Facilities Vice President Tom A. Samra, who has managed all of the Postal Service’s properties for more than 15 years, will retire at the end of October. “Tom has served with distinction throughout his career. In particular, I wish to commend his leadership during the COVID-19 pandemic, where his efforts helped ensure the continued safety […]
Want to make sure the software on your ACE computers is up to date? There’s an app for that. The Software Center app provides ACE users with more control over software updates, which are necessary to keep USPS systems and workstations well maintained, secure and operating at top performance. You can also use the app […]
“News Quiz” is a weekly feature that lets you test your knowledge of recent Link stories. The correct answers appear at the end. 1. Fill in the blank: USPS has created the (blank), a program that shows potential gridlock in the postal processing and delivery network before problems occur. a) Business Information Capacity Model b) […]
Retail Associate Stephanie Tait and Customer Services Manager Jenifer Bertolina-Teper were recently on duty in Murray, UT, when they grew concerned about an 86-year-old customer who had come in repeatedly to mail cashier’s checks. The woman was now speaking of a man who had promised to visit her that afternoon and give her a multimillion-dollar […]
Effective Oct. 21, the Postal Service’s mailing requirements will include vape pens, e-cigarettes, e-liquid pods, and other electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS) as generally nonmailable matter. The change is required by the Preventing Online Sales of E-Cigarettes to Children Act, a federal law that recently took effect. ENDS are defined as electronic devices that deliver […]
The Postal Service is reminding employees who haven’t created personal identification numbers, or PINs, for their Citibank GSA SmartPay 3 travel cards to do so before traveling. Citibank cards are embedded with small, metallic EMV (Europay, MasterCard, Visa) microchips on the front side that allow cardholders to complete the transactions when the card is inserted […]
“News Quiz” is a weekly feature that lets you test your knowledge of recent Link stories. The correct answers appear at the end. 1. Fill in the blank: USPS wants to fill approximately (blank) holiday seasonal jobs this year. a) 10,000 b) 25,000 c) 40,000 d) 65,000 2. Which position did Marc D. McCrery serve […]
I loved reading “On his toes,” the article about Attleboro, MA, Letter Carrier Todd Griffin, who is also an accomplished dancer. It’s nice to know my fellow co-workers have wonderful talents. […]
President Joseph R. Biden has ordered U.S. flags flown at half-staff to honor retired general and former secretary of state Colin L. Powell, who died Oct. 18. Flags should be flown at half-staff until sunset on Oct. 22. To fly the flag at half-staff, hoist the flag to the peak for an instant and then lower […]
The Postal Service is bolstering its efforts to obtain, analyze, share and use data in time for this year’s peak holiday season. The organization has created the Business Intelligence Capacity Model, or BICM, a program that offers round-the-clock operational insights that show potential gridlock in the postal processing and delivery network before problems occur. This […]
The U.S. Army’s Fort Riley in Kansas will exchange curbside mail delivery for cluster boxes within the next year. “This project is environmentally responsible and enhances the security of delivery for the troops and their families,” said C.J. Lincoln, postmaster for the nearby Junction City, KS, Post Office, at a recent ceremony announcing the change. A […]
Sometimes the news can be saddening, maddening or overwhelming. Stories about violence, the continued threat of COVID-19 and other negative events may wear down the spirit. For some, the coming holidays only exacerbate these feelings. The Postal Service wants to remind all employees, especially those who have been affected directly or indirectly by recent events, […]
Letter Carrier Ross Brossart was recently delivering mail in a Grand Forks, ND, neighborhood when he spotted a fire at a condominium. He sprang into action. Brossart urged a bystander to call 911, then rushed to the building to ensure that residents got out safely. His first stop was the apartment of Clayton Lamaack, a […]
The Postal Service has recommended deadlines for the holiday mailing and shipping season. The suggestions, released Oct. 7, are for expected delivery by Dec. 25 to domestic, Air/Army Post Office (APO), Fleet Post Office (FPO) and Diplomatic Post Office (DPO) addresses. Here are the deadlines: • Nov. 6: APO, FPO and DPO addresses (all ZIP […]
The Postal Service wants you to know about the rules that apply to former employees. After leaving USPS, former employees may accept a new job with any employer. Depending on what their postal duties were, they may be prohibited from interacting with their former postal colleagues for a certain time period. For example, former employees […]
“News Quiz” is a weekly feature that lets you test your knowledge of recent Link stories. The correct answers appear at the end. 1. Fill in the blank: (Blank) designed the Message Monsters stamp pane with original artwork by Elise Gravel a) Antonio Alcalá b) Greg Breeding c) Ethel Kessler d) Derry Noyes 2 Approximately […]
Letter Carrier Shonda Lemon was recently making deliveries in a Chicago neighborhood when she grew concerned about an 89-year-old customer, Helen Iwanski, whose mail was piling up. Lemon contacted police and asked them to check on Iwanski, who was found in dire need of medical attention after falling several days earlier. The customer was rushed […]
Emergency federal employee leave (EFEL) will no longer be available to Postal Service employees after Sept. 30. EFEL forms should not be used to cover any leave dates beyond this date. COVID-19-related absences after Sept. 30, and documentation to support such absences, must be addressed using the postal leave policies in effect at that time. […]
The Postal Service will release its Day of the Dead stamps on Sept. 30. Dia de los Muertos, as it is known in Spanish, is observed Nov. 1-2 and is an amalgam of Roman Catholic and Indigenous Mexican traditions. The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization recognized the holiday in 2008 as an Intangible […]
“News Quiz” is a weekly feature that lets you test your knowledge of recent Link stories. The correct answers appear at the end. 1. Under the Postal Service’s misuse-of-time rules, which of the following personal activities are generally permissible when an employee is on duty? a) Calling a doctor’s office to make an appointment b) […]
Effective Oct. 1, premiums for Federal Employees’ Group Life Insurance (FEGLI) will change for some forms of coverage. Most rates for options A, B and C will decrease, according to the Office of Personnel Management. However, older age bands in options B and C will see an increase, and rates also will rise for retirees’ […]
USPS is changing the dimensions of 14 standard and specialized expedited packaging supplies to better align with mail processing equipment requirements. The organization annually produces and fulfills more than 181 million orders of standard and specialized expedited packaging supplies, including Priority Mail Express, Priority Mail and Global Express Guaranteed. Starting in late September, the dimensions […]
The Postal Service is reminding employees that most waste bulbs contain hazardous materials and must be disposed of properly. Fluorescent, high intensity discharge (HID), light emitting diode (LED), neon and ultraviolet bulbs contain mercury or other toxic metals. When these bulbs are no longer usable, they are considered universal waste and must be recycled. To […]
Postal Service employees can participate in an upcoming webinar to learn about the advantages of a high-deductible health plan (HDHP). The session, “The Value of a High Deductible Health Plan,” will be held Monday, Oct. 4, at noon EDT. GEHA, a not-for-profit provider of health plans for federal employees, will conduct the webinar and explore […]
Letter Carrier Donna Kessler was delivering mail one day last year in a Fort Wayne, IN, neighborhood when she came upon a little girl in a pink backpack, sobbing on a sidewalk. Kessler stopped to check on the child, who was 5 and had just finished her first day of kindergarten. The girl was lost […]
Postal Service employees are using the organization’s lead generation programs to help business customers discover the USPS Connect Local pilot program now underway in Texas. USPS Connect Local provides businesses and nonprofit organizations with local-to-local same-day and next-day package delivery at affordable rates. Soon after the program’s July launch, Ralph Fields, a Duncanville, TX, letter […]
Message Monsters, the Postal Service’s most playful, customizable Forever stamp design ever, will be released Sept. 24. The pane of 20 stamps features four monster illustrations that can be dressed up with dozens of self-adhesive accessories on the selvage. The accoutrements include cartoony voice balloons and thought bubbles with exclamations and salutations, hats and crowns, […]
The Combined Federal Campaign’s cause of the week is disaster relief, a category that has sadly increased in importance in the past decade. The phrase “once-in-a-millennium” to describe a natural calamity — be it a hurricane, heat, flood or other peril — is becoming paradoxically common. Storms are intensifying, and the needs of survivors are […]
“News Quiz” is a weekly feature that lets you test your knowledge of recent Link stories. The correct answers appear at the end. 1. Fill in the blank: Priority Mail Express Cold Chain Packaging is designed for products that must remain cold for up to (blank) at 45 degrees or below during shipment. a) 24 […]
Accurate scanning matters more than you might think. That’s the message USPS is delivering to employees as it works to offer excellent service, a cornerstone of the organization’s 10-year plan, Delivering for America. Most employees know that scanning allows customers to know when their packages will arrive, a critically important requirement in the […]