A newly updated video about the Federal Employees Health Benefits (FEHB) Program reminds employees to conduct a “health plan checkup” during this year’s open season. The three-minute video — “FEHB Health Plans: Your Changing Life,” available on LiteBlue — encourages employees to evaluate their health care options to ensure they have the coverage they need. […]
National Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day, an annual commemoration of the 1941 attack, will be observed Tuesday, Dec. 7. Postal Service facilities are required to fly the U.S. flag at half-staff this day. To fly the flag at half-staff, hoist the flag to the peak for an instant and then lower it to the half-staff position. […]
The Postal Service wants to remind employees that there are guidelines about giving and receiving gifts from colleagues. An employee can give a gift to a manager or to a higher-paid colleague if it is a noncash gift valued at $10 or less. There are no limits on gifts from managers to subordinates, but managers […]
USPS has teamed with the California Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) for a pilot program that allows customers to renew their vehicle registration and access other services in select Post Offices. The California DMV has installed special self-service kiosks in five Post Office locations: Sacramento, Rancho Cordova, Paradise, Oakland and Los Angeles. A sixth site […]
“Classroom connection,” the article about the USPS Pen Pal Project, reminded me of when I was a youngster and had a pen pal who lived in Norway. That was so much fun. […]
Rural Carrier Associate Monica Castillo was recently making deliveries in Riverbank, CA, when she came upon an older customer experiencing a crisis. Castillo heard the woman screaming for help because her motorized wheelchair had gotten stuck in the doorway of her home, leaving her stranded for several hours. The Postal Service employee safely transferred the […]
The Combined Federal Campaign’s cause of the week is global health. The World Health Organization declared 2020 “a devastating year” for health care worldwide, with the effects of the coronavirus pandemic jeopardizing hard-fought advances in maternal and child health and in non-COVID infectious disease. Many parts of the world suffer with illnesses that are easily […]
National Handwashing Awareness Week, held annually the first full week in December, will be observed Dec. 1-7. Handwashing is the first line of defense against the bacteria, viruses, fungi and protozoa that cause illness. It prevents the spread of colds, flu, gastroenteritis and viruses such as the coronavirus. Follow these five steps every time you […]
Alaska is “a very big small state,” in the words of Adam Fisher. The in-plant support manager at the Anchorage Processing and Distribution Center explains it this way: Overlaid over the Lower 48, Alaska would stretch from the Atlantic Ocean to Indiana and from Miami to New York, with the Aleutian Islands reaching beyond the […]
Joana Cole, a letter carrier from Peoria, IL, was recently delivering mail when she spotted smoke billowing from an attached garage at a residence. While a bystander called 911, Cole rushed to the front door and banged on it to alert the homeowner, who opened it just as the windows of the garage shattered. The […]
In his latest video message, Postmaster General Louis DeJoy says the Postal Service is in good shape for the coming holiday season. “We told the country and our customers that we are ready for their holiday mail and packages,” DeJoy says. “I am proud to say that we are all delivering on that promise.” The […]
The Combined Federal Campaign’s cause of the week is food and nutrition. “We have a hunger crisis in America,” chef José Andrés proclaimed in January, calling for “longer tables, not higher walls.” Andrés, the founder of the food relief nonprofit World Central Kitchen, said the coronavirus pandemic has only exacerbated the problem. The statistics bear […]
Here’s a look at some recent changes in the Postal Service leadership ranks: • Charlesten E. Anderson, senior distribution operations manager at the South Suburban Processing and Distribution Center in Bedford Park, IL, was named acting plant manager. • Christopher E. Johnson was named New York Metro Division’s logistics operations director. He previously served as […]
“Red letter day,” the story about a letter carrier filming an episode of “Sesame Street,” made me realize that working for USPS is not only a rewarding career, it can also be an exciting one. […]
Rural Carrier Thomas Bentham was recently delivering mail in Cattaraugus, NY, when he came upon the scene of a motorcycle accident that left the rider lying in the roadway. Bentham stopped to check on the man, called 911 and comforted him until emergency responders arrived. The victim was flown to a hospital to receive treatment […]
The Postal Service is ready to deliver for customers this holiday season, Postmaster General Louis DeJoy told the public radio program “Marketplace” this week. “We started early this year with our planning and we’ve expanded capacity in people, facilities, automation and transportation,” DeJoy said. “So tell all your listeners to send us their packages. We’re […]
You still have time to change your health coverage or enroll in a new plan. Open season, the annual period when USPS employees can make benefits changes, ends Monday, Dec. 13. Employees can choose from a variety of health, vision and dental coverage through the following programs and plans: • Federal Employees Health Benefits (FEHB) […]
The Postal Service is helping customers get ready for the holiday delivery season. In a news release this month, the organization shared the following tips: • When shipping gifts, a reused box isn’t as sturdy as a new box and can weaken or break open in transit. However, if a box must be reused, customers […]
Thanks to Chal Kim — the Los Angeles Postal Police officer and former Marine who was profiled in “Semper Fidelis” — and to so many others for your service. […]
Rural Carrier Associate Melinda Jackson-Bunch was recently making deliveries in Battle Creek, MI, when she witnessed a two-car accident that sent one of the vehicles crashing into a tree. Jackson-Bunch immediately stopped to call 911 and assist the injured driver, whose ankles were broken. She safely pulled the man from the smoking car and comforted […]
The Combined Federal Campaign’s cause of the week is children and family services. The first 1,000 days of life are crucial for human development. This small window of time often sets the stage for whether a child grows into a healthy, loving, compassionate individual or a sickly, alienated, dangerous one. The effects of deprivation early […]
A new Postal Service video takes viewers behind the scenes during the filming of this year’s holiday television commercial. The video features employees who appear in the ad, including Stephanie Maldonado, a Jensen Beach, FL, letter carrier, who says making the commercial was a once-in-a-lifetime experience. “I’m going to hold onto this memory forever,” she […]
Here’s a look at some recent changes in the Postal Service leadership ranks: • John H. McTigue was named the Manasota, FL, Processing and Distribution Center’s plant manager. He previously served as the Tampa, FL, Processing and Distribution Center’s distribution operations senior manager. • Andres Morales, the San Juan, PR, customer service operations manager, was […]
The Postal Service expects to deliver 12 billion mailpieces this holiday season, including 850-950 million packages. The organization, which released the estimates last week, announced it will expand Sunday delivery, beginning Nov. 28, to locations with high package volume. More than 9.7 million packages are expected to be delivered each Sunday throughout the holiday season. […]
On Nov. 15, the Postal Service will observe America Recycles Day, dedicated to raising awareness about the importance of conservation and recycling. In many ways, though, every day is recycling day for the Postal Service. One milestone came in 2013, when the organization launched the National Recycling Operation, or NRO, which streamlined postal recycling efforts […]
Letter Carrier Jeffrey Wilson was recently delivering mail in a Rochester, NY, neighborhood when he smelled the odor of leaking gas at a customer’s home. Wilson alerted the customer, who called the gas company. Utility workers were dispatched to the scene, where they discovered leaks both outside and inside the residence. “Jeffrey’s actions helped prevent […]
Postal Service employees can participate in an online virtual benefits fair throughout this year’s open season, which runs from Nov. 8-Dec. 13. USPS is offering a nationwide Virtual Benefits Fair with participating Federal Employees Health Benefits (FEHB) Program carriers. The fair provides an opportunity to visit health care provider booths, attend webinars and download health […]
The Combined Federal Campaign’s cause of the week is military support. The campaign quotes John F. Kennedy: “The cost of freedom is always high, but Americans have always paid it.” Some pay a higher price than others, however. Soldiers and their families experience long separations, celebrations spent apart, uncertain futures and frequent moves that strain […]
Here’s a look at some recent changes in the Postal Service leadership ranks: • Randall N. Anderson, the Greensboro, NC, Processing and Distribution Center’s senior plant manager, retired Oct. 1 after 40 years with USPS. Thomas K. “Mike” Daniels Jr., plant manager at the Mid-Carolina Processing and Distribution Center in Charlotte, NC, is serving as […]
Veterans Day holds special meaning for Chal Kim, a Los Angeles Postal Police officer and former Marine who sees it as a time to remember two people who helped shape his life. While growing up near Baltimore, Kim befriended a former leatherneck who was a regular customer at an eatery that Kim’s family owned. “When […]