Martha Carson, Guysville, OH
I enjoyed reading “The List” highlighting seven facts about Bugs Bunny. As a fan, it was fun and added to my stockpile of Bugs Bunny trivia. […]
Katie Howard
Posts by Katie Howard
Dangerous destination
It was a rainy day last winter in Gassaway, WV, when railroad workers spotted an unclothed toddler alone on tracks behind the Post Office. Police and paramedics were dispatched, and though the boy was unharmed, he was unable to provide information about where he lived. Officers soon encountered Letter Carrier Shanna Erdman on the scene, […]
Extended Mail Forwarding
USPS is testing a service that allows customers to pay a fee to have their permanent Change of Address mail forwarded for up to 18 months. Extended Mail Forwarding is geared toward customers who may be displaced temporarily, on extended assignments, or who may not have updated their mailing contacts within the usual mail forwarding […]
Proud history
The Postal Inspection Service has released a video to celebrate the organization’s 245th birthday. “The United States Postal Inspection Service: A Look Back at the First 245 Years of America’s First and Oldest Law Enforcement Agency” explores the organization’s colorful history, which began when Benjamin Franklin, America’s first Postmaster General, hired William Goddard. On Aug. […]
Making it right
The Postal Service will release a stamp this week to mark the centennial of the 19th Amendment, which guarantees women the right to vote. Here are some things about the constitutional amendment you might not have known. 1. Women’s suffrage doesn’t refer to suffering. The 19th Amendment was passed by Congress in 1919, ratified on […]
Wellness worry
Blackwood, NJ, Carrier Technician Lonna Lenher was recently making deliveries when she grew concerned about an older customer whose mail was piling up. Lenher knocked on the woman’s door and got no answer, so she alerted a neighbor, and police were asked to check on the customer. Officers soon discovered that the woman was stranded […]
Scott Walton, Raleigh, NC
I thoroughly enjoy reading “Heroes Corner.” The articles foster a genuine sense of the intrinsic value of the Postal Service, which has human contact with every American, every day. […]
Life after work
Postal Service employees can participate in an upcoming webinar on long-term care insurance and retirement planning. The session, “A Secure Future Begins With the Choices You Make Today,” will be held Thursday, Aug. 20, at 2 p.m. EDT. The administrators of the Federal Long Term Care Insurance Program (FLTCIP) will conduct the webinar, which will […]
New prices
USPS has notified the Postal Regulatory Commission (PRC) it plans to temporarily increase prices for commercial domestic parcel products, starting this fall. Retail prices for parcel products are unaffected. The planned commercial price increases for Priority Mail Express, Priority Mail, First-Class Package Service (FCPS) and Commercial Parcel Select will take effect Oct. 18 at 12 […]
Taking action
A Dallas station manager’s sales tip has brought in more than $2 million in new revenue for the Postal Service. Emiliano Chapa of Lake Highlands learned that a customer was looking for alternative shipping options for his beauty supply company. Chapa submitted the lead through Business Connect, the Postal Service’s sales lead program for Postmasters, […]
Call Miss Thomas
My name is Sabrina Thomas and I’m a customer services supervisor in the Detroit area. I work at two Michigan stations — College Park and Ferndale Finance — dealing with everything pertaining to customer service, including delivery issues and audits. I’m the go-to person for customer service. If you need help, employees will say, “Call […]
Lobby life-saver
Acting Customer Services Supervisor Brian Chacon was on duty recently at the Renton, WA, Post Office when a customer collapsed in the lobby. Chacon immediately called 911, rushed to the customer’s side and followed the dispatcher’s instructions to perform CPR on the man. Emergency responders soon arrived and took over, and they credited the Postal […]
Learning together
The Postal Service has introduced an online resource to bolster the professional development of supervisors and the employees they mentor. Throughout the organization, many supervisors serve as mentors to other employees, including those who don’t report to them. The Supervisor Mentorship Toolkit, available in HERO, is designed to help these supervisors and mentees build effective […]
Property lines
USPS is reminding employees that they must use postal property in accordance with the rules — and only for postal work. Misuse of postal property violates the standards of ethical conduct for employees of the executive branch, which applies to postal employees. Postal property includes credit cards, phones and computer equipment. Here are some things […]
We got our act together
Fifty years ago, on Aug. 12, President Richard Nixon signed the Postal Reorganization Act, the law that began the transformation of the Post Office Department into the U.S. Postal Service. To help mark the law’s golden anniversary, here are 11 other memorable topics from 1970. 1. Breaking up was hard to do. The Beatles disbanded, […]
Memory lapse
Rural Carrier Lisa Moule was recently making a Priority Mail Express delivery in Medina, NY, when she grew worried about the recipient. The customer — an older woman Moule had spoken to regularly for years — seemed disoriented and couldn’t remember her own name. Moule immediately called 911 and stayed with the woman until paramedics […]
Martha Carson, Guysville, OH
I love the Bugs Bunny soldier stamp highlighted in “Happy Birthday, Bugs.” So patriotic! The new designs featured in the “Holiday stamps” article are great, too. Holiday Delights will certainly add a colorful touch to cards and letters, and the Winter Scenes stamps are beautiful. […]
USPS restructured
In an effort to operate in a more efficient and effective manner and better serve customers, Postmaster General Louis DeJoy has modified the Postal Service’s organizational structure. The new organizational structure, announced Aug. 7, is focused on three operating units and their core missions: • Retail and Delivery Operations — Accept and deliver mail and […]
Island son
My name is Horace Dudoit and I’m a Honolulu District accountable paper clerk. I help to distribute orders of stamp stock — and occasionally, Priority Mail Flat Rate Boxes — to the district’s Post Offices, ensuring the offices have what they need to serve our customers. I’ve worked for the Postal Service for almost 34 […]
Transformative process
In remarks at his first open session Board of Governors meeting on Aug. 7, Postmaster General Louis DeJoy outlined his strategy for a “transformative process” for the Postal Service. “Our goal is to change and improve the Postal Service to better serve the American public, and I am excited about the opportunities ahead,” said DeJoy. […]
Talking points
Two Illinois Postmasters have submitted more than 50 sales leads between them this year. The Postal Service recently recognized Mardi Hudson of Galena, IL, and Jo Bittinger of Sterling, IL, for the revenue their leads, submitted through the Business Connect program, have brought in. The organization has designated August as Business Connect Month to celebrate […]
USPS finances
The coronavirus pandemic continues to have an unpredictable effect on the Postal Service, the organization’s latest financial report shows. The results, released Aug. 7, show USPS reported total revenue of $17.6 billion for fiscal year 2020’s third quarter (April 1-June 30), up 3.2 percent compared with the same period one year earlier. However, as a […]
Carina Caballes, San Diego
I loved reading about the heroism that Fulton, NY, City Carrier Assistant Joey Dupell demonstrated in coming to the aid of an endangered teen. As a mother, I was especially moved. This was compassion and caring at its finest. […]
Candy crisis
Retail Associate Alice Luera was recently assisting a customer at the Glenwood, NM, Post Office when the woman started choking on a piece of candy. Luera rushed to the customer’s aid and performed the Heimlich maneuver on her until the candy was dislodged and she could breathe again. The Postal Service employee comforted the woman, […]
Character study
To help mark the release of the Bugs Bunny stamps, here are seven facts about the enduring American cultural icon. 1. Bugs has been around for eight decades. The stamps were released July 27, the 80th anniversary of Bugs Bunny’s screen debut in the 1940 cartoon “A Wild Hare.” 2. Here’s what’s in a name. […]
Strictly confidential
Since USPS introduced the Postal Pulse in 2015, the organization has described the employee survey as confidential. What does this mean? Here’s what you should know: • The Postal Service doesn’t administer the survey. Although the Postal Pulse is a USPS survey, the organization doesn’t administer it. Instead, the Postal Service relies on Gallup, one […]
Net results
Business mailers who use Informed Delivery have a new tool to access detailed reports on the effectiveness of their mail and digital marketing campaigns. Informed Visibility Mail Tracking and Reporting (IV-MTR) has been updated to provide business mailers with near-real-time marketing data from the Informed Delivery platform’s Post-Campaign Detailed Reports. The Informed Delivery detailed data […]
Bells and whistles
Patty Snediker broke some bad news to her daughter in March: Because of the coronavirus pandemic, the girl’s 14th birthday party was canceled. “It was hard,” said Snediker, a retail associate at the Roxbury, NY, Post Office. “I had to tell her that with everything going on, there would be no party. She was so […]
Twana Barber, Washington, DC
I want to share my heartfelt appreciation to Link for highlighting U.S. Rep. John Lewis in the article “Remembering a hero.” He was a beacon of light to all Americans. The African-American community will forever remember his civil rights work and legacy. […]
Cold and alone
City Carrier Assistant Joey Dupell was delivering mail on a frigid day last winter in Fulton, NY, when he spotted a teenager convulsing in a roadway. Dupell rushed to aid the teen, whose head was bleeding and who was insufficiently dressed for temperatures below freezing. The Postal Service employee immediately called 911, rendered first aid, […]