There’s still time to help the less fortunate this holiday season through Operation Santa, but you must act soon. The annual program allows families in need to write letters to Santa Claus for “adoption” by those who want to help. The deadline to adopt letters this year is Friday, Dec. 20. Several versions of the […]
The Postal Service’s year-end financial report is discussed in Chief Financial Officer Joe Corbett’s latest “Dollars and Change” video. USPS recorded $71.1 billion in total operating revenue in fiscal 2019 (Oct. 1, 2018-Sept. 30, 2019) and $79.9 billion in total operating expenses. This left the organization with a net loss of $8.8 billion — an […]
Dwight Eisenhower was president when Ernie Topness began delivering mail in 1957. Sixty-two years later, Ike is long gone, but Topness is still going strong. The Cedar Rapids, IA, letter carrier began his postal career after serving in the Army for two years during the Korean War. Topness is the only USPS employee in Western […]
The Postal Service’s busiest week of the holiday season is now underway and if you need information — or inspiration — to get through the next few days, there’s plenty available. The USPS Holiday Newsroom site serves as a one-stop shop for fact sheets, recommended mailing and shipping dates, and links to usps.com, where customers […]
Peak season is peaking — and if you want to stay in the know, you need Link mobile, the Link news site’s mobile-friendly version. Link mobile offers the same content available on Link’s desktop version — including news reports, feature stories and informational videos — but in a format that’s easy to read on smartphones, […]
The “Courageous displays” article about the new law requiring Postal Service facilities to fly the POW-MIA flag year-round made my heart smile with pride. I’m a former Marine who has been a Postmaster for more than 20 years, and I always display the POW-MIA flag at my facility. Feedback from customers is always positive. […]
The Postal Service wants employees to use proper recycling procedures when discarding used batteries. In preparation for the holiday peak delivery season, many Post Offices and delivery units will likely replace used batteries in scanners and other equipment. Most depleted batteries, including lithium-ion batteries used in Mobile Delivery Devices and other types of scanners, contain […]
Theodore Rogers is looking forward to what will probably be his last holiday season at the Cardiss Collins Processing and Distribution Center in Chicago. “It’s just wonderful and nice what we do at the Postal Service for folks to celebrate Christmas,” said Rogers, who plans to retire next year. Along with getting into the holiday […]
USPS recently added technology at retail locations that provides employees with the capability to scan government identification cards with two-dimensional barcodes. Postal Service locations with Retail Systems Software (RSS) and mobile Point of Sale (mPOS) equipment can now scan these cards. The scans are required for Hold Mail and change of address requests. Scanning the […]
The Postal Service wants employees to watch out for “malvertisers” who con online holiday shoppers with bogus advertisements. Malvertisers are scammers who promote too-good-to-be-true deals in order to trick online shoppers into clicking links embedded in spoofed or fake ads. The links often lead to malware — malicious software designed to compromise computers once downloaded. […]
Hamilton Award. The Postal Service has won a silver award in this year’s Alexander Hamilton Awards, which are given by Treasury & Risk Magazine to honor innovation in the corporate treasury, finance and risk management sectors. USPS was recognized in the operation risk management and insurance category for implementing a system of “tokenizing” credit card […]
Giving Tuesday, a single-day charity drive held annually on the fifth day after Thanksgiving, is Dec. 3. Postal Service employees can participate by donating to the Combined Federal Campaign, the federal government’s workplace charity effort. Giving Tuesday was created in 2012 to encourage people from around the world to come together and do good deeds […]
The USPS Ethics Office wants employees to remember that complying with the organization’s rules on giving and receiving gifts is especially important during the holidays. The Ethics Office Blue page has a presentation to help employees become familiar with the rules, which are known as the standards of ethical conduct. The presentation includes the standards […]
The Postal Service is seeking nominations for the 2019 Postmaster General Sustainability Excellence Awards. The annual awards recognize areas, districts, facilities, teams and individuals who help foster sustainable workplaces. According to the call for nominations, USPS wants nominators to share stories from fiscal 2019 (Oct. 1, 2018-Sept. 30, 2019) that “demonstrate innovation, leadership and measurable […]
National Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day, an annual commemoration of the 1941 attack, will be observed Saturday, 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. […]
Let’s chat. Postal Service employees can participate in a live chat with health insurance experts Wednesday, Dec. 4, from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. EST. The chat is part of an online virtual benefits fair that is running during this year’s open season benefits enrollment period. The fair offers information about the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program […]
I love Link stories. […]
The Postal Service is using a direct mailpiece to remind customers how the organization delivers for them during the holidays. “We have everything you need to send holiday gifts and greetings,” the piece states. “We’re helping spread holiday joy all across the country.” The mailer offers information on Priority Mail shipping products, holiday stamps, mailing […]
A new exhibit at the National Postal Museum in Washington, DC, takes a look at how another federal agency delivers letters, packages and even heavy equipment. “None Swifter Than These: 100 Years of Diplomatic Couriers” opened in September and is on view through Jan. 26, 2020. The U.S. Diplomatic Courier Service (DCS) carries the sensitive […]
The CyberSafe at USPS team is offering tips from the experts who spoke at the Postal Service’s recent Cybersecurity Awareness Fair in Washington, DC. According to the experts, protecting yourself from cyberattacks is as easy as ABC: • Always avoid poor cybersecurity behaviors. For instance, sharing passwords or discussing proprietary information in public can potentially […]
Do you wear eyeglasses, contact lenses or visit the dentist more than twice a year? If so, experts say a flexible spending account (FSA) is likely a good option for you. FSAs can help your health care dollars go further — but only if you plan accordingly. FSAs allow you to set aside money on […]
The following message is from Postmaster General Megan J. Brennan: As we prepare to celebrate Thanksgiving Day, I want to express my gratitude for everything you do for the Postal Service. Every day, you demonstrate unwavering commitment to serving the American public, no matter what challenges arise. This year, you helped our customers recover from […]
Letter Carrier Melanie Dix was recently outside the Hampton, IA, Post Office, preparing to deliver mail, when she spotted a 5-year-old boy alone on a busy highway. As Dix rushed to aid the child, she saw two vehicles narrowly miss hitting him. The Postal Service employee safely stopped traffic until she could reach the boy […]
Here’s Link’s latest “News Quiz,” a weekly feature that invites readers to test their knowledge of recent stories. The correct answers appear at the end. 1. Fill in the blank: On average, USPS employees who made changes to their benefits last year are on track to save about (blank) pay period in 2019. a) 78 […]
A fair to remember. Postal Service employees can view video highlights from “Welcome to the New Cyber Frontier,” the organization’s recent cybersecurity awareness fair. The highlights include presentations from corporate and academic cybersecurity leaders, including representatives from Verizon, Domino’s and the University of California at Berkeley. Employees can also download tips, guidelines and other materials […]
Postal Service employees who want to save money for future medical expenses have several options during this year’s open season, which runs from Nov. 11-Dec. 9. If you enroll in a high-deductible health plan (HDHP), you may be eligible to contribute to a health savings account (HSA). An HSA allows you to pay for current […]
Think your commute is rough? Imagine being Georg Brendel. Brendel is a special agent for the USPS Office of Inspector General, which helps ensure the Postal Service’s efficiency, accountability and integrity. His assigned terrain is Alaska — also known as the Last Frontier, a state whose geography and weather pose unique challenges. While Alaska’s letter […]
I was amazed by the “Heroes’ Corner” story about Heather Adams, the Portland, ME, financial programs compliance manager who donated a kidney to a co-worker’s daughter. Blessings really do happen. […]
Open for business. USPS Operation Santa kicked off Nov. 18 and runs through Dec. 20. The annual program allows employees and customers to aid families in need by “adopting” their letters to Santa Claus and granting their holiday wishes. A legacy program available only in New York City and Chicago allows individuals to adopt letters […]
A new Postal Service video shows how this year’s holiday television commercials were filmed. The video showcases the five employees who appear in the ads, including Jose Godinez, a Redondo Beach, CA, letter carrier who, through the magic of Hollywood, delivers mail to a snow-covered farmhouse. “We’re in California and it doesn’t rain or snow […]