman calling out for help, and as he peered through her picture window, he saw her sprawled out on the floor […]
With peak season over, the Postal Service is now handling the rush of customers returning holiday gifts through the mail. Approximately 30 percent of items bought online during the holidays will be returned, according to data from Shopify, a company that provides online shopping platforms for retailers. That figure goes up to 50 percent for “expensive” […]
My name is Holli Apodaca, and I’m a supervisor at the Remote Encoding Center, a Salt Lake City facility that helps determine where poorly addressed mail from across the nation is supposed to go. My main job is as a data conversion operator. I enter information not read by Postal Service machines because of cursive, […]
The Postal Service has introduced three CyberSafe at USPS courses for contractors, part of organization’s annual cybersecurity training requirements. All contractors with ACE IDs must complete the courses, which will be available from Monday, Jan. 7-Monday, Feb. 11. Current contractors will have their ACE access restricted if the courses aren’t completed by the due date. […]
Business Connect honorees. USPS recently recognized six Postmasters for their contributions to Business Connect, a program that encourages managers to promote postal products and services. The honorees are Tammy H. McClanahan (Addison, AL), Teresa A. Puckett (Pulaski, VA), Melissa J. San Diego (Chualar, CA), Laurie R. Vess (Nebo, NC), Kevin E. Vines (Colorado Springs, CO) […]
USPS focused on serving customers throughout the year, including the summer months. Employees helped customers rebound from Hurricane Florence, which tore a path of destruction through North Carolina, South Carolina and other states in mid-September. Additionally, the Postal Service continued to strengthen relationships with business customers. During National Postal Customer Council Week, Postmaster General Megan […]
It was great to read “Treats for troops,” the story about the caring, selfless USPS employees who volunteer their time to send care packages to service members during the holidays. […]
Letter Carrier Chance Phifer was recently conducting a route inspection in Cuyahoga Falls, OH, when his fellow carrier suffered a seizure and went into cardiac arrest. Phifer rushed to his colleague’s side and started CPR while a passerby called 911. Paramedics soon arrived and took over. Phifer’s co-worker recovered from the incident. […]
Link is taking a stroll down memory lane. During the next few days, we’ll review the stories that shaped 2018. Our coverage will include a four-part series that highlights the major headlines, as well as feature stories about employees who made news this year. We’ll also have special year-end editions of our regular columns, including […]
Postal Service employees across the nation are busy accepting, processing and delivering the last batch of holiday mail and packages. The organization expects to deliver almost 15 billion pieces of mail and 900 million packages during the 40-day stretch between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Day. USPS will be open for business Christmas Eve, and employees […]
The Postal Service is ready for its busiest week of the holiday season. The organization predicts it will deliver about 200 million packages and almost 3 billion pieces of mail — including greeting cards — during the week of Dec. 17. Overall, USPS plans to deliver about 15 billion mailpieces and 900 million packages during […]
Thank you for publishing “Buzz words,” the article about using Every Door Direct Mail to locate lost pets. The story was especially timely because many pets are lost during the holidays. […]
Retail Associate Melanie McGrath was on the job recently in Brooklin, ME, when a customer came into the Post Office and asked her to call 911. The woman said her husband was experiencing a medical crisis in their parked car, so McGrath went outside to check on the man, who was unresponsive. At the direction […]
Sam Brewer, a North Carolina distribution clerk, recently marked a half-century of combined military and postal service. Brewer’s achievement was celebrated during a ceremony at Manor Station in Winston-Salem. “Being able to work for the past 50 years is something to be thankful for,” said Brewer, who was joined by his wife and daughter at […]
The Postal Service is reminding employees to proceed with caution when exchanging gifts. Generally, an employee should not give a gift to a manager or higher-paid colleague. Likewise, a gift should not be accepted from a subordinate or lower-paid employee. There are exceptions. For example, a non-cash gift worth $10 or less to a manager […]
If you have feedback on Link stories, let us know. Email your compliments, complaints and other comments to uspslink@usps.gov. Your messages could be published in our “Mailbag” column. We also use your feedback to strengthen our coverage of the Postal Service. Our goal is to make Link a daily conversation with our readers, so tell us what’s […]
Custodian Antonio Walker was recently working outside a postal facility in Milwaukee when he spotted a teenage girl in distress. The girl, who was walking home from school, was being followed and verbally harassed by a man. Walker safely intervened by advising the man to leave the girl the alone. The Postal Service employee calmed […]
Tammy L. Whitcomb has been appointed inspector general by the Postal Service governors. She will lead the Office of Inspector General, an independent agency that conducts audits and investigations to promote efficiency and maintain accountability and integrity in USPS programs and operations. Whitcomb has been acting inspector general since 2016. She began her postal career as […]
Postal Service employees in the Chicago area are doing their part to help the organization meet its Combined Federal Campaign (CFC) fundraising goals. USPS wants to raise $6.4 million for the CFC this year, topping the 2017 total of $6.1 million. The Chicago Network Distribution Center, part of Central Illinois District, recently hosted an event […]
You’re running out of time. If you want to change your health benefits or enroll in a new plan, you must act now. The annual open season benefits enrollment period ends Monday, Dec. 10, at 11:59 p.m. EST. This is the last chance most employees will have until next November to consider new health, vision, […]
Delivering cheer. A new postal-themed coloring page is available to help USPS employees promote the holidays. The image shows a letter carrier delivering mail to Santa Claus and two elves. Earl Musick, an Eastern Area employee and cartoonist, drew the picture, which employees can hand out to customers and their children. To view and print […]
Letter Carrier Eric Elmquist was recently making deliveries in a Youngsville, PA, neighborhood when he grew concerned that a customer’s mail was piling up. Elmquist alerted a neighbor, who checked on the man, found him collapsed in a bathroom and called 911. Emergency responders soon arrived and took the man to a hospital. The neighbor […]
Scanning snapshot. The Postal Service’s national scanning rating was 97.49 percent during the week ending Nov. 23, down from one week earlier. Dakotas (98.81 percent) topped the districts, while Western (97.79 percent) led the areas. Scanning allows customers to track their packages and mail, and it helps USPS improve efficiency and network management. To see […]
USPS recently recognized several Post Offices and other facilities that participated in a competition to promote Informed Delivery. The competition was part of Inform 5, an initiative to encourage all employees to tell at least five customers each day about Informed Delivery. Inform 5 is part of the Postal Service’s broader efforts to reach 40 […]
Do you wear eyeglasses, contact lenses or visit the dentist more than twice a year? If so, experts say a flexible spending account (FSA) is likely a good option for you. FSAs can help your health care dollars go further — but only if you plan accordingly. FSAs allow you to set aside money on […]
Postal Service employees and others who use eTravel will soon see changes in the system as a result of the SmartPay 3 conversion. SmartPay 3 cards will automatically update in eTravel. Purchases made using the government-issued travel cards will default to send payments to CitiBank, the company that distributes GSA SmartPay 3 travel cards. However, […]
A new USPS video takes employees behind the scenes of the Postal Inspection Service’s response to Hurricane Florence, which struck the Carolinas and other states in September. The video notes that 70 inspectors responded to the crisis, which caused widespread flooding and power outages. The inspectors helped locate employees, secure facilities, assess damage and more. The […]
The Postal Service is ready to deliver customers’ Cyber Monday holiday purchases. Cyber Monday — the Monday after Thanksgiving — is one of the year’s biggest online shopping days. Sales in 2018 are expected to hit $7.7 billion, a 17.6 percent increase from last year, according to market researcher Adobe Digital Insights. USPS is reminding […]
A postal customer in Berea, KY, has dubbed Rural Carrier Steven Deaton “my angel” for coming to her aid during a dog attack that left her seriously injured. Deaton was delivering mail on a July day when he saw that the woman was in trouble. Two of her large outdoor dogs had gone after her […]
The 2019 stamps highlighted in the “Coming soon” article are simply beautiful. […]