National Cybersecurity Awareness Month, held each October, allows Postal Service employees to brush up on their skills and learn how to protect USPS networks against potential cyberthreats. This year’s theme is “Cybersecurity is Our Shared Responsibility and We All Must Work Together to Improve our Nation’s Cybersecurity.” Here are some tips from the CyberSafe at […]
The Postal Service wants employees to remember the differences between Political Mail and Election Mail tags during this year’s election season. Red Tag 57, for Political Mail, should be used for any political campaign mailing by a registered candidate, campaign committee, and committee of a political party. This tag also can be used for a political […]
Letter Carrier Beverly Bohannon was recently delivering mail in Hackettstown, NJ, when she encountered a 5-year-old girl crying outside her residence. The child said she’d been asleep at home with her mother, and she’d woken up to find that she was alone. Bohannon comforted the girl and rang the doorbell — getting no answer — […]
Come on, now! Willie Clemmons, the 91-year old Los Angeles mail handler who recently celebrated 68 years as a postal employee, is wonderful. If I could look as good as he does when I reach his age — shoot, I’d keep working for the Postal Service, too. […]
Yvette Hixon has experienced the wonders of Informed Delivery firsthand. Hixon, Southern Area’s Dallas-based master black belt trainer, recently spent several weeks on pins and needles waiting to hear from her son Brandon, an Air Force enlistee who was away at basic training. She was overjoyed when she checked her Informed Delivery email and saw […]
John Kennerk knows that words matter. This is why the Fort Wayne, IN, Processing and Distribution Center maintenance supervisor has placed motivational messages on the walls of his workplace. “The employees tell me they like them, and it also encourages them to walk further down the hallway, get engaged and start talking to the people […]
The deadline to complete two CyberSafe at USPS training courses has been extended to Sunday, Oct. 7. USPS granted the extension to accommodate employees who were affected by Hurricane Florence and those helping with the recovery efforts. Every employee with an ACE ID must complete the following courses by the new deadline: • CyberSafe Fundamentals […]
The Postal Employees’ Relief Fund (PERF) and Employee Assistance Program (EAP) are available to aid USPS workers affected by Hurricane Florence and other emergencies. PERF helps postal employees and retirees whose homes were significantly damaged by natural disasters or house fires. PERF isn’t an emergency relief organization like the American Red Cross or insurance companies […]
Letter Carrier Dyrol Washington was delivering mail on a spring day in a Warminster, PA, neighborhood when he spotted a woman who appeared to be unconscious in a parked car. As Washington got closer, he noticed that only one window was slightly cracked open — then he saw a toddler in the back seat. The […]
One of my favorite recent Link articles was “Road to redemption,” the story of how Cross River, NY, Postmaster Clarence Carson overcame many obstacles, including homelessness. […]
Robert M. Duncan and David C. Williams have been elected chairman and vice chairman, respectively, of the USPS Board of Governors. The elections occurred Sept. 13 during an open meeting of the board’s temporary emergency committee (TEC). Also, Williams was appointed chairman, and Duncan, vice chairman, of the TEC. Both Duncan and Williams were recently […]
Tony Aldridge is always looking to improve. Aldridge, a mail handler at the Detroit Processing and Distribution Center, recently participated in USPS yellow belt training after noticing room for improvement in the way mail moves through the workroom floor. Detroit District offers this training to all employees, part of the Postal Service’s broader effort to […]
Yvonne Yoerger once imagined herself playing in the U.S. Air Force Band. Last month, she got pretty close. Yoerger, a USPS Corporate Communications manager and trombone player, took the stage with the surviving original members of the Women’s Air Force (WAF) Band at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, DC. […]
The Postal Service has implemented an initiative to improve collaboration with key suppliers and internal business partners. The Supplier Relationship Management (SRM) program emphasizes joint communication among participants, reduced risks to the supply chain, and high levels of supplier performance, innovation and value. In fiscal 2017, USPS spent more than $12.3 billion for transportation, supplies, […]
I enjoyed “On the move,” the article about the two occupational health nurses who are helping their co-workers learn about wellness and safety. Their cart is ingenious. […]
Camp Hill, PA, Letter Carrier Justin Falduts was recently delivering mail to a customer’s home when he heard her screaming for help. As Falduts called 911, he discovered that the woman’s stair lift had malfunctioned while she was riding it — leaving her dangling precariously from the seat and unable to extricate herself. The Postal […]
USPS will release Honoring First Responders — a stamp that recognizes the firefighters, law enforcement officers and emergency medical professionals who respond to critical situations — Thursday, Sept. 13. The stamp will feature a representative digital illustration of three first responders as they race into action: a firefighter carrying an ax, an emergency medical services […]
Scanning snapshot. The Postal Service’s national scanning rating was 97.93 percent during the week ending Sept. 7, down from one week earlier. Dakotas (99.22 percent) topped the districts, while Western (98.1 percent) led the areas. Scanning allows customers to track their packages and mail, and it helps USPS improve efficiency and network management. To see […]
A flurry of suspicious money order transactions over several days last month in Bethlehem, PA, left Postmaster Daniel Mazzeo more attuned to fraud prevention — and impressed with the diligence of retail associates on his team. Awilda Nunez was on duty at the Southside Branch when several individuals purchased multiple $1 money orders, claiming they […]
Flag notice. President Trump has ordered flags flown at half-staff Tuesday, Sept. 11, to honor victims of the 9/11 terrorist attacks. USPS facilities are required to fly the U.S. flag at half-staff this day, which is also known as Patriot Day. To fly the flag at half-staff, hoist the flag to the peak for an […]
When Willie Clemmons, the 91-year-old mail handler highlighted in “Good service,” said, “I think I’ll retire this year or next year,” all I could think was: Wow! […]
McArthur, CA, Retail Associate Donna Fuentes recently grew concerned about a woman whose mail was piling up in her Post Office Box. Fuentes knew that the customer picked up mail regularly, so she started asking community members if they had seen the woman lately. A neighbor offered to check on her, and she was discovered […]
Rachel Lonsway understands the importance of customer service. The Flint, MI, letter carrier says she loves her job — especially interacting with people on her route. “I stay positive and always smile,” she says. “You never know when one of your customers may be having a bad day. Showing them a smile can brighten their […]
The Post Office for the Air Force’s 407th Air Expeditionary Group, which is currently deployed to an undisclosed location in Southwest Asia, helps thousands of service members stay in touch with friends and family through the delivery of care packages and letters from home. Three Marines and two Air Force personnel run the office. The […]
Hopefully everyone has received a letter or care package in the mail from a friend or loved one like the pen pals highlighted in the “Faraway friends” article. You can’t really text that kind of love. […]
Rural Carrier Yulia Indrawati was recently delivering a package to a row house in Medford, NJ, when she spotted smoke pouring out from underneath the front door. Indrawati also saw flames through a window, so she immediately called 911, then knocked on doors of several adjacent homes to ensure that residents and pets were out […]
The Postal Service will retire the Learning Management System (LMS) Sunday, Sept. 30, and replace it with a learning portal through the new HERO system. Effective Monday, Oct. 1, the HERO learning portal will become the Postal Service’s primary online training resource. The learning portal will offer the following: Easy-to-use design User-friendly search functions Training […]
The Postal Service will release its Sparkling Holidays stamps and souvenir sheet Thursday, Oct. 11. The stamps, which USPS announced this summer, showcase classic images of Santa Claus painted by famed commercial artist Haddon Sundblom. The souvenir sheet includes a semi-jumbo stamp as part of a wider scene that depicts Santa standing by a fireplace […]
U.S. airmen who have been deployed from Royal Air Force Mildenhall base in the United Kingdom to other areas get a monthly reminder that they haven’t been forgotten. The wing staff agencies at the U.S. Air Force’s 100th Air Refueling Wing, which is located on the British base, assemble care packages each month to send […]
The Postal Service released its Dragons stamps last month. To help mark the occasion, here are five did-you-knows about the mythological creatures. 1. Dragons are colorful beasts. The animals are often described as lizard-like creatures with four legs, sharp claws, scales, wings and spiky tails, but not all dragons look alike. The new stamps feature […]