Los Feliz, CA, Clerk Spencer Myles
“Be the best at whatever you do. Promote the Postal Service whenever you can. Quality employees will make the system a success.” […]
Katie Howard
Posts by Katie Howard
John Purdy, Washington, DC
Thank you for sharing the updated information on the Postal Employees’ Relief Fund. The site makes it easy to help postal employees who’ve been affected by Hurricane Harvey. […]
Seeking perfection
USPS has introduced an online tool to ensure customers receive excellent service when they send and receive packages. The Perfect Package Experience (PPE) dashboard aims to help the Postal Service track package deliveries and better understand customers’ perspectives. The goal is to ensure deliveries are made by the expected date, at the right location and […]
Need to know
Shirt tale. Employees can order a USPS-approved shirt to help promote Breast Cancer Awareness Month in October. The shirt meets this year’s Breast Cancer Awareness Month guidelines, which the USPS Ethics Office developed with input from a team of representatives from multiple Postal Service departments. The guidelines are now available on the office’s Blue page. […]
Zachary Walker, Athens, TN
City Carrier Assistant Zachary Walker was delivering mail on a recent stormy day in Athens, TN, when he heard someone scream out: “They are still in the van!” He looked around and saw that a minivan had tipped forward into a flooded ditch, trapping two occupants in the partially submerged vehicle. Walker waded in waist […]
San Diego District Manager Jim Olson
“Gemba walks allow us to find where we have opportunity.” […]
Teresa Barwick, Center Hill, FL
“Snake news” was interesting. Lives could have been lost if the snakes got loose. […]
Informed Delivery
The Postal Service will soon combine the My USPS and Informed Delivery platforms, offering consumers the ability to interact with their incoming mail and packages in one dashboard. “The integration with My USPS will make Informed Delivery the single digital point of entry for consumers to view images of their mail and manage their packages. […]
Helping hands
Two resources are available to help Postal Service employees affected by Hurricane Harvey and other disasters: • The Postal Employees’ Relief Fund (PERF) is available to help active and retired management and craft employees when their homes are damaged or destroyed by a hurricane, tornado, flood, wildfire or earthquake. PERF provides applicants with small relief […]
Bottle shock
A Gaza fisherman recently received his first piece of personal “mail” — a message in a bottle. While fishing, 54-year-old Jihad al-Soltan caught the bobbing bottle with a parchment note and dried flowers inside and took it home. “Hello! Thank you for picking up this bottle,” the message read. “We … would love to know […]
Love of labor
In honor of next week’s Labor Day observance, “The list” looks at seven American workers’ rights advocates who were honored with stamps. 1. Susan B. Anthony. Honored in 1936 with a 3-cent stamp and in 1958 with a 50-cent stamp, the famed women’s rights advocate pushed for eight-hour workdays and equal pay for equal work. […]
Central Pennsylvania District Acting Sr. Plant Manager Jeffrey Hotchkiss
“The Postal Service is very interested in nurturing the next generation of supervisors, managers and executives so we can continue to achieve success.” […]
Read More… from Central Pennsylvania District Acting Sr. Plant Manager Jeffrey Hotchkiss
Jeffrey Jones, McKinney, TX
An alert Postal Service employee recently saved three children and their grandmother from a fire that threatened a McKinney, TX, home. Rural Carrier Associate Jeffrey Jones was delivering a parcel when he spotted flames spreading quickly in the bushes in front of the residence. Jones could see the kids inside, but no one answered the […]
LaRisa Kamalamalama, Kailua, HI
I feel very motivated after reading the “Best practices” profile of Oviedo, FL, Postmaster Karen Hebert. This story is just what I needed. […]
Future focus
The Postal Service is improving customers’ experiences by investing in employees and new technology, PMG Megan J. Brennan told a recent gathering of rural carriers. “The future is all about the customer. We have to listen and quickly adapt to their needs,” the PMG said at the National Rural Letter Carriers Association (NRLCA) convention near […]
High seas adventure
A Honolulu District employee recently completed the adventure of a lifetime when he sailed his boat from Alameda, CA, to the Hawaii capital. “I’m sure a lot of people would say I wasn’t ready for this journey,” said Steve Russell, a maintenance mechanic at the Honolulu Processing and Distribution Center. The journey began when Russell […]
Bee good
A new video offers a quick glimpse of the recent Protect Pollinators stamp dedication ceremony. The video shows USPS leaders and other speakers discussing the importance of western honeybees and monarch butterflies, the two pollinators featured on the stamps. “Pollinators produce one-third of the world’s food crops,” USPS Judicial Officer Gary Shapiro says. “Without them, […]
In the zone
USPS is reminding employees to watch out for children now that schools are resuming. Drivers must take precautions to avoid accidents and keep children safe by staying alert, driving defensively and remembering that kids are unpredictable. While driving, remember to: Slow down and obey the speed limits. Adjust your mirrors so you can see around […]
Steven Curtis, Jamesville, NY
Rural Carrier Steven Curtis was delivering mail recently in Jamesville, NY, when he spotted a customer in trouble. The man was pushing a lawn mower that had tipped on its side as he struggled to keep it — and himself — from plunging into a deep ditch alongside the road. Curtis rushed to assist the […]
Business owner Don Shook
“I think USPS stands for Ultimately Supplying Phenomenal Service.” […]
Sharon Wilson, Mountain View, OK
I am so happy to see the Flowers From the Garden stamps. I have more requests for flower stamps than anything else. […]
Need to know
Scanning snapshot. The Postal Service’s national scanning rating was 97.82 percent during the week ending Aug. 18, up from one week earlier. Dakotas (99.2 percent) topped the districts, while Western (98.07 percent) led the areas. To see the latest results, go to the Enterprise Analytics site and select “Scanning” on the left hand side, and then “DES […]
New labor deal
The American Postal Workers Union (APWU) has ratified a contract that covers approximately 1,100 USPS employees in Information Technology and Accounting Services. The employees work in Postal Service data centers in St. Louis; Eagan, MN; San Mateo, CA; and Wilkes-Barre, PA. “Overall, this agreement is in the best interest of our employees, customers and the […]
Deep dive
In a new video, USPS goes behind the scenes of the recent Sharks stamp dedication ceremony. The 1-minute, 30-second segment features remarks from Chief Human Resources Officer Jeff Williamson and other speakers at the July event. “We hope that you will not only purchase these stamps to mail lots of letters and cards, but that you […]
Ship and sure
The Postal Service has introduced Automated Package Verification (APV), a system to detect postage due on parcels with postage paid via a PC Postage or Click-N-Ship label. Here’s what you should know: • APV improves the collection of postage due. The new system automates the postage due process for packages paid through Click-N-Ship or these […]
Deborah Jedynak, Grand Rapids, MI
Informed Delivery is the best idea since the ZIP Code. […]
Fuquay-Varina, NC, Postmaster Dean Roberts
“I’ve assisted many employees looking to advance. It is satisfying to help employees find a suitable career path.” […]
True blood
San Antonio Letter Carrier Marcos Perez III delivers more than mail. He also delivers the gift of life. Every two weeks for the past 34 years, Perez has set aside two hours of his own time to donate blood platelets, a blood component that allows him to donate more often than if he were giving […]
Don’t get locked out
The Postal Service will shut down remote.usps.gov access to USPS online applications Monday, Aug. 28. The shutdown is part of the Postal Service’s ongoing effort to protect its networks. Employees who use remote.usps.gov will need to request Virtual Private Network (VPN) access to connect remotely. Similarly, USPS suppliers or contractors will need to request Business […]
Balancing act
For many people, balancing work and life is an ongoing struggle. The Postal Service encourages employees to regularly evaluate their sense of overall wellness, which includes mental and physical, financial, social and career health. The Wellness team offers these suggestions to find balance in each of these areas: • Mental and physical. Take time to […]