The Postal Service is reminding managers of the upcoming May 23 deadline for reviewing contractor access to the organization’s applications and systems. The periodic reviews are required under the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (SOX) accounting law. Managers must perform the reviews using both eAccess and ARIS. The USPS ServiceNow website has instructions for performing both kinds of […]
Each year, the Postal Service designates the months of September through December to promote its semipostal stamps, which raise funds related to the cause associated with the stamps. The lineup is Alzheimer’s (September), Breast Cancer Research (October), Save Vanishing Species (November) and Healing PTSD (December). The Ethics team recently issued a set of guidelines for […]
Postal Service facilities that are open Sundays should fly the U.S. flag at half-staff on Sunday, May 7, which is National Fallen Firefighters Memorial Service Day. USPS facilities that fly the flag at all times and are closed Sundays should lower the flag to half-staff when the facility closes prior to National Fallen Firefighters Memorial […]
Rural Carrier Eugene Petrucci was delivering on his route in Furlong, PA, when he noticed flames coming from a customer’s garage. While it was clear there was no one home, the postal employee was familiar with the family and knew they had three dogs. He parked his vehicle and ran to the front door, opening […]
The Postal Service is reminding employees and contractors that passwords like 123456 might be easy to remember, but they are also easy for online criminals to hack. Simple passwords are easily deciphered by software used by cybercriminals to hack into accounts. Compromised passwords lead to account breaches. Passwords that incorporate special characters instead of letters […]
The Postal Service will release a stamp in honor of Tomie dePaola, an award-winning children’s book author and illustrator, on May 5. DePaola (1934-2020) produced a body of work that encompasses folktales and legends, informational books, religious and holiday stories, and autobiographical tales. He is probably best known for the “Strega Nona” picture book series. […]
Postal Service employees will step up to Stamp Out Hunger — an annual food drive to help feed those in need — on Saturday, May 13. The National Association of Letter Carriers leads the one-day event, with help from USPS, the National Rural Letter Carriers’ Association, the United Food and Commercial Workers International Union, the […]
The Postal Service has named Ronnie J. Jarriel to a newly created vice president position to oversee fleet modernization and electrification strategy. The new position reports to Postmaster General Louis DeJoy, who said in a recent memo that this move “will accelerate the acquisition and development of our new vehicle fleet.” Jarriel’s team consists of […]
Postal Service employees can participate in an upcoming webinar about detecting cancer early. The session, “Cancer: Early Detection for Your Protection,” will be held May 8 at noon Eastern, and will address what cancer is, what the steps are to prevent it and what screening methods are used to detect it. Leading the webinar will […]
The Postal Service will offer a virtual career fair for front-line supervisory positions on Sunday, May 7. 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 […]
May is National Military Appreciation Month, a time to honor the service and sacrifice of members of the U.S. military. Observances during the month including Loyalty Day (May 1); Victory in Europe Day, also known as VE Day (May 8); Military Spouse Appreciation Day (May 12); Children of Fallen Patriots Day (May 13) and Armed […]
The new Postal Service Health Benefits (PSHB) Program will begin Jan. 1, 2025. The PSHB Program will be a separate program within the Federal Employees Health Benefits (FEHB) Program and will be administered by the Office of Personnel Management. The PSHB Program will provide coverage for Postal Service employees, annuitants and their eligible family members. […]
Letter Carrier JoShana Williams was delivering mail to a customer last winter in Beech Grove, IN, when she noticed the main door was slightly ajar — despite the frigid weather. After hearing an unusual noise inside the house, she cocked an ear and detected the words “help me” repeated in a faint voice. Williams opened […]
The Postal Service has released a video celebrating its Art of the Skateboard stamps. The bold designs on these four stamps capture skateboarding’s excitement while reflecting the diversity and influences of the artists themselves. The designs incorporate both ancient iconography and modern graffiti. USPS dedicated the Forever stamps on March 24 to kick off the […]
April is Celebrate Diversity Month, a time to raise awareness and foster an appreciation of everyone’s uniqueness, as well as similarities we share. As noted in the Delivering for America plan, diversity is a long-standing value and tradition of the Postal Service. The organization began observing Celebrate Diversity Month in 2004. Diversity and inclusion are […]
The Postal Service will release its Roy Lichtenstein stamps on April 24. Lichtenstein (1923-1997) was one of the greatest figures of the pop art movement in the 1960s. His iconic works drew inspiration from pop culture and mass media. His technique included the use of colored dots, heavy black outlines and saturated primary colors — […]
Mailing industry groups have focused on Delivering for America and other USPS priorities at a series of recent meetings. The meetings were organized by postal customer councils (PCCs) and Areas Inspiring Mail (AIM). PCCs are designed to strengthen the bond between USPS, local commercial mailers and the customers they both serve. AIM is a group […]
Rural Carrier Jennifer Winfrey was recently on duty in Minden, LA, when she heard an older customer yelling for help. Winfrey rushed to aid the woman, who had fallen inside her home and sustained multiple lacerations. The Postal Service employee immediately called the customer’s son, at her request, and rendered first aid until he arrived. […]
April 22 is Earth Day, a time for employees and contractors to reflect on the Postal Service’s sustainability efforts — including the value of recycling. USPS annually recycles approximately 300,000 tons of paper, cardboard, plastics, metals, printer ink cartridges and toner, batteries, discarded mail and other materials through its recycling and waste prevention programs. One […]
The Postal Service has produced five short how-to videos that walk viewers through the steps of implementing Every Door Direct Mail campaigns. The videos assist customers by sharing tips from real business owners and marketers who have used Every Door Direct Mail to promote their businesses. The videos also show how Every Door Direct Mail […]
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 reminding employees of their duty to protect the sanctity of the mail. Each day, USPS delivers important items such as medications, COVID-19 test kits, bills, payments, Election Mail and cherished cards and gifts for loved ones. Customers put their trust in the Postal Service. Each letter and package should be treated […]
The Postal Service recently mailed employees a postcard to update them on the Delivering for America plan, the first of several progress reports that USPS will provide its workforce this spring. The card highlights some of the organization’s accomplishments during the past two years, which include converting more than 125,000 employees to career status, passage […]
Jonathan Rash, a letter carrier, was delivering mail on a rainy December day in Bluefield, WV, when he heard a dog barking and someone faintly crying out for help. Rash followed the sounds until he found an 88-year-old customer on the ground beside her home with her pet steadfastly by her side. The woman, who […]
The Postal Service released its latest Forever stamp, an image of the U.S. flag above the word “freedom” in all capital letters, on April 10. The design features the modern American flag, last updated on July 4, 1960, and is meant to emphasize the freedom that serves as the foundation for the country’s citizens. Antonio […]
The Postal Service is reminding employees that their USPS-issued smartphones will be placed in quarantine after April 23 if they don’t keep the operating system up to date. Outdated operating systems pose a security risk that exposes smartphones and the postal network to hackers and other malicious actors. Employees must keep their USPS-issued smartphones current […]
USPS has notified the Postal Regulatory Commission of mailing services price changes to take effect July 9. The proposed changes include: • Letters (1 ounce): 63 cents (current), 66 cents (planned) • Letters (metered 1 ounce): 60 cents (current), 63 cents (planned) • Domestic postcards: 48 cents (current), 51 cents (planned) • International postcards: $1.45 […]
USPS wants to remind employees that there are rules regarding employment outside the Postal Service. If you have a second job or own an outside business, remember that postal time, equipment and resources cannot be used to serve another employer. There’s also a conflict if the outside job prevents you from adequately performing your USPS […]
The Postal Service is warning employees and contractors to be aware of cybercriminals who use ransomware, a type of malware that can hold entire computer networks hostage until a ransom is paid. Employees can unknowingly download ransomware onto a computer by opening an email attachment, clicking an ad, following a link or even visiting a […]
Woodridge, IL, Letter Carrier Kimberly Gillis was recently making deliveries when she grew concerned about a 95-year-old customer whose mail and newspapers were piling up. Gillis alerted neighbors, one of whom had a key to the woman’s home, and they soon found her stranded on the floor of her bedroom, where she’d fallen several days […]