People everywhere are making resolutions to lose weight and focus on short-term dietary changes in the new year. The USPS Health and Wellness Team wants to remind employees that weight management is most successful when viewed as a lifestyle behavior, not a temporary goal. Reaching and maintaining a healthy weight is important throughout your life […]
The Postal Service wants employees to take precautions when walking in winter weather. Snowy and icy conditions increase the likelihood of slips, trips and falls that could result in pain, injury and lost productivity. To avoid these accidents, employees should follow these tips: • Wear proper footwear with good tread and grippers (ice cleats); • […]
The Postal Service accepted more than 13.2 billion cards, letters, flats and packages during the holiday season, according to preliminary data released this week. The volume from Thanksgiving to New Year’s Day exceeded the 12.7 billion pieces accepted during the same period one year earlier. The average delivery time for holiday mail and packages in […]
The Postal Service wants to remind employees about the Commuter Benefits Program, which allows them to pay for qualified commuting costs using pretax money. Qualified expenses include transit costs and parking fees. The Internal Revenue Service has increased the limit for each category in 2022 to $280 a month, up from $270 a month last […]
The Postal Service has announced dates for the first stamp releases of 2022, along with the cities where the dedication ceremonies are scheduled: • Love: Jan. 14, Romeo, MI. • Lunar New Year: Year of the Tiger: Jan. 20, New York City. • Black Heritage: Edmonia Lewis: Jan. 26, Washington, DC. Additionally, on Jan. 9, […]
Want to know when you’ll be paid this year? The 2022 calendar image that accompanies this article shows the 26 paycheck dates for Postal Service employees. Every month this year will have two paydays, except for April and September, which will have three each. The calendar also shows federal holidays, including Juneteenth National Independence Day, […]
Rural Carrier Frank Flejtuch was recently delivering mail in Hayden, ID, when he spotted an older customer lying on the ground outside her home. Flejtuch rushed to check on the woman, who had fallen and couldn’t stand up on her own. The Postal Service employee safely helped the customer get on her feet and inside […]
The Postal Service has another busy year in 2022. On Jan. 9, USPS will raise Shipping Services product prices approximately 3.1 percent for Priority Mail service and 3.1 percent for Priority Mail Express service. The next price adjustment for market-dominant products is scheduled to happen in July. The organization has announced plans for 20 stamp […]
When it comes to reaching your health and wellness goals, planning is key. That’s why the USPS Health and Wellness Team wants to remind employees that creating a plan can help you achieve your goals. Wellness has many dimensions, which may include emotional, physical, occupational, intellectual, financial, social, environmental and spiritual well-being. Every person’s path […]
If the holidays are a time for being with family, then every day is a holiday for Kevin Buxton. “I’m old enough to retire,” said Buxton, who has worked as a letter carrier at the Fond du Lac, WI, Post Office for 32 years. Retirement would give Buxton, 67, more time to play percussion with […]
The Combined Federal Campaign’s cause of the week is community improvement. A person’s physical and social environment affects their well-being to a remarkable degree. For example, there is a correlation between ZIP Code and life expectancy. People of all ages have a need for safety and security, for belonging and purpose, for clean air and […]
Here’s a look at some recent changes in the Postal Service leadership ranks: • Jean C. Lovejoy has resumed her position as Ohio 2 District manager. William D. Jones, who served in that role on an acting basis, was named to a detail assignment in Illinois 2 District. • Gina M. MacNeill, an attorney in […]
Link is looking back at the year in “Heroes’ Corner” with a countdown of the 10 most-viewed articles. Coming in at No. 3 is “Troubled teen,” the story of Marc Augustus. The letter carrier was making deliveries on a fall day at a housing complex in Geneva, NY, when a 13-year-old boy approached him and […]
The Combined Federal Campaign’s cause of the week is mental wellness. Happily, the stigma of mental illness is fading. What was once whispered about — or not spoken of at all — is now openly discussed. While this is real progress, it is one small step on a very long road. Access to mental health […]
Here’s a look at some recent changes in the Postal Service leadership ranks: • Kennard B. Everett II, in-plant support manager at the North Metro Georgia Processing and Distribution Center in Duluth, was named acting plant manager at the Peachtree Processing and Distribution Center in Atlanta. • Gi Gi L. Griffin-Earnest, manager of the National […]
There’s peak, and then there’s peak as experienced in Santa Claus, IN. Both are races. The latter is the Indy 500 of delivering the holidays. “You just have to laugh or you’d go crazy,” joked the postmaster, who happens to have the very Christmassy name of Cheryl Bailey. This is the busiest she’s seen it […]
Link is looking back at the year in “Heroes’ Corner” with a countdown of the 10 most-viewed articles. Coming in at No. 4 is “Brown down,” the story of Penny Clem. The rural carrier was delivering mail on a summer day in tiny Broadlands, IL, when she spotted a UPS truck that had overturned on […]
Peak season is peaking — and if you want to stay in the know, you need Link mobile. The Link website’s mobile-friendly version offers news reports, feature stories and informational videos, including coverage of the Postal Service’s work during the holidays. The site is particularly helpful to craft employees and others who don’t have regular […]
The Postal Service wants to remind employees about the ethics rules on fundraising while on the job. Fundraising in the workplace is only permitted if it is conducted as part of the Combined Federal Campaign (CFC), which allows federal employees, retirees and contractors to contribute to more than 7,000 charitable organizations. All other types of […]
Linda Nemetz spent years working behind a desk before she decided to apply for a job with the Postal Service. “I needed a change from a few years of administrative work. I wanted to be busy and feel like I accomplished something at the end of the day,” said Nemetz, who was recently hired as […]
Link is looking back at the year in “Heroes’ Corner” with a countdown of the 10 most-viewed articles. Coming in at No. 6 is “Missing in Milwaukee,” the story of Roxanne Dreyfus. The Milwaukee letter carrier was making deliveries when she grew concerned that mail was piling up at the home of an 82-year-old customer […]
Powerful tornadoes tore through several states in the South and Midwest from Dec. 10-11, creating such devastation that the extent of the damage may not be known for some time. All postal employees have been accounted for and none are known to be injured, but USPS facilities were affected. The Post Office in Mayfield, KY, […]
The Combined Federal Campaign’s cause of the week is environmental protection. The campaign quotes 19th-century naturalist Henry David Thoreau: “What is the use of a house if you haven’t got a tolerable planet to put it on?” Two centuries later, young environmentalist Greta Thunberg put it even more bluntly: “Our house is on fire.” It […]
Here’s a look at some recent changes in the Postal Service leadership ranks: • Steve E. Laird was named plant manager at the Northern New Jersey Metro Processing and Distribution Center in Teterboro. He previously served as the Westchester, NY, Processing and Distribution Center’s in-plant support manager. • Michael C. Mitchell was named plant manager […]
Link is looking back at the year in “Heroes’ Corner” with a countdown of the 10 most-viewed articles. Coming in at No. 7 is “FedEx flip,” the story of Kara Dahl. The city carrier assistant was delivering mail in Menomonee Falls, WI, when she came upon the scene of an accident that left a FedEx […]
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. 13, at 11:59 p.m. EST. This is the last chance most Postal Service employees will have until next November to consider new health, vision, dental or flexible […]
The USPS Ethics Office has created a 2021 Holiday Ethics Guide to help employees comply with the rules about giving and receiving gifts. The guide covers gifts from outside sources as well as gifts between postal colleagues. The guide also details the rules about holiday office parties: • Food and refreshments may be shared in […]
A new piece of technology is changing how letter carriers can pass on sales leads. It was a big help for Roel Garza of Glendale, AZ. He noticed that one of the businesses on his route was using competitors for some of its shipping. Garza asked the customer if they would be interested in speaking […]
Link is looking back at the year in “Heroes’ Corner” with a countdown of the 10 most-viewed articles. Coming in at No. 9 is “Perplexing Rx,” the story of Robert Williams. The Bluefield, WV, letter carrier was on duty when he grew concerned about a customer who had not promptly retrieved a prescription delivery as […]
The Combined Federal Campaign’s cause of the week is human rights. The campaign quotes former President Jimmy Carter: “Everyone has a right to peaceful coexistence, the basic personal freedoms, the alleviation of suffering and the opportunity to lead a productive life.” Unfortunately, these rights are far from guaranteed, and their restriction can be catastrophic. One […]