Sheila Kendrick, Robert Lee, TX
“Home” is the Postal Service’s best holiday TV commercial yet. […]
Katie Howard
Posts by Katie Howard
Who? What? Where?
Letter Carrier Deborah Syntet was recently delivering mail in Buffalo, NY, when she spotted an older man lying alongside a road. Syntet rushed to his aid and found him to be unconscious, and though he soon came to, he could not remember his name or where he was. The Postal Service employee immediately called 911 […]
Future leave
The Postal Service is updating its Enterprise Leave Request Application to include scheduled leave. The application, also known as eLRA, has been used to request unscheduled leave, such as for illnesses or injuries, personal emergencies, community disaster or Wounded Warrior leave. The change now allows craft employees to use the application to request scheduled leave […]
Flex time
The importance of flexible spending accounts (FSAs) is explained in a newly updated video from the Postal Service. FSAs, one of several options available to employees during open season, can help employees reduce their taxable income and save on yearly health or dependent care costs. The four-minute video, “2020 Flexible Spending Accounts,” explains the different […]
High achievers
Here’s a look at some recent changes in the USPS leadership ranks: • Hollywood, FL, Postmaster Daniel J. Carleen was named the Fort Worth, TX, Post Office’s acting officer in charge. • Renee Chaney, the Tucson, AZ, Processing and Distribution Facility’s plant manager, has been named the Sacramento, CA, Processing and Distribution Center’s acting plant […]
Christmas watchlist
Ready for a holiday binge watch? Get cozy with some popcorn, cookies and cocoa and count down the days until Christmas with these 12 television movies full of mail-related themes. 1. “Write Before Christmas” (2019). In this Hallmark Channel production, after a recently single woman (Torrey DeVitto) sends Christmas cards to five people who have […]
Two weeks left
Postal Service employees have two more weeks to change their health coverage or enroll in a new plan. Open season, the annual period when USPS employees can make benefits changes, ends Monday, Dec. 14. Employees can choose from a variety of health, vision and dental coverage through the following programs and plans: • Federal Employees […]
Paul’s call
Carrier Technician Paul Arcaro was recently making deliveries in Asheville, NC, when he grew concerned about an older customer. Arcaro and his colleagues make a point of checking on the woman daily, and she didn’t respond when he knocked on her front door. The Postal Service employee soon spotted the customer inside lying on the […]
Lori Corrigan, Franconia, NH
After reading “Hello, 2021,” the article highlighting next year’s stamp roster, I got an idea: The Postal Service should release a stamp honoring “How the Grinch Stole Christmas!” […]
Safety first
The Postal Service urges employees to wear face coverings and adhere to social distancing procedures as coronavirus infections continue to spike across the nation. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, face coverings and social distancing of at least 6 feet from others help reduce the spread of the virus, which is transmitted […]
Counter talk
Friendly chats with customers have resulted in Retail Associate Carolle Griffin submitting more than 10 leads through the Clerks Care program. One conversation with the owner of an online cosmetic company yielded more than $15,000 in new revenue for the Postal Service. Mona Ramsey, the business owner, who is a regular customer at the New […]
Cyber Monday
The Postal Service wants everyone to know it will be ready to deliver their Cyber Monday purchases this year. In a news release this week, USPS reminded customers that products and services like Click-N-Ship, Package Pickup and free Priority Mail boxes, available on usps.com, allow them to take care of their mailing and shipping needs […]
Maria Columbus, San Francisco
The five facts about turkeys featured in last week’s edition of “The List” were amazing. I didn’t know turkeys have such excellent vision. […]
Smoke’s no joke
Retail Associate Deanna Eliason was on duty recently at the Marsing, ID, Post Office when she smelled smoke. Eliason stepped outside to investigate and saw that a day care facility adjacent to the Post Office was on fire. She rushed back inside to alert Postmaster Marnie McNeil, who called 911, before returning to the day […]
Peak preview
The Postal Service expects holiday customer traffic to increase beginning Dec. 7, with the season’s busiest period for mailing, shipping and deliveries occurring Dec. 14-21. The organization released the expectations last week, noting that more gifts are expected to be sent through the mail this year as families and friends hold virtual get-togethers instead of […]
It’s open
A newly updated video reminds Postal Service employees of the importance of the open season benefits enrollment period. The two-minute video, “2020 Open Season,” notes that employees’ circumstances may change from year to year. For example, some employees may want to add a dependent to their plan, while other workers may determine they no longer […]
Rising to the top
Here’s a look at some recent changes in the USPS leadership ranks: • Severo Garza, the San Francisco Network Distribution Center’s manager, has been named the Albuquerque, NM, Processing and Distribution Center’s acting plant manager. • Fort Lauderdale, FL, Postmaster David C. Guiney has been named acting Western Pennsylvania District manager. • Mid-Carolinas District Manager […]
Vroom!
To help mark USPS Motor Vehicle Safety Month in December, here are three facts about the Postal Service’s delivery fleet. 1. USPS has more than 228,000 vehicles, one of the largest civilian fleets in the world. On a typical day, these vehicles help USPS deliver more than 470 million mailpieces to about 160 million addresses, […]
Barbara Wilson, Des Moines, IA
I’m very happy about the stamps previewed in “Hello, 2021,” including the releases honoring our Asian community. […]
Neighbors notice
Rural Carrier Jacqueline Tannehill was recently making deliveries in a Springfield, IL, neighborhood when she grew concerned about an older customer whose mail was piling up. Tannehill knocked on the woman’s front door and only heard dogs barking in response. The Postal Service employee alerted a neighbor, knowing he was also a local police officer. […]
Safety leaders
The Postal Service has honored one area and four districts with this year’s Safety Leadership and Vision Awards. The awards, introduced in 2019, honor areas and districts that exceed requirements in maintaining safe workplaces based on key criteria, such as reducing accident rates and improving performance compared with the same period one year earlier. This […]
Neighborly help
Letter Carrier Brina Uhrbrock’s neighbors own a gift, novelty and souvenir company. Over the course of a year, the Muskegon, MI, employee chatted with them about their business and how the Postal Service could help them. “This is a veteran-owned, family-run business,” said Uhrbrock. “They had been using another shipper for their products, but when […]
Still open
Postal Service employees have a few more weeks to change their health coverage or enroll in a new plan. Open season, the annual period when USPS employees can make benefits changes, ends Monday, Dec. 14. Employees can choose from a variety of health, vision and dental coverage through the following programs and plans: Federal Employees […]
Holiday savings
USPS is offering savings on Visa gift card purchases at select Post Office locations this month. From Nov. 14-27, customers and employees will receive $2 off the purchase fee of Mastercard gift cards valued at $50 and $100. Variable load gift cards are excluded. No coupon is needed. […]
Martha Carson, Guysville, OH
I frequently learn something new from “The List,” one of my favorite Link features. I especially enjoyed the recent editions on Native American Heritage Month and Veterans Day. […]
Cold call
Rural Carrier Associate Shelly Stoddard was delivering a package at an isolated residence in Barker, NY, on a rainy morning last winter when she heard someone yelling for help. She soon spotted an older customer lying on the ground in his driveway. Stoddard rushed to help the man, who lives alone and had been stranded […]
Gobble, gobble
To help you get ready for Thanksgiving next week, here are five facts about the star attraction at the traditional holiday feast. 1. Turkeys are capable of fascinating physical feats. According to the Audubon Society, wild turkeys can fly as fast as 60 miles per hour. Turkeys also have excellent vision — seeing three times […]
New gigs
Here’s a look at some recent changes in the USPS leadership ranks: • Wendy M. McLlwain, senior plant manager at the Suburban Maryland Processing and Distribution Center in Gaithersburg, was named acting Capital District manager. • Carlos Nunez, South Jersey District’s operations programs support manager, was named acting Central Pennsylvania District manager. • Sherrod M. […]
Balancing benefits
In a new video, Chief Human Resources Officer Isaac Cronkhite provides Postal Service employees with an overview of open season. The annual benefits enrollment period, which runs from Nov. 9-Dec. 14 this year, allows employees to review and make changes to their health coverage. “Please carefully look at all of the coverages and options to […]
Hello, 2021
The Postal Service has announced some of next year’s planned stamp releases. Here’s what’s coming: Year of the Ox, the second release in the new Lunar New Year series Love, which will feature three large hearts shown in an unconventional palette of color duos Chien-Shiung Wu, honoring one of the most influential nuclear physicists of […]