Two longtime pen pals who wrote a New York Times bestseller about their friendship have embarked on a virtual tour of the nation’s classrooms to teach students about the value of letter writing and mail. Caitlin Alifirenka and Martin Ganda, co-authors of “I Will Always Write Back” with Liz Welch, an award-winning journalist and memoirist, […]
The Postal Service will celebrate the works of acclaimed artist Emilio Sanchez with the release of four stamps on June 10. Sanchez (1921-1999) combined naturalism and abstraction to create architectural paintings and lithographs that presented subjective interpretations of reality. His work, which can be found in permanent collections around the world, often depicts a single […]
“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: Emergency federal employee leave is available to USPS employees through (blank) or until the government fund to cover the cost of the leave is exhausted. a) June […]
The USPS Office of Inspector General (OIG) completed 1,331 investigations during the six-month period that ended March 31. These investigations led to 531 arrests and more than $152.7 million in fines, restitutions and recoveries. This amount includes roughly $30.2 million that was returned to the Postal Service. The data is included in the […]
The Postal Service wants employees to remind customers of the many resources available when they ship cremated remains through the mail. Customers who use their own packaging must follow the guidelines detailed in Publication 139, How to Package and Ship Cremated Remains, available on usps.com. The publication provides general instructions, packaging information and Label 139 […]
Judy de Torok has been named Corporate Affairs vice president, a role in which she’ll work closely with the Postal Service’s industry, mailing and shipping partners. De Torok, who will report to Postmaster General Louis DeJoy, will be responsible for formulating stakeholder engagement strategies in support of Delivering for America, the Postal Service’s new 10-year […]
The U.S. Department of Justice has honored a Postal Service employee who helped locate a child who had wandered away from home. Keith Rollins, a Washington, DC, carrier technician, was driving on an interstate on a rainy morning in February 2020 when he spotted what turned out to be Ethan Adeyemi, a 2-year-old who had […]
Great job with “The List” of LGBTQ Pride Month facts. I learned something new. […]
Letter Carrier Mary Greene was delivering mail on a rainy morning last fall in Fond du Lac, WI, when she came upon a 2-year-old boy crawling in the middle of a road. Greene immediately stopped, picked up the toddler and sheltered him in the postal vehicle while she called the local Post Office. Customer Services […]
Delivery of First-Class Mail, Marketing Mail and Periodicals showed improvement in May as Postal Service operations continue to recover from challenges brought on by the coronavirus pandemic. Compared with fiscal year 2021’s second quarter (Jan. 1-March 31), May’s numbers showed: • A 9.5 percentage point improvement in First-Class Mail deliveries, with 87.6 percent being delivered […]
The Postal Service wants employees to know about recent changes to the Federal Flexible Spending Account program that have created new options for participants. The program, also known as FSAFEDS, allows employees to make pretax payroll contributions to cover their family’s health, dental, vision and day care expenses, saving approximately 30 percent on out-of-pocket costs. […]
USPS is installing a new version of the Microsoft Edge web browser on Windows-based ACE workstations, eliminating the need for employees to switch from one browser to another in order to use different programs. The new version of Microsoft Edge — which will become the Postal Service’s default browser — is more than a browser. […]
“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: The National Rural Letter Carriers Association represents approximately (blank) rural carriers nationwide. a) 113,000 b) 133,000 c) 311,000 d) 331,000 2. What’s the name of the new […]
City Carrier Assistant Kara Dahl was recently delivering mail in Menomonee Falls, WI, when she came upon the scene of an accident that left a FedEx truck overturned. Dahl immediately stopped, determined that a bystander had called 911, and rushed to check on the injured driver. The man asked the Postal Service employee for help […]
The Postal Service will soon permit only approved apps on USPS-issued mobile devices, part of the ongoing effort to protect the organization from malware and other cyberthreats. Starting June 9, only authorized apps will appear on USPS-issued Apple and Android smartphones and tablets and be available for download from the Postal Service’s mobile app store. […]
The Postal Service is continuing its efforts to educate employees about a new form of leave that has been created for federal workers in light of the coronavirus pandemic. The new leave, emergency federal employee leave (EFEL), was established under the American Rescue Plan Act, a law that took effect March 11. Under the American Rescue […]
“News Quiz” is a weekly feature that lets you test your knowledge of recent Link stories. The correct answers appear at the end. 1. Where did the Postal Service dedicate its Heritage Breeds stamps? a) Little Falls, NJ b) Los Angeles c) Mount Vernon, VA d) None of the above 2. Fill in the blank: […]
I love the A Visit From St. Nick and Otter in Snow stamps that USPS announced last week. I think customers will love them, too. […]
USPS is urging employees to complete the Postal Pulse survey before the June 11 deadline. The survey, which began May 11, allows employees to share observations about their work environments. This feedback helps USPS make positive changes and improvements. It takes about five minutes to complete the survey, which has 14 questions. […]
The Postal Service wants employees to know about recent changes to the Federal Flexible Spending Account program. The program, also known as FSAFEDS, allows employees to make pretax payroll contributions to cover their family’s health, dental, vision and day care expenses, saving approximately 30 percent on out-of-pocket costs. Recently enacted laws have allowed the U.S. […]
The Postal Service has announced dates for stamp releases through mid-October, along with the cities where they will be dedicated: • Tap Dance: Saturday, July 10, New York City • Western Wear: Friday, July 23, Abilene, TX • Ursula K. Le Guin: Tuesday, July 27, Portland, OR • Raven Story: Friday, July 30, Juneau, AK […]
The Postal Service will soon introduce ARIS, a state-of-the-art system that will be used to provide employees with secure, easy access to USPS digital resources. ARIS — short for Access Registration and Identity Services — will effectively replace eAccess, which was launched 23 years ago and uses legacy technology that is costly to maintain. The […]
Retail Associate Abbie Campagna was on duty recently in Greendale, WI, when she grew concerned about a 91-year-old customer. Over the course of a few days, the woman had purchased thousands of dollars’ worth of postal money orders and mailed them to addresses around the country. Campagna alerted local police and the Postal Inspection Service. […]
The T-shirt worn by Angela Creighbaum, the Burlington, WI, rural carrier who helped a woman who had fallen outside her home, says it all: “Be kind.” […]
The latest upgrade to My App Box — the Postal Service’s tool for quick access to more than 430 applications — allows users to configure Microsoft Edge and other web browsers for specific applications. Employees with ACE computers can find My App Box by clicking on the Windows icon on the left side of the […]
Retail Refresh, a campaign to encourage a uniform appearance and approach to enforcing the USPS brand at Post Offices nationwide, kicked off May 1. “We want to achieve clear, clean, safe and organized retail spaces that contain only what is needed, when it is needed,” said Peggy Havanas, a USPS retail management analyst. For example, […]
“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 total revenue did the Postal Service report for fiscal year 2021’s second quarter (Jan. 1-March 31)? a) Approximately $82 million b) Approximately $4.5 billion c) Approximately $18.9 billion d) […]
The Postal Service has announced two additions to its 2021 stamp lineup. The first is Otters in Snow, a booklet of 20 stamps featuring four scenes of the alert and playful North American river otter reveling in a winter landscape. The original illustrations were rendered in pen and ink, with watercolor in shades of brown […]
Two Postal Service executives who have been serving in their roles on an acting basis have been appointed to the positions permanently. Elvin Mercado was named retail and delivery operations vice president for Central Area, which includes 10 states and 33 million delivery points. He was named acting vice president in March. Previously, Mercado served […]
Heirloom animals get their day in the sun with the May 17 release of Heritage Breeds, the Postal Service’s latest Forever stamps. These preindustrial farm animals were common before the onset of factory farming, which hybridized livestock for maximum productivity. This hybridization limited genetic diversity. The survival of heritage breeds — many of which need […]