USPS is reminding employees that counseling and other services are available through the Employee Assistance Program (EAP) during the holidays — and all year long. If you need to talk to someone, you can call EAP’s toll-free number at 800-327-4968 (800-EAP-4YOU). The TTY number is 877-492-7341. Counselors are available 24 hours a day, 7 days […]
Postal Service employees delivering mail in Iowa and California recently came to the aid of older customers who fell. Waterloo, IA, Letter Carrier Thomas Kinn was worried about a woman who hadn’t picked up her mail in several days. He enlisted the help of a neighbor and they knocked on doors and windows until determining […]
Read More… from Thomas Kinn, Waterloo, IA; Franz Ibarra, Sacramento, CA
I’m also a Michael Jackson fan, and I love Central Islip, NY, Business Mail Technician John Lawless’s moves. […]
It’s all hands on deck for the holidays. The Postal Service expects to deliver 15 billion mailpieces between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Day — and employees throughout the organization say every contribution counts. “We may not see our customers face to face, but we’re just as eager to get the packages delivered to our customers […]
The Postal Service is advising employees to safeguard mobile devices that contain personal and financial data while traveling this holiday season. To protect your devices, the CyberSafe at USPS team recommends the following: • Only connect when needed. Disable your Bluetooth and Wi-Fi connections when not in use. • Charge devices at home. Avoid using […]
The Postal Service honors the release of the Celebrating African American History and Culture stamp in a new video. The ceremony was recently held in Washington, DC, at the National Museum of African American History and Culture, which is shown on the stamp. “Like the museum, this stamp symbolically gives voice to the anonymous, makes […]
Fond farewell. Emory Townsend, who delivered mail on his Somerset, CO, highway contract route for more than six decades, has died. He was 94. The Somerset Post Office was flooded with letters and packages for Townsend during a career celebration in April. “I’m learning what he was to people in this valley and people all […]
Postal Service employees in Illinois and Pennsylvania recently responded to emergencies they encountered on the job. Leah Williams, a retail associate at the Easton, IL, Post Office, noticed that a customer in the lobby looked unwell. When Williams checked on her, the woman said she needed an ambulance. Williams called 911, and emergency responders took […]
Read More… from Leah Williams, Easton, IL; Francis Dudley, Media, PA
I read with delight Kenneth Race’s comment in “Past life” about how Railway Post Office employees handled Registered Mail. How things have changed. […]
The Postal Regulatory Commission (PRC) has proposed an alternative system to regulate rates and classes for some USPS products and services, part of the regulators’ 10-year review of the Postal Service’s market-dominant pricing system. Under a 2006 law, the PRC must review the system used for regulating rates and classes for market-dominant products, including First-Class […]
Operation Santa is going digital. The popular program, which began in 1912, allows Postal Service employees and customers to help people in need by “adopting” their letters to Santa Claus and granting their holiday wishes. This year, USPS will test a digital version of the program that will allow participants to go online to search, […]
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. 13-Dec. 11. If you enroll in a high-deductible health plan, you may be eligible to contribute to a health savings account (HSA). An HSA allows you to pay for current health […]
Flag notice. National Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day, an annual commemoration of the 1941 attack, will be observed Thursday, 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 […]
Postal Service employees in Florida and Iowa recently responded to emergencies they encountered while delivering mail. Madison, FL, City Carrier Assistant Kristin Blue stopped to assist a man who’d fallen when his wife was getting him out of their car and into a wheelchair. Blue called 911 and stayed with the couple until emergency responders […]
Read More… from Kristin Blue, Madison, FL; Mary Conway, Albia, IA
My dad worked on a Railway Post Office like the one mentioned in “Past life.” On the night I was born, he was on a train. Who would have thought years later I would work for USPS? […]
The Ram ProMaster 2500, a recent addition to the USPS fleet of vehicles, is helping the organization meet its delivery needs. The extended capacity vehicles, introduced in 2016 to replace aging minivans, are more fuel efficient than their predecessors. USPS uses the vehicles for “park and loop,” when carriers park a vehicle and make door-to-door […]
They call her the “iron woman.” Yolanda Habal, a custodian at the Greenville, SC, Main Post Office, has accumulated more than 3,000 hours of sick leave. USPS recently recognized Habal for this achievement. “The attainment of this award puts Yolanda in an elite group,” said Postmaster Stephanie Banks. “Her reliability, dependability and strong work ethic […]
More USPS teams have created positive workplace environments during the past year, according to the results of the latest Postal Pulse survey. Almost 540 teams earned “certified engaged” status during the survey, which concluded in September. This is a 14.7 percent increase from the number of certified teams identified during the previous survey in October […]
You can learn more about the advantages of high-deductible health plans (HDHPs) and health savings accounts (HSAs) through a 2-minute video. The segment, titled “A Closer Look,” explains that an HDHP, combined with an HSA, can save Postal Service employees money when compared to traditional plans. HDHPs allow users to spend less on insurance premiums […]
Postal Service employees in Iowa and Illinois recently helped others in moments of crisis. Cedar Rapids, IA, Letter Carrier Timothy Kriz was delivering mail when a customer with Alzheimer’s disease fell while he and his wife were walking to their car. The distressed woman feared she wouldn’t be able to get her husband to his […]
Read More… from Timothy Kriz, Cedar Rapids, IA; Vickey Brown Jr., Rockford, IL
I loved the “Following footsteps” story about Owensboro, KY, Letter Carrier Josh Hayden, who’s following in his grandfather’s footsteps by delivering mail. I hope my son will follow in my footsteps and find a career with USPS. He has a lot of postal knowledge just from hearing me talk about my job. […]
The following message is from PMG Megan J. Brennan: As Thanksgiving Day approaches, I would like to take this opportunity to express my gratitude to you. This year has brought with it many challenges and has given many of us new reasons to be thankful. Co-workers in the Eastern and Great Lakes areas weathered storms […]
Nicolas Benrey is using the radio to help USPS serve Spanish-speaking customers. The Lexington, KY, customer relations coordinator hosts a Spanish-language local radio show that addresses a variety of mailing matters. The program’s title: “Un Correo Para Ti,” which translates as “The Post Office for You.” “The show is a good way for me to […]
The Postal Service’s new holiday television campaign is receiving praise from employees and the advertising industry itself. “Biggest Gift,” which follows a young boy wishing to replace his teddy bear’s missing nose, debuted this month. The child is played by Jeremy Maguire, who appears on “Modern Family” as the son of Ed O’Neill and Sofía […]
Do you know a child writing a letter to Santa Claus this year? The Postal Service’s Letters from Santa program allows children to mail notes to St. Nick and receive personalized responses bearing a special North Pole postmark. To participate, parents and guardians should follow these steps: • Have your child write a letter to […]
A newly updated video about the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program (FEHB) reminds employees to conduct a “health plan checkup” during this year’s open season. The 3-minute segment encourages employees to evaluate their health care options to ensure they have the coverage they need. The video also explains how employees can use the Open Season […]
I just love the Postal Service’s new holiday TV commercial — especially the line, “Because we know sometimes the smallest things are the biggest.” […]
Postal Service employees delivering mail in Indiana and Illinois recently went out of their way to look out for others. Muncie, IN, Letter Carrier David Young Jr. checked on an older customer who hadn’t picked up her previous day’s mail as usual. After knocking on the woman’s door and getting no answer, Young contacted one […]
Read More… from David Young Jr., Muncie, IN; Darrell Lewis, Clay City, IL
The Postal Regulatory Commission (PRC) has approved the price changes that USPS proposed in October. The changes will raise Mailing Services product prices approximately 1.9 percent, while most Shipping Services products will average a 3.9 percent price increase. Here are the current and new prices, which will take effect Jan. 21: Letters (1 ounce): 49 cents […]
The Postal Service honored employees who served in the armed forces at Veterans Day events across the nation last week. PMG Megan J. Brennan addressed employees at USPS headquarters in Washington, DC, where she noted the postal workforce includes more than 100,000 veterans, making the organization one of the nation’s largest civilian employers of veterans. […]