Postal Service employees can participate in an upcoming webinar to learn about the Federal Employees Health Benefits (FEHB) Program and Medicare. The session, “Medicare and FEHB,” will be held July 13 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 […]
The Postal Service is reminding employees and contractors to regularly back up essential digital files on their computers and mobile devices because lost files are often difficult, if not impossible, to recover. Human error, malware, technology failure, viruses, accidents and theft can all result in lost documents, photos, charts, presentations and other data, which is […]
Several Postal Service price changes will take effect July 9. Here’s a list of the current and new prices: • Letters (1 ounce): 63 cents (current), 66 cents (new) • Letters (metered 1 ounce): 60 cents (current), 63 cents (new) • Domestic postcards: 48 cents (current), 51 cents (new) • International postcards: $1.45 (current), $1.50 […]
The Postal Service is making major improvements to better serve its shipping customers, Chief Commerce and Business Solutions Officer Jacqueline Krage Strako told industry leaders last week. Under Delivering for America, the organization’s 10-year plan to achieve financial sustainability and service excellence, USPS is creating an integrated mailing and shipping network that will allow it […]
Here’s a look at some recent changes in the Postal Service leadership ranks: • Lisa Bobb-Semple, sales communications director, was named acting stamp services director. • LaTasha N. Grabowski was named a New York 3 District workforce planning specialist. She previously served as a maintenance operations support supervisor at the Western Nassau, NY, Processing and […]
Postal Service employees can participate in an upcoming webinar on staying healthy as you get older. The session, “Aging Gracefully Naturally,” will be held July 10 at noon Eastern time. Two representatives from GEHA, a not-for-profit provider of health plans for federal employees, will lead the webinar: Coletta Meyer, manager of health engagement, and Lindsay […]
USPS has announced the recipients of this year’s PCC Leadership Awards, honoring postal customer councils throughout the nation. The councils, also known as PCCs, are local groups that allow businesses and the Postal Service to build relationships, increase the use of mail and address mutual concerns. More than 220 nominations were submitted for this year’s […]
The Postal Service is modernizing its technology to better serve customers, Chief Information Officer Pritha Mehra told an industry conference recently. Under Delivering for America, the organization’s 10-year plan to achieve financial sustainability and service excellence, USPS is investing $40 billion in capital improvements. These improvements include technology upgrades throughout the organization. “As we march […]
The Postal Service is reminding employees that metallic mercury and items containing metallic mercury are prohibited in the mailstream. Metallic mercury can be found in older thermometers, barometers, blood pressure monitors and the like. Newer or digital versions of these devices generally do not contain metallic mercury. If a person knowingly mails items or materials […]
Rio Grande, NJ, Letter Carrier Ryan Ritchie was recently making deliveries when he grew worried about a customer whose mail was piling up unusually. Ritchie contacted one of the woman’s family members. It was soon discovered that the customer was in dire need of medical attention after suffering a stroke several days earlier. “Thankfully she […]
The Postal Service has released a video to highlight its Endangered Species stamps, which were released in May. The Forever stamps celebrate the Endangered Species Act, which marks its 50th anniversary this year. USPS dedicated the stamps on May 19 in Wall, SD. The stamps are available in panes of 20 at Post Offices and […]
USPS will readminister the paper version of the Postal Pulse survey from June 27 to July 28. The annual survey allows employees to share observations about their work environments, providing the organization with valuable feedback to make improvements. Because of an error by survey vendor Gallup, USPS instructed managers and supervisors to destroy the original […]
Postal Service employees enrolled in the Federal Flexible Spending Account Program (FSAFEDS) should review their pay stub for erroneous deductions. FSAFEDS is aware of the issue and has taken steps to resolve it. Employees who have an erroneous deduction should call FSAFEDS at 877-372-3337. Do not contact the USPS Accounting Service Center. For information regarding […]
The Postal Regulatory Commission has approved the Postal Service’s plan to launch USPS Ground Advantage on July 9. USPS Ground Advantage will provide a simple, reliable, more affordable way to ship packages in 2-5 business days. Pricing for USPS Ground Advantage will reflect a decrease of 1.4 percent compared with predecessor USPS ground shipping products. […]
The Postal Service wants employees to know that there are ethics rules to consider before accepting work with highway contract route or contract delivery service contractors. A highway contract route, or HCR, is a mail transportation contract. A contract delivery service, or CDS, is a mail delivery service. USPS employees may not hold, or bid […]
The Postal Service will offer a virtual job fair for front-line supervisory positions on Sunday, July 23. The fair is part of Focus on the Front, an initiative to fill 2,800 Executive and Administrative Schedule Level 17 supervisory jobs. Participants will hear from operational leaders and receive an overview of the knowledge and skills needed […]
Letter Carrier Steven Graff was recently delivering mail in North Tonawanda, NY, when he encountered an older man who was struggling to reload a rocking chair that had fallen out of the vehicle he was transporting it in. Graff stopped to assist the customer, who soon collapsed. The Postal Service employee immediately called 911 and […]
The Postal Service has released a video to highlight its Chief Standing Bear stamp, which was released in May. The Forever stamp celebrates the Ponca tribal leader, who won a landmark court case that recognized Native Americans as persons under the law with an inherent right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. USPS […]
The Postal Service recently expanded a pilot program offering in-person identity proofing services for Login.gov at more than 18,000 Post Offices across the United States. USPS began the pilot in February 2022 in seven locations in Maryland, Virginia and Washington, DC. Login.gov is a shared service used by several federal agencies, including USAJobs and the […]
Two decades ago, the Postmaster General Heroes’ Program couldn’t have gotten off to a more dramatic start, thanks to the actions of Wilmington, DE, Letter Carrier Joseph Grabauskas. In mid-September 2003, he and the rest of the community were worried about the impending Hurricane Isabel. But the remnants of Tropical Storm Henri were barely behind […]
Want to stay on top of the latest Postal Service news? Link mobile can help. The mobile-friendly version of the Link website offers news reports, feature stories and informational videos, including coverage of Delivering for America, the organization’s 10-year plan. The site is particularly helpful to craft employees and others who don’t have regular access […]
The Postal Service is celebrating the beauty of American waterfalls with the release of new stamps on June 13. The Waterfalls pane features 12 photographs with the name of the waterfall and the state in which it is located beneath the image. On the pane’s first row are Deer Creek Falls, Grand Canyon National Park, […]
The Postal Service wants to remind employees that ethics rules apply even after someone retires or leaves the organization for other employment. The rules mainly address two concerns: when former employees can interact with USPS on behalf of new employers, and how current and former employees may interact with each other. Post-employment ethics considerations include: […]
Alhambra, CA, Post Office Customer Services Supervisor Jennifer Cabrera — highlighted in the “A warmer welcome” article — did an amazing job creating welcome guides for new hires. I feel the guides are long overdue and will make a huge difference in employee retention rates. I hope to see them in our area. […]
The call went out on the workroom floor: Man down! There — behind an automated parcel bundle sorter in the Greenville, SC, Processing and Distribution Center — was Mail Handler Marcos Sanchez, unresponsive and not breathing. There was no detectable heartbeat. While a supervisor called 911, three postal employees got down to the business of […]
Postal employees may participate in the second of a two-part webinar series on burnout. The session, “Burnout and Motivation, Part 2” will be held June 15 at noon Eastern Time. Emotional, physical or mental exhaustion — along with negative attitudes toward yourself or others — are signs of burnout. If left untreated, burnout can cause […]
The Postal Service has released a video to highlight its Roy Lichtenstein stamps, which were issued in April. The Forever stamps celebrate the artist, who was one of the greatest figures of the 1960s pop art movement. USPS dedicated the stamps on April 24 in New York City. The stamps are available in panes of […]
Friendship Station in Washington, DC, lives up to its name for 3-year-old customer Lucas Hastings. On a recent visit to his local Post Office, Lucas wore his favorite outfit — a letter carrier uniform — much to the appreciation of the Friendship staff. Station Manager Michael Alston noticed the little boy in the lobby and […]
Postal employees can participate in an upcoming webinar on inflammation and how it affects the body. The session, “Douse the Internal Flame: The Role of Chronic Inflammation,” will be held June 12 at noon Eastern Time. Mounting evidence suggests that chronic inflammation plays a role in the development of cancer, diabetes, and coronary artery and […]
The Postal Service is reminding employees and contractors to beware of smishing and other online scams. Smishing is when criminals pose as legitimate sources and send fraudulent text messages to manipulate victims into divulging passwords or financial account information or persuade them into downloading malicious software. “We have detected unusual activity on your account” and […]