Ruby Gehring, Little Rock, AR
I love the new Love stamps previewed in Link this week. They’re ideal for Valentine’s Day and wedding invitations. They should be a huge success. […]
Shawn Selby
Posts by Shawn Selby
Holiday preparations
As the Postal Service prepares for the holiday peak season, Postmaster General Louis DeJoy recently met and heard from employees at facilities in Rockford, IL; Madison, WI; and Milwaukee. “I am energized by the conversations I have been having here in Rockford and across the country with our Postal Service employees who have been working […]
Commercial Package Intercept
The Postal Service has updated the Commercial Package Intercept application to allow commercial mailers to submit up to five times more package intercepts. Commercial Package Intercept allows mailers to request a shipment be held for pickup at a Post Office, redirected to a different domestic address or returned to sender. Previously, commercial mailers could submit […]
Fall back
Daylight saving time will end Sunday, Nov. 7, 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. 6. Standard time will be in effect until March 13, 2022, when daylight saving time will resume. […]
Keeping tabs
“News Quiz” is a weekly feature that lets you test your knowledge of recent Link stories. The correct answers appear at the end. 1. Approximately how many tablets does USPS plan to distribute to plant managers and supervisors by September 2022? a) 4,000 b) 8,000 c) 16,000 d) 32,000 2. True or false: Under new […]
What’s new, 2022?
The Postal Service has announced some of the stamps the organization plans to release in 2022: • Year of the Tiger, the third entry in the 12-stamp Lunar New Year series, featuring a three-dimensional mask depicting a tiger; • Blueberries, a 4-cent stamp featuring a cluster of blueberries; • U.S. Flags, a stamp with an […]
Taking requests
The Postal Service began accepting letters to its annual USPS Operation Santa program on Nov. 1. The 109-year-old program allows generous people and organizations to “adopt” letters to Santa Claus and fulfill holiday wish lists from children and others who are less fortunate. Letters should be addressed to Santa Claus, 123 Elf Road, North Pole, […]
Celebrating diversity
The USPS Diversity, Equity and Inclusion team is hosting web content celebrating diversity here and around the world in honor of Global Diversity Awareness Month. The temporary content, which can be accessed via the Diversity team’s Blue and LiteBlue pages, launched Oct. 28 and will be available for viewing through Nov. 30. Visitors can take […]
Native American Heritage Month
November is Native American Heritage Month, which honors the cultures, histories, traditions and contributions of American Indians and Alaska Natives. The Postal Service has approximately 4,000 employees who identify themselves as American Indian or Alaska Native. The American Indian and Alaska Native population in the United States is approximately 7.1 million, according to U.S. Census […]
Heart-stopping action
Rural carriers Robin Bailey and Bonnie Przybocki were recently on duty in Gainesville, VA, when a colleague went into cardiac arrest. Multiple employees sprang into action. While 911 was called, Bailey and Przybocki performed CPR on their ill co-worker until paramedics arrived and took over. “The quick reaction of Robin and Bonnie was instrumental in […]
Samra retires
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 […]
Be smart, restart
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 […]
All business
“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) […]
Victim’s voice
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 […]
Electronic smoking devices
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 […]
Put a PIN on it
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 […]
Hire learning
“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 […]
Gregory Huff, Newark, NJ
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. […]
In remembrance
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 […]
Peak season playbook
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 […]
Army green
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 […]
Overwhelmed?
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, […]
To the Ross-cue
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 […]
Time to get shipping
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 […]
After USPS
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 […]
Featured creatures
“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 […]
Lemon aid
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 leave ends Sept. 30
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. […]
Death takes a holiday
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 […]
Test of time
“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) […]