Darlene Haynes, Orlando, FL
Congratulations to USPS for ranking first in a consumer survey on the performance of major businesses during the coronavirus pandemic. […]
Katie Howard
Posts by Katie Howard
Beyond the curve
The Postal Service is transitioning its COVID-19 Response Command team back into the organization’s leadership structure. The team was established in March to manage the Postal Service’s comprehensive response to the coronavirus pandemic. “As we transition our response to life and work beyond the curve, the level of activity and focus required of the COVID-19 […]
Fostering commerce
The Postal Service is a government agency that operates like a business. The organization provides a vital delivery service that fosters commerce, serves every address in the United States and binds the nation. USPS receives no tax dollars for operating expenses and relies on the sale of postage, products and services to fund its operations. […]
Knock, ring or whistle
The newly updated edition of Publication 100, the Postal Service’s official history book, is the go-to for readers who want to know more about the U.S. Mail. Here are seven more interesting facts from its pages: 1. One of the first African American letter carriers, William Carney, is better known for being the first African […]
Renea Puckett, Fayetteville, NC
I really enjoyed “First-class learning,” the article about the Florida first-graders who recently took a virtual field trip to their local Post Office. I loved the picture of the student and the look of excitement on his face as he retrieved a Priority Mail envelope from his mailbox. […]
Kidney for kid
Nicole Bugaj, a retail associate in Toledo, OH, decided last year to become a kidney donor to 3-year-old Ronnie Rusek. Bugaj and Ronnie underwent surgery in September, giving the toddler a new lease on life. “He is so much better now,” said local Customer Services Supervisor Charbieara Garland. Bugaj had learned of Ronnie’s plight from […]
Essential services
The Postal Service is reminding employees and contractors that they are exempt from curfew orders and other travel restrictions issued by state and local governments due to recent civil unrest and the coronavirus pandemic. The organization is working with federal, state and local authorities to ensure the safety of employees and customers as operations continue […]
Acting VP announced
Dane Coleman has been appointed Northeast Area’s acting vice president, effective June 13. The area has more than 30 plants; 4,000 delivery and retail units; and approximately 90,000 employees. The area includes New England, parts of New York and New Jersey, the U.S. Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico. Coleman, a 33-year Postal Service employee, is […]
In the know
The Postal Service understands that knowledge is empowering. This is why USPS strives to provide employees with up-to-the-minute news about the organization and its work. By offering workers timely updates, USPS aims to help them feel more engaged, more productive and better equipped to serve customers. The Postal Service’s primary source of employee news is […]
Winging it
To help celebrate the update of Publication 100, the Postal Service’s official history book, here are eight interesting tidbits from its pages. 1. Women have served as Postmasters since the American postal system began in 1775. Mary Katherine Goddard of Baltimore, MD, was Postmaster when Benjamin Franklin was named the first Postmaster General, making her […]
Diabetic down
Chelsea, MA, Letter Carrier Robert Brown was recently delivering mail to a customer’s home in neighboring Winthrop when he saw her sprawled out on the floor inside. Brown rushed to her side and found that she was breathing but unresponsive, so he immediately called 911. Emergency responders soon arrived and took the customer to a […]
Martha Carson, Guysville, OH
Best wishes to Earl Musick, the retiring postal cartoonist who was profiled in “Drawing to an end.” I’ll miss his annual holiday coloring page. I looked forward to it each year. […]
Show of force
To help mark National Military Appreciation Month in May, here are five facts about the U.S. armed forces. 1. The military is big — and getting bigger. The Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force and Coast Guard are the armed forces of the United States, according to the U.S. Defense Department. The Army National Guard […]
World of possibility
If you want to travel the world, USPS can help. Thousands of Post Offices across the nation accept first-time passport applications for the U.S. State Department. These offices can also assist customers with passport renewal applications, and some offices can take customers’ passport photos. The Postal Service collects fees for some passport services, making them […]
Coronavirus coverage
Link has devoted a section of its website to the coronavirus pandemic. The page, located at link.usps.com/coronavirus, features all pandemic-related stories published since January. The articles are divided by five categories: • Business, including articles about how USPS and its commercial customers have been affected by the health crisis • Customers, including stories about the […]
Past and present
The Postal Service has updated its own history book. Publication 100, The United States Postal Service: An American History, traces the organization’s evolution from the colonial era to the digital age. The 144-page book includes several new sections, including “Diversity, Past and Present,” “Unusual Delivery Methods” and tables of historical postage rates. Other sections cover […]
Out of office
The Postal Service is continuing its Hatch Act education campaign. The Hatch Act is a law that prohibits postal and other federal employees from engaging in political activity while on duty, while wearing a uniform, while on federal property or while inside a federal vehicle. It also prohibits executive branch employees from running for partisan […]
Cultural collector
Arturo Alfonso Schomburg, an avid collector of books and other works written by people of African descent, helped preserve priceless cultural knowledge. Schomburg (1874-1938) is one of four African-American literary figures who’ll be featured on Voices of the Harlem Renaissance, a stamp pane that USPS will release this week to honor one of the great […]
Cynthia Thomas, Jacksonville, FL
I want to thank Deputy Postmaster General Ronald A. Stroman, who will resign June 1, for his service and strong leadership. He and Postmaster General Megan J. Brennan both will be missed. […]
John of Arcadia
Letter Carrier John Garcia was recently making deliveries in Arcadia, CA, when he grew concerned that an older customer’s mail was piling up. Garcia knocked on the woman’s front door and heard her faintly asking for help. The Postal Service employee immediately called 911 and remained on the scene until emergency responders arrived. The customer […]
Here to there
The Postal Service is reminding employees that commercial customers can forward mail to an alternate business address, a useful option for firms that have changed locations during the coronavirus pandemic. Premium Forwarding Service Commercial allows customers with active PO Boxes or business street addresses to temporarily forward all mail in bulk to a new domestic […]
New customers
The Postal Service is ready to use direct mail campaigns to help businesses affected by the coronavirus pandemic attract new customers. The organization offers Online Direct Mail Experts, a usps.com page that can help small businesses and others develop direct mail marketing campaigns, often in fewer than 15 minutes. Research shows these mailings are an […]
Open for business
The Postal Service takes mailboxes seriously. To ensure letter carriers, rural carriers and other employees can deliver mail safely and efficiently, the organization requires customers’ mailboxes to meet design and installation standards. A mailbox with the Postmaster General’s seal of approval meets USPS size and construction standards. Customers can build their own mailbox or buy […]
Root awakening
To help mark the recent release of the American Gardens Forever stamps, here are three facts about public gardens in the United States. 1. There are several kinds of public gardens. The American Public Gardens Association defines a public garden as “an institution that maintains collections of plants for the purposes of public education and […]
Sheryl Denny, Paterson, NJ
“Sincerely, Mailman Kyle” was a heartwarming story. Cincinnati Letter Carrier Kyle West is such a committed, dedicated and positive employee for helping customers in need during this time of uncertainty. I’m happy he’s part of our postal family. […]
Fire sighter
Letter Carrier Kai Rein was recently delivering mail in a West Caldwell, NJ, neighborhood when she saw that a customer’s home was on fire. Rein rushed to alert the woman to the danger — banging on the front door, ringing the doorbell and yelling to her. The customer escaped unharmed and called 911. Firefighters soon […]
Change for the better
USPS has improved the way it helps telephone callers who request change-of-address services, thanks to a team that came together from several postal departments. Until about two years ago, the organization’s customer care centers received approximately 400,000 calls annually from individuals with questions or concerns regarding their change-of-address requests. “For security reasons, there are limits […]
High visibility
The Postal Service is reminding employees to follow established mail flow and scanning procedures to ensure visibility into the mailstream. Visibility refers to the ability of business and residential customers to “see” their mail and packages moving through the USPS network. This occurs primarily through scanning; each time a mailpiece or package is scanned, the […]
Time to grow
The Postal Service will celebrate the natural beauty of botanical parks, country estates and other flowering areas when it releases its American Gardens stamps Wednesday, May 13. The pane of 20 Forever stamps will feature 10 photographs taken at gardens across the nation between 1996 and 2014. Each garden depicted on the stamps is open […]
Those who serve
People from all walks of life rely on USPS, but the organization takes particular pride in serving members of the armed forces. Customers can ship care packages to military addresses at domestic prices, even if the package will be sent overseas. The Postal Service also offers free military shipping kits, help with customs forms, military […]