Martha Carson, Guysville, OH
The recent edition of “The List” that celebrated World Post Day was fascinating. I didn’t know Israel Post places thousands of letters addressed to God between stones in Jerusalem’s Western Wall. […]
Katie Howard
Posts by Katie Howard
Fit to print
The Postal Service has integrated Click-N-Ship with Label Broker, aiming to improve customer service and the organization’s position in the burgeoning shipping marketplace. Label Broker allows customers without access to a printer to have their shipping labels printed at a participating Post Office. The labels are stored in a secure, online USPS repository. Now, when […]
No playing politics
The Postal Service wants employees to remember the Hatch Act’s rules regarding participation in political activities. The Hatch Act is a law that prohibits federal employees from engaging in political activity while on duty, while wearing a federal uniform or identification badge, while on federal property or while inside a federal vehicle. Under the law, […]
Downward, dog
City Carrier Assistant Brenda Jordan was delivering mail one day last year in an Ormond Beach, FL, neighborhood when she spotted a customer on the ground as a small dog wandered nearby dragging a leash. Jordan rushed to check on the woman, who had fallen while walking the blind and deaf canine. The customer asked […]
Honoring a sacred trust
In his latest video message, Postmaster General Louis DeJoy discusses the role USPS employees play in the electoral process. “The sanctity and security of the mail is a core value of the Postal Service, which is ingrained in all of us as part of our DNA — and the significance of that core value is […]
Coronavirus info
The Postal Service wants employees to remember that the organization has three websites that offer information about the coronavirus pandemic. The first site, located at about.usps.com/newsroom/covid-19, provides the latest information on how the organization is continuing operations and protecting employees and customers. The site also provides: Information on a variety of postal products and services […]
Climbing the ranks
Here’s a look at some recent changes in the USPS leadership ranks: • Deborah Brady, San Francisco District’s marketing manager, was named Western-Pacific Area’s acting marketing manager. • Kimberly Calderon, distribution operations senior manager for the San Antonio, TX, Processing and Distribution Center, was named acting plant manager. • Chris Carroll, the Grand Rapids, MI, […]
Raising awareness
To help mark the upcoming release of the Drug Free USA stamp, here are five facts about drug abuse in the United States. 1. Many Americans know someone with a drug addiction. A 2018 Pew Research Center survey found that 46 percent of U.S. adults say they have a family member or close friend who […]
New prices
The Postal Service has announced price changes for next year. If reviewed favorably by the Postal Regulatory Commission (PRC), the changes would take effect Jan. 24, 2021. Here’s a list of current and proposed prices: First-Class Mail letters (additional ounces): 15 cents (current), 20 cents (proposed) First-Class Mail letters (metered 1 ounce): 50 cents (current), […]
Time of reflection
The Postal Service will release a Kwanzaa stamp Oct. 13 to celebrate the values and beliefs around African American heritage. Kwanzaa, which takes place over seven days from Dec. 26-Jan. 1, brings family, community and culture together for many African Americans. The stamp design features the face of a woman in profile with her eyes […]
Lean on EAP
The Postal Service wants employees who feel overwhelmed by issues like the coronavirus pandemic, social unrest and teleworking challenges to know that support is available. The Employee Assistance Program (EAP) is a free, voluntary and confidential service to help USPS employees overcome challenges affecting their physical and mental health, family life and job performance. EAP […]
Open call
Link is working on a story about Postal Service employees who have saved money by changing their benefits during the annual open season enrollment period. Gieti Mojadidi, a USPS senior organization design consultant, shared her experience with Link last fall, explaining how she reduced her premiums after changing her health coverage the previous year. Have […]
Air care
City Carrier Assistant Jonathan Staib was recently making deliveries in Paris, TN, when he grew worried about an 82-year-old customer whose mail was piling up. Staib knew that the woman normally retrieved her mail daily, so he alerted a neighbor of hers, who contacted police. Officers checked on the customer and found her in dire […]
Service gifts
The Postal Service has released this year’s suggested mail-by dates for customers who want to send holiday letters and packages to diplomatic and military service members overseas. The dates are listed in an Oct. 6 news release, along with details on ordering free military care kits and guidelines for addressing packages to Army/Air Post Offices, […]
World of wonder
World Post Day, an annual celebration of the world’s postal organizations, is Oct. 9. Here are five things you may not have known. 1. The Royal Mail, the British postal service, traces its roots to the 16th century. It began in 1516, when King Henry VIII made Sir Brian Tuke the first “master of the […]
New home
The Mailpiece Incident Reporting Tool (MIRT) has a new home. To access MIRT, go to Blue and select “Essential Links,” followed by the MIRT link. MIRT previously was part of the Safety Toolkit, which USPS removed Sept. 30 and will replace with an improved website early next year. MIRT is a database for reporting and […]
Rearview mirror
The Postal Service’s Race for a $Billion campaign has ended, exceeding its goal by more than $200 million. The initiative began Oct. 1, 2019, and aimed to raise $1 billion through employee-generated sales leads by the end of the fiscal year on Sept. 30. The $1 billion goal was passed on Aug. 12 and the […]
Portsmanlike conduct
Letter Carrier Jeffrey Boyd was delivering mail in a Port St. Lucie, FL, neighborhood one day last winter when he spotted a customer who’d fallen in her driveway. Boyd rushed to the woman’s aid, called 911 and stayed by her side until emergency responders arrived. She later mailed a note of thanks to the local […]
Recruiting duty
My name is Neana Long and I’m the veteran programs recruiter working at Postal Service headquarters in Washington, DC. I focus on military veteran recruitment and retention through hiring initiatives and employee veteran outreach. I was in the Marine Corps from 1993-2001, and I believe my status as a veteran allows me to have insight […]
Pandemic guidance
The Postal Service is reminding employees that they must comply with local and state orders or directives to wear face coverings during the coronavirus pandemic. All employees, including those who do not deal directly with the public, must adhere to these orders and directives. Employees are also required to wear face coverings when they are […]
Coast to coast
The Postal Service expanded its Extended Mail Forwarding market test nationwide on Oct. 1. Extended Mail Forwarding allows customers to pay a fee to extend an existing permanent Change of Address request in six-month increments for up to 18 months. USPS began testing the service in nine districts on Aug. 1. By Sept. 27, the […]
Flags update
Postal Service facilities should return U.S. flags to full-staff. On Sept. 19, President Donald Trump ordered flags to fly at half-staff to honor Supreme Court Associate Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, who died the previous day. According to the order, flags should be flown at half-staff until sunset on the day of interment, which occurred Sept. […]
She’s breathless
Letter Carrier Timothy Grzegorczyk was delivering mail at a Milwaukee apartment building one day last fall when he saw a familiar face in the lobby: an older customer who frequently awaits his arrival. Grzegorczyk was concerned, though, to find the woman breathing heavily, so he asked her if she needed medical attention. The customer declined, […]
Something extra
The Postal Service is testing a feature that aims to grow Informed Delivery by providing shippers with new marketing opportunities. During the test, companies that ship products with USPS will be able to provide recipients who are Informed Delivery customers with digital content related to the package. When the customer opens their Informed Delivery daily […]
Pandemic leave FAQs
The Postal Service has updated its FAQs on the Families First Coronavirus Response Act, a law that requires some employers to provide workers with emergency paid sick leave and expanded family and medical leave for child care. The update includes child care information that parents and caregivers will find useful for back-to-school season. The FAQs […]
Holiday helper
Postmasters, managers and customer services supervisors will soon receive a Business Connect kit that details strategies for promoting direct mail and other USPS products and services to small businesses during the holidays. The kit, which is expected to reach recipients around Oct. 1, includes an event guide that explains how to facilitate virtual Grow Your […]
Differently abled
National Disability Employment Awareness Month begins Oct. 1. Here are some facts you may not have known. 1. More than 40 million people in the United States have a disability. This figure represents about 12 percent of the population, according to census data. 2.The most common types of disability involve difficulties with walking or independent […]
Out of sight
Rural Carrier Slobodanka Cadenovic was recently making deliveries in Williamstown, NJ, when she grew concerned that mail was piling up at the home of a customer who normally retrieved it daily. Cadenovic knocked on the customer’s front door but got no answer, so she checked with a neighbor — who had seen no sign of […]
Best of all
USPS honored several postal customer councils (PCCs) this week in recognition of their creative and innovative efforts to strengthen relationships between the organization and business mailers. The PCC Leadership Award recipients were selected through a competitive process and rated on a set of criteria by an independent panel of judges. The annual awards were presented […]
Doing for others
My name is Nate Maxwell and I’m a postal inspector assigned to the workplace violence and security team at the Postal Inspection Service’s Houston Division headquarters. I strive each day to uphold our mission to ensure the public’s trust in the mail. No two days are alike as a postal inspector. One day, I could […]