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 […]
USPS is continuing to restore service after Hurricane Ida, the powerful storm that knocked out power and caused widespread damage in Louisiana and other areas late last month. Immediately after the storm, Southern Area’s hurricane recovery team focused on resuming retail, delivery and mail processing operations, while the Postal Inspection Service evaluated individual USPS facilities […]
USPS now offers a Priority Mail shipping service option for expedited packaging supplies. The new service, which began Sept. 12, allows customers who have registered at usps.com to have expedited packaging supplies delivered to them within two to three business days for a fee. During checkout, registered customers can select whether they would like to […]
The Postal Service wants employees and contractors to remember that the information posted on Facebook, Twitter and similar websites could be exploited in social engineering attacks. Social engineering describes methods used to build trust and ultimately manipulate individuals into divulging personal information. The more information cybercriminals gather about an individual, the easier it is to […]
Wilmot, WI, Postmaster Loretta Jaffe was off duty one day in January when she and her husband, Brian, came upon a crisis in nearby Kenosha. The couple was in their vehicle when they spotted a man, Bill Karls, lying on the ground outside his residence with a snowblower — still running — on top of […]
USPS and postal organizations around the world will mark the third annual Green Postal Day on Sept. 17. On Green Postal Day, organized by the International Post Corp. (IPC), 16 posts worldwide reiterate their commitment to contribute to a more sustainable economy and society. According to an IPC survey this year, consumers are increasingly concerned […]
“News Quiz” is a weekly feature that lets you test your knowledge of recent Link stories. The correct answers appear at the end. 1. How much money does the Postal Service want to raise during the latest Combined Federal Campaign? a) $6.9 million b) $9.6 million c) $5.8 billion d) $8.5 billion 2. Fill in […]
“True blue,” the article commemorating the 20th anniversary of terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, was well written. It was an unbelievably devastating day. […]
USPS will offer a cold chain packaging service — used for shipping perishables and other items — to businesses and other customers, starting Sept. 12. The organization has been testing the packaging for several months with businesses that ship food, medical supplies and other items. Called Priority Mail Express Cold Chain Packaging, the service is designed specifically […]
The United States won seats on two international postal councils at the Universal Postal Union Congress, which ran from Aug. 9-27. The union, known as the UPU, is a specialized agency of the United Nations whose core mission is to facilitate the exchange of international mail among its 192 member countries. Remuneration (international postal payments […]
A training course on Business Reply Mail procedures and invoicing will soon be available in HERO. The course, titled Business Reply Mail, is mandatory for Level 18 Postmasters, lead retail associates, retail associates, sales and service distribution clerks, postage due clerks, postage due technicians, mailing requirements clerks, bulk mail clerks, bulk mail technicians and bulk […]
USPS is offering savings on Mastercard gift card purchases at select Post Offices this month. From Sept. 4-17, customers and employees will receive $2 off the purchase fee of Mastercard gift cards valued at $50 and $100. Variable load gift cards are excluded. No coupon is needed […]
City Carrier Assistant Justin McClanahan was on duty one day in February in Clinton, KY, when he came upon a vehicle that had flipped on an icy, isolated road, leaving the driver trapped inside. When McClanahan stopped to investigate, he found the distraught man beating on the glass and asking for help to escape. The […]