To help Postal Service employees compare health plans during this year’s open season, the organization offers access to Checkbook’s Guide to Health Plans for Federal Employees. The guide has details about all plans available through the Federal Employees Health Benefits (FEHB) Program. The comparison tool includes information on copays, deductibles, prescription drug costs, and whether […]
The Postal Service is bolstering its efforts to safely identify, handle and deliver mailable hazardous materials. The organization is reminding all employees to always ask customers if a parcel contains anything potentially hazardous, and to thoroughly examine every box for hazmat markings. USPS has also improved its longstanding hazmat policies and procedures in the aftermath […]
The Combined Federal Campaign is a highlight of the season of giving for many Postal Service employees — and as with other forms of workplace giving, ethics rules apply. The campaign, also known as the CFC, allows federal employees and retirees to easily donate to the nearly 5,000 charitable organizations under its umbrella. It consolidates […]
Postal Service employees may participate in an upcoming webinar that will show how substitutes in our diet can lead to positive results. The session, “Healthy Alternatives for Simple Substitutes,” will be held Nov. 21 at noon Eastern. Representatives from GEHA, a provider of health plans for federal employees, will discuss how alternatives to common foods […]
The Postal Service wants employees to know about important changes concerning the open season benefits enrollment period that began this week. Here’s a rundown: • Because insurance rates are increasing, USPS is encouraging employees to compare plans and avoid overspending on health care. Employees can use Checkbook’s Guide to Health Plans for Federal Employees, an online […]
Open season, the once-a-year opportunity for Postal Service employees to make changes to their health coverage or choose a new plan, is Nov. 13-Dec. 11. USPS wants employees to evaluate their options to ensure they have the coverage they need without paying for services they don’t. Last year, approximately 42,000 employees made changes to their […]
Rural Carrier Associate Tabitha Kendle was delivering mail in Excelsior Springs, MO, in the summer when she noticed a customer’s mail piling up. Kendle also saw that the man’s normally closed garage door was open. She grew concerned and called the police, asking for someone to check on him. Responders found him passed out in […]
The murals honoring military veterans — highlighted in the “Paint and sacrifice” article — are absolutely breathtaking…magnificent! I wish we could have one here in Boston and postal facilities coast to coast as reminders of the amazing sacrifices in service of our amazing country. […]
The USPS Corporate Library will host webinars on using Lexis and IBISWorld, online research tools available through the library’s Online Resources Blue page, on Thursday, Nov. 16, and Friday, Nov. 17. The four sessions are open to all employees: • Thursday, Nov. 16, noon Eastern: “Using Lexis for Legal and Legislative Research” will demonstrate how to […]
Thanks for “Built for the Holidays,” the behind the scenes video on the making of the Postal Service’s new holiday commercial. I am surprised to see it is a real model made from actual materials and not computer-generated. That makes this commercial even more cute and cool. […]
I’m really excited about the upcoming stamps highlighted in the “What’s in store, ’24?” article. There are a lot of beautiful stamps. I love Garden Delights, Horses and Autumn Colors. […]
Postal Service employees may participate in an upcoming webinar on the positive effects of gratitude. The webinar, “Guided Meditation: Cultivating Gratitude This Holiday Season,” will be held Nov. 13 at noon Eastern. Representatives from Kaiser Permanente, a provider of health plans for federal employees, will explore how gratitude helps people increase positive feelings, improve health, […]
USPS will host its “Open Season 101” webinar on Nov. 12 and Dec. 2 at 1 p.m. Eastern. The webinars are in addition to the annual virtual benefits fair and will provide information on 2024 benefits changes, the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program, Checkbook’s Guide to Health Plans for Federal Employees, the Federal Employees Dental […]
The Postal Service’s new holiday TV ad began airing Nov.1. The commercial, “Built for the Holidays,” showcases a model world made up of USPS shipping supplies and miniature postal vehicles and figurines. The spot also features the recently released Winter Woodland Animals stamps and other postal products, including USPS Ground Advantage, USPS Connect and Priority […]
Retail Associate Aracely “Shelli” Hernandez was working at the Holt, MI, Post Office recently when she looked outside and noticed a child walking alone, heading toward a busy road. Hernandez ran out of the building and brought the boy into the Post Office. After law enforcement officers were summoned, Customer Services Supervisor Michael Barros noticed […]
Daylight saving time will end Sunday, Nov. 5, at 2 a.m. In areas where the change is observed, people will “fall back” and set their clocks back one hour at bedtime Nov. 4. Standard time will be in effect until March 10, 2024, when daylight saving time will resume. […]
Postal Service employees may participate in an upcoming webinar that will show how what you eat affects how you feel. The webinar, “Mood Boosting Foods,” will be held Nov. 9 at noon Eastern. Representatives from GEHA, a provider of health plans for federal employees, will discuss how certain foods can boost those feel-good hormones, and […]
The Postal Service has released a kid-centered companion to Publication 100, The United States Postal Service: An American History. Publication 100-K, A Kids’ History of the United States Postal Service, is in PDF form and free to download. “We hope this book helps to teach kids about the important role the Postal Service played in […]
Postal Service employee relocation expense reimbursement requests submitted after Nov. 17 will be processed for payment after Jan. 2, 2024. This deadline ensures that the organization has adequate time to record and report all relocation expenses for 2023 tax purposes. Employees should refer any questions to their relocation counselor or send an email to the […]
Postal Service employees may participate in upcoming webinars on how to control and harness emotions to achieve desired goals. The webinars, “Emotional Intelligence in the Workplace,” will be held Tuesday, Nov. 7, at 12:15 p.m. Eastern and 3:15 p.m. Eastern. Representatives from the University of Phoenix, a USPS educational partner, will offer tips on managing […]
When wildfires destroyed much of Lahaina, HI, during the summer, the news was particularly poignant for employees at the Chico, CA, Post Office who experienced a similar disaster. The Camp Fire in November 2018 affected thousands in the Chico area and devastated the nearby town of Paradise. Customers in areas where disasters have struck rely […]
City Carrier Assistant Scott Faticone was recently delivering mail in Rochester, NY, when he noticed that a customer’s home was on fire. He called 911 and banged on the door to alert anyone inside. The residents were unaware of the fire, but because of Faticone’s actions, a mother, daughter and their dog were able to […]
Love the upcoming new stamps highlighted in the “What’s in store, 24?” article. My customers like a variety of stamps and stamps for special occasions. […]
President Joe Biden has ordered U.S. flags flown at half-staff to honor the victims of this week’s mass shooting in Lewiston, ME. Flags should be flown at half-staff until Oct. 30 at sunset. To fly the flag at half-staff, hoist the flag to the peak for an instant and then lower it to the half-staff […]
The grace period for USPS Ground Advantage, the Postal Service’s new shipping product, is ending Oct. 31. When USPS Ground Advantage was launched on July 9, retail and commercial mailers were given until Sept. 30 to comply with the new product’s labeling requirements. The deadline was then extended to Oct. 31. Packages with markings for […]
USPS and the Postal Inspection Service provided an update this week on their Project Safe Delivery campaign to crack down on postal crimes and attacks on postal employees. Multiple USPS departments are working on the campaign, which was announced in May. “As our nation continues to address a sustained crime wave, our targeted focus to […]
The Postal Service has announced its stamp releases for 2024: • Year of the Dragon, the fifth in the 12-stamp Lunar New Year series, featuring a three-dimensional mask depicting the face of a dragon; • Love, a bird in flight carrying a message of love; • U.S. Flags, four stamps depicting Old Glory waving at […]
The Postal Service recently observed the 100th anniversary of a train robbery that sparked the use of forensics by the Postal Inspection Service. Dubbed the Tragedy at Tunnel 13, the incident took place on Oct. 11, 1923, when three brothers — Hugh, Ray and Roy DeAutremont — staged one of the last major train robberies […]
Postal Service employees can participate in an upcoming webinar to learn about Medicare and the Federal Employees Health Benefits (FEHB) Program. The session will be held Oct. 24 at 1 p.m. Eastern. Representatives from GEHA, a not-for-profit provider of health plans for federal employees, will conduct the webinar and explain how Medicare works with FEHB […]
The Postal Service will honor active military and veteran employees from all branches of service with a certificate of appreciation to mark Veterans Day, Nov. 11. Employees who have self-identified their veteran status will receive the certificate, signed by Postmaster General Louis DeJoy. They will also receive a thank-you card signed by Doug Tulino, deputy […]