The Combined Federal Campaign’s cause of the week is children and families. An extensive data page on UNICEF’s website offers numerous reports on the impact of COVID-19 on children around the world. The pandemic: • Intensified the hardships experienced by poor children. • Exacerbated the learning crisis. • Increased child malnutrition. • Increased children’s risks […]
Postal Service employees can participate in an online virtual benefits fair throughout open season, which runs from Nov. 14 through Dec. 12. The virtual fair allows users to visit health care provider booths, attend webinars and download health plan materials from their personal computer or mobile device. It is being presented by USPS and health […]
The Postal Service is reminding fleet managers and drivers to always buy the lowest-cost fuel from stations in the USPS Preferred Fueling Network. The network, or PFN, consists of more than 10,000 retail fuel sites and 24 brands throughout the nation that provide the Postal Service with special pricing. The organization regularly updates PFN agreements, […]
On Nov. 15, the Postal Service will observe America Recycles Day, dedicated to raising awareness about the importance of conservation and recycling. The organization launched its National Recycling Operation, or NRO, in 2013 to streamline postal recycling efforts nationwide. The NRO established hubs to handle backhaul recycling, which takes advantage of existing transport equipment to […]
The USPS Board of Governors unanimously reelected Roman Martinez IV and Anton G. Hajjar as chairman and vice chairman, respectively, Nov. 10. Martinez and Hajjar were first elected to their posts on Jan. 12. Martinez has been on the board since August 2019 and is serving the remainder of a seven-year term that expires Dec. […]
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. 14-Dec. 12. Here’s what you should know: • You should review your coverage. The Postal Service wants you to evaluate your options to ensure you have the coverage you need without paying […]
Hurray for Tammy Braley, the complaints and inquiry clerk at the Charleston, WV, Post Office who is highlighted in the “What floats your boat?” article. Thank you for your efforts to preserve the great outdoors. […]
Do you know colleagues like Monica Castillo, a rural carrier associate in Riverbank, CA, who rescued a customer in a motorized wheelchair that had been stuck in a doorway for several hours? We want to know about them, too. USPS is seeking nominees for the Postmaster General Heroes’ Program, which honors employees who go above […]
The Postal Service has announced Shipping Services prices for next year. If reviewed favorably by the Postal Regulatory Commission (PRC), the changes will take effect Jan. 22. Here’s a list of current and planned retail prices: • Priority Mail small flat-rate box: $10.40 (current), $10.20 (planned) • Priority Mail medium flat-rate box: $17.05 (current), $17.10 […]
The Postal Service has reported its financial results for fiscal year 2022 (Oct. 1, 2021-Sept. 30, 2022). Here are the highlights: • Revenue. Operating revenue was $78.5 billion, an increase of 1.9 percent from the previous fiscal year. First-Class Mail revenue increased 3.3 percent, and Marketing Mail revenue increased 9.7 percent. Shipping and packages revenue […]
The Postal Service is celebrating Nov. 17 as City Carrier Appreciation Day. City carriers participate in Customer Connect, a joint USPS and National Association of Letter Carriers program that encourages participants to identify sales opportunities. Sales leads from letter carriers have brought in almost $3.5 billion in new revenue for the Postal Service since the […]
The Postal Service has released a Veterans Day video honoring employees who have served in the military. The video, which is viewable on Blue and LiteBlue for the remainder of November, features remarks by Postmaster General Louis DeJoy and military veterans: • Nick Popaditch, retired U.S. Marine Corps. tank commander and Silver Star recipient. • […]
Postmaster General Louis DeJoy didn’t let any moss grow under his feet during a recent visit to Georgia. His day started with a speech to roughly 150 members of the Envelope Manufacturers Association who were meeting in Savannah. DeJoy spoke of how he and the executive leadership team are attempting to set the Postal Service […]
The Combined Federal Campaign’s cause of the week is military support. The Postal Service has deep ties to the military community — more than 68,000 USPS employees are veterans of the armed forces. They are colleagues who understand firsthand the hardships and sacrifices of service: long separations, celebrations spent apart, uncertain futures, frequent moves, and […]
A new Postal Service video takes viewers behind the scenes during the filming of the 2022 holiday television commercial. “Every year, we cast real employees in our advertising. And I love that because it just adds to the authenticity of our brand,” says Marketing Vice President Sheila Holman, who was on site during the filming […]
Central Area is the winner of the USPS Connect Local Cup challenge. Employees from all four Postal Service areas submitted a total of 7,592 sales leads for the new USPS Connect Local delivery option during fiscal year 2022. USPS Connect Local, which began a national rollout in February, offers businesses affordable next-day delivery in select […]
The Postal Service has updated its own history book. Publication 100, The United States Postal Service: An American History, traces the organization’s evolution from the Colonial era to the digital age. “It tells the fascinating story of our ever-changing and improving institution,” said Judy de Torok, the Postal Service’s corporate affairs vice president. “I hope […]
The new stamps — highlighted in the “23 in ’23” article — are impressive. We have such interesting and colorful stamps to look forward to next year. […]
Letter Carrier Jacob Wilkins was recently making deliveries in a Mitchell, NE, neighborhood when he grew concerned about a customer whose mail was piling up. Wilkins asked police to check on the man, and officers found nothing amiss, but the Postal Service employee continued to worry. Several days later, Wilkins asked officers to check again, […]
Daylight saving time will end Sunday, Nov. 6, 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. 5. Standard time will be in effect until March 12, 2023, when daylight saving time will resume. […]
The Postal Service is continuing to install state-of-the-art package sorting machines, part of the Delivering for America plan to modernize the organization. The small delivery unit sorter, also called an SDUS, can process 2,000 packages, weighing up to 30 pounds each, an hour. These machines process packages 12 times faster than manual sorting, which had […]
In a new video, the Fort Myers, FL, postmaster discusses the dedication of Postal Service employees following Hurricane Ian. “I don’t have a good feeling about this one,” James Chambers remembers thinking as the storm approached. Despite the devastation caused by Ian, Chambers describes how USPS employees continued to work, delivering important mail and packages […]
The Postal Service will observe Native American Heritage Month, which honors the Indigenous peoples and cultures of the United States, during November. The monthlong observance’s theme this year is “Why We Serve: Native Americans in the United States Armed Forces.” USPS has issued scores of stamps celebrating Native subjects over the years, beginning with a […]
The Combined Federal Campaign’s cause of the week is animal welfare. According to 2019 statistics from the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals: • About 6.3 million companion animals entered U.S. shelters. • Around 920,000 didn’t make it out alive. While those numbers are a big improvement from 2011 — when the […]
Postal Service employees can participate in an upcoming webinar on preparing for retirement. The session, “Retirement 101,” will be held Nov. 3 at noon Eastern. An Aetna representative will lead the webinar, which will cover how retirement benefits work and will include tools and resources to help employees plan for changes. Participants must register before […]
I applaud Tracy Lawrence — the female tractor-trailer operator profiled in the “Queen of the road” article — and her inspiring personality. I wish her continued safety throughout her postal career. […]
Letter Carrier Mitchell Dettman was recently delivering mail in Sac City, IA, when he spotted flames leaping from a trash can near a residence. Dettman rushed to the front door to alert the homeowner, who called 911. The Postal Service employee then grabbed a garden hose and battled the blaze until firefighters arrived. “The fire […]
The Postal Service’s latest Delivering for America postcard is on its way to employees’ mailboxes. The card highlights achievements made during the first year of the organization’s 10-year plan to modernize USPS, including enactment of postal reform legislation, billions of dollars in infrastructure investment and the conversion of more than 100,000 precareer employees to career […]
An innovative tool from the USPS Social Business Intelligence team is using social media information to measure customer service satisfaction. The social media heat map uses the data visualization program Tableau to geographically display comments left on the organization’s official Facebook and Twitter accounts and from online review sites. Mary Beth Levin, the Postal Service’s […]
The Postal Service has announced 23 stamp releases for 2023: • Year of the Rabbit, the fourth in the 12-stamp Lunar New Year series, featuring a three-dimensional mask depicting a rabbit; • Love, two designs in vintage-valentine style of a kitten and a puppy resting their paws on a big red heart; • Great Smoky […]