Barbara Keith, Leasburg, NC
“The big picture” article, which featured an image of the 1973 stamps celebrating Postal Service employees, made me think it’s time to release stamps showing how we serve the public today. […]
Mike Milligan
Posts by Mike Milligan
Training deadline
The Postal Service is reminding employees who process the organization’s sensitive information that their assigned cybersecurity training courses must be completed soon. These employees have been assigned one of the following two courses in HERO: • CyberSafe Fundamentals, which provides instructions on how to adhere to cybersecurity practices and policy to protect USPS electronic information; […]
Scanning snapshot
Scanning snapshot. A snapshot of Postal Service scanning data shows the national rating was 97.06 percent during the week ending July 23, down 0.03 percent from one week earlier. The data was collected July 28. Western Pacific led the four areas with a rating of 97.24 percent, while Atlantic ranked last with a 96.79 percent […]
On the way
Postmasters and customer services managers will soon receive a Business Connect kit that offers strategies for promoting USPS products and services to small businesses. The kits, which will be mailed around July 29, contain a welcome letter, an information sheet, a quick reference card and a tear pad. “Now is the time to show small […]
Delivering change
While the Postal Service has more than 230,000 vehicles in its delivery fleet today, until 1970, most letter carriers delivered mail on foot. “They didn’t have no trucks when we started. When I started, you went to your route on the bus,” recalled Alfonzo T. Wilson Jr., a Cleveland letter carrier who began his postal […]
The big picture
In mid-2020, as he was recovering from a near-fatal case of COVID-19, Mark Mothersbaugh found himself bristling at some of the anti-Postal Service rhetoric being bandied about at the time. “We weren’t hearing anybody speaking up for the Post Office, so we said, ‘Well dang it, we’re gonna do it,’” said Mothersbaugh, best known as […]
Scanning snapshot
Scanning snapshot. A snapshot of Postal Service scanning data shows the national rating was 96.93 percent during the week ending July 16, down about a quarter of a point from one week earlier. The data was collected July 21. Central led the four areas with a rating of 97.19 percent, while Atlantic ranked last with […]
Medicare, FEHB and you
Postal Service employees can participate in an upcoming webinar to learn about the Federal Employees Health Benefits (FEHB) program and Medicare. The session, “USPS: Medicare + FEHB,” will be held Monday, July 26, at noon EDT. Brian Sperling and Mickey Basi, senior account managers for GEHA, a not-for-profit provider of health plans for federal employees, […]
New guidance
The Postal Service has updated Handbook AS-805, Information Security, which details the organization’s security policies for technology assets and information resources. The updates include several new topics, including: • The Executive Cyber Risk Committee, which evaluates and monitors cyber risk management activities and their alignment with the overall corporate risk profile; • Contractual security agreements […]
Michelle Cotton, Aurora, CO
The new Postal Service ride-on vehicle for children is the cutest thing ever. I wish I could have bought this when my teenagers were little kids. […]
Scanning snapshot
Scanning snapshot. A snapshot of Postal Service scanning data shows the national rating was 97.03 percent during the week ending July 9, down 0.14 percent from one week earlier. The data was collected July 14. Central led the four areas with a rating of 97.28 percent, while Atlantic ranked last with a 96.79 percent rating. […]
Life after work
Postal Service employees can participate in an upcoming webinar on preparing for retirement. The session, “Retirement 101,” will be held Thursday, July 22, at noon EDT. A representative from Aetna will conduct the webinar, which will provide a better understanding of how your health benefits might work nationwide and overseas. You’ll also learn about tools […]
Avoiding misuse
The Postal Service is reminding employees that they aren’t permitted to misuse their position for the benefit of themselves, relatives or friends. Doing so erodes the Postal Service’s reputation for trustworthiness and integrity and damages the USPS brand. Employees may not use their postal position for the benefit of others they are affiliated with in […]
Green blueprint
The Postal Service expects to reduce greenhouse gas emissions 25 percent by 2030, compared with 2019 levels, according to the latest USPS Annual Sustainability Report. The report, released this month, highlights examples of the organization’s efforts to become more sustainable, such as the recent installation of 13,000 solar panels — capable of generating enough electricity […]
Scanning snapshot
Scanning snapshot. A snapshot of Postal Service scanning data shows the national rating was 96.99 percent during the week ending July 2, down almost one-quarter of a point from one week earlier. The data was collected July 7. Western Pacific led the four areas with a rating of 97.24 percent, while Atlantic ranked last with […]
Financial conflicts
The Postal Service wants to remind employees of the importance of complying with the rules regarding financial conflicts of interest. The public may lose confidence in USPS if they believe employees’ work is influenced by their own personal interests. Federal law prohibits government employees from taking part in matters in which they have a personal […]
Happy feet
The Postal Service’s next stamp will shine a spotlight on tap dancing, an art form that is equally at home on the world’s most prestigious performance stages and everyday urban streets. The Tap Dance stamps, which will be released on July 10, will feature five photographs of different dancers performing against brightly colored backdrops. Ethel […]
Little driver’s seat
The Postal Service and Kid Trax, a top toymaker, have created a licensed USPS ride-on vehicle for children. The vehicle, which looks like a mail delivery truck, is geared toward kids ages 3 to 5 and will be available for purchase through Amazon and the Kid Trax website, beginning July 13. The suggested retail price […]
Teresa Barwick, Center Hill, FL
I loved reading “Pay it forward” and “Golden eagle,” the articles about the Postal Service’s history. […]
Proper disposal
The Postal Service is reminding employees that waste aerosol cans must be stored and disposed of properly. These cans are a potential safety and environmental hazard because they may contain unused chemical products and propellant. Aerosol cans that contain unused liquid or propellants must never be disposed of in the regular trash. Non-empty aerosol cans […]
Golden postmark
The Postal Service is offering a special pictorial postmark to celebrate the organization’s 50th anniversary. President Richard Nixon signed the Postal Reorganization Act on Aug. 12, 1970, which transformed the Post Office Department into an independent agency called the United States Postal Service on July 1, 1971. The pictorial postmark says, “United States Postal Service […]
First contact
A letter carrier’s conversation with a customer has resulted in a shipping deal worth almost $7 million for the Postal Service. Joe Delmont of Bustleton Station, PA, was talking with the owner of a startup e-commerce fulfillment company, who had asked him about shipping assistance. After returning to his Post Office, Delmont entered information about […]
In a league of his own
When Woody Saylor came to a fork in the road, he took it. Saylor retired as Postmaster of Whitehall, PA, in 2003 and redirected his energies from USPS to another proud American institution: baseball. In 2004, the lifelong Yankees buff joined the Lehigh Valley Yankee Fan Club, where he has served as vice president since […]
Golden eagle
On July 1, 1971, the modern Postal Service was born. President Richard M. Nixon declared the day “National Postal Service Day,” an occasion to recognize “the contributions made through the years by the men and women of the Post Office who have served the nation so faithfully and to mark the inauguration of the United […]
Fallin’ in O’Fallon
Rural Carrier Associate Myckel Buford was recently delivering mail in an O’Fallon, IL, neighborhood when he heard an older customer yelling for help outside a residence. Buford rushed to check on the man, who is disabled and couldn’t aid his wife, who had fallen in their garage. The Postal Service employee safely lifted the woman, […]
Pay it forward
Robert J. Lombardo’s first day back at work as a clerk for the Post Office Department in Framingham, MA, coincided with a national strike that would lead to a significant change for the organization. “When I came back from the service, my first day back I think was March 15, [1970], and I’m here on […]
Peak strategies
Executives from Logistics and Processing Operations met last week to strategize and prepare for the next fiscal year’s first quarter (Oct. 1-Dec. 31), which includes the important holiday delivery season. Logistics and Processing Operations is responsible for processing and moving mail and packages efficiently to delivery units. The department, created during the recent restructuring, has […]
Yankee Yogi
Here are eight facts about Yogi Berra, the legendary No. 8 for the New York Yankees who was recently honored with a stamp. 1. Lawrence Peter Berra got his nickname as a youth. During Berra’s teen years, a fellow player named Jack McGuire, who also went on to play in the big leagues, noticed that […]
Denise Varano, North Reading, MA
I love Link’s weekly “News Quiz.” It’s a fun challenge that keeps me up to date with accurate information. […]
Scanning snapshot
Scanning snapshot. A snapshot of Postal Service scanning data shows the national rating was 96.98 percent during the week ending June 18, down a tenth of a percent from one week earlier. The data was collected June 23. Western Pacific led the four areas with a rating of 97.25 percent, while Atlantic ranked last with […]