The Postal Service will release a stamp Saturday, April 18, to celebrate Earth Day, which will mark its 50th anniversary next week. Earth Day, held each year on April 22, was first celebrated in 1970, when U.S. Sen. Gaylord Nelson of Wisconsin inspired thousands of people to organize against pollution following a major oil spill […]
“News Quiz” is a weekly feature that lets you test your knowledge of recent Link stories. The correct answers appear at the end. 1. USPS is testing a new Informed Delivery feature that lets users know when certain mailpieces are delivered. What mailpieces are involved? a) Letter-size mail and flat-size mail b) Letter-size mail, flat-size […]
The Postal Service is encouraging employees who are military members, veterans or spouses of veterans to complete a voluntary self-identification survey using a new application on HERO. “Completing this survey will allow the Postal Service to update its data, which can help us improve the workplace for veterans, current military members and employees who are […]
The Postal Service is making it easier to identify external mails to prevent employees and contractors from clicking on malicious links or downloading attachments that could pose a cyberthreat to the organization. Starting April 13, all emails from non-USPS senders will display the following banner at the top of the email: “CAUTION: This email originated […]
To help mark Financial Literacy Month in April, the USPS Wellness team will offer a retirement planning webinar for Postal Service employees. Aetna will host the webinar, which will focus on the following topics: Medicare, the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program (FEHB), the Federal Employees Dental and Vision Insurance Program (FEDVIP) and the Thrift Savings […]
Link is seeking suggestions for “Best Practices,” a regular column that allows Postal Service employees to share tips on a variety of workplace topics. In recent months, “Best Practices” has featured Malik Jackson, a retail associate who offered advice on promoting USPS products and services; Tom Cappaert, a letter carrier who shared tips on delivering mail in […]
City Carrier Assistant Michael Jordan was recently delivering mail in Chillicothe, OH, when he spotted an older motorist in distress. The man had pulled over alongside a road, opened his car door and yelled for help as he slumped out of the driver’s seat. Jordan rushed to the man’s side, called 911, guided him to […]
The National Postal Mail Handlers Union (NPMHU) membership has ratified a new three-year labor contract with the Postal Service. The contract covers approximately 43,000 employees represented by the union. Highlights of the agreement include annual general wage increases, a reduction in the employer share of health premiums, increased flexibility to use non-career mail handler assistant […]
The Postal Service is testing a new Informed Delivery feature that lets users know when their mail has been delivered. Informed Delivery, which has more than 23.5 million subscribers, allows users to receive digital previews of their incoming mail and manage their packages from smartphones, tablets and other devices. During the test, users receive email notices […]
The Postal Service employee who helped integrate New Orleans public schools as a child returned to her alma mater last month to mark a new beginning for the historic site. Gail Etienne-Stripling was one of three African American first-grade students known as the McDonogh Three who integrated McDonogh 19 Elementary School in 1960. The Tulsa, […]
“News Quiz” is a weekly feature that lets you test your knowledge of recent Link stories. The correct answers appear at the end. 1. Which stamps were released April 2? a) American Gardens, Contemporary Boutonniere b) Contemporary Boutonniere, Garden Corsage c) Garden Corsage, Earth Day d) All of the above 2. True or false: Under […]
The Postal Service is sharing guidance from public health organizations and other authorities that have stated there’s no evidence the coronavirus is spread through the mail. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the virus is spread through respiratory droplets, and there is currently no evidence to support the transmission of COVID-19 […]
The Postal Service wants employees to know that the organization keeps their health information confidential. This includes employees who contract COVID-19, the disease caused by the new coronavirus. The Rehabilitation Act and the Privacy Act, two federal laws, require agencies to keep specific employee medical information confidential and to share it only in very limited […]
Ashley Ortiz never misses an opportunity to help USPS grow its business. The Derry, NH, letter carrier particularly enjoys finding sales leads, which she submits through the Customer Connect program. “I have just enough life experience that I can connect with a lot of people,” she says. The Postal Service wants all employees to follow […]
The Postal Service shares highlights from the recent Wild Orchids stamp dedication ceremony in a new video. “Orchids are beautiful but strange critters,” Jim Fowler, the photographer whose images appear on the stamps, says in the video, explaining how some orchids require fungi to germinate. Part of the largest family of plants on Earth, wild […]
Purchasing power. The General Services Administration (GSA) recently recognized Nancy Croteau-Westcott, a purchase card coordinator in the Postal Service’s Purchasing Shared Service Center, for her efforts to help USPS save money. During the previous fiscal year, the Postal Service had 323 purchase card convenience check accounts and issued more than 950 checks to suppliers, resulting […]
Link wants to hear your thoughts about “Steadfast service” and other stories about the coronavirus pandemic. Email your feedback to uspslink@usps.gov. Your comments could be featured in “Mailbag.” […]
Letter Carrier Zachary Karlovitz was recently delivering mail in a Grayslake, IL, neighborhood where he often exchanges pleasantries with an older customer while the man works with wood and metal in his garage. On this particular day, however, something was drastically different. Karlovitz found the man gravely injured after a power tool accident. The Postal […]
The Postal Service wants employees to take care of their health and well-being as they continue to adjust to challenges posed by the coronavirus pandemic. To help employees cope, the Employee Assistance Program (EAP) has introduced “Coronavirus: Prepare without Panic,” a series of information sheets. The sheets cover several topics, including becoming more comfortable with […]
A new USPS video explains the changes customers will see in Post Office retail lobbies as the organization continues its efforts to promote social distancing during the coronavirus pandemic. “Help Us Serve You: Post Offices,” which lasts one minute, explains that the organization limits the number of customers inside a Post Office to 10 at […]
“News Quiz” is a weekly feature that lets you test your knowledge of recent Link stories. The correct answers appear at the end. 1. True or false: Hand sanitizers and disinfecting wipes that don’t contain alcohol aren’t regulated as hazardous materials and are allowed in the mailstream. a) True b) False 2. Who oversees employee […]
Because the Postal Service is committed to the health and well-being of its workforce, the organization is reminding employees of certain rights they have under the recently enacted Families First Coronavirus Response Act. The legislation is meant to ensure that workers are not forced to choose between their paychecks and the public health measures needed […]
The Postal Service is providing employees and contractors with an “essential service provider letter” they can show to law enforcement officers in case they’re stopped and questioned during the coronavirus pandemic. The letter explains that USPS is part of the nation’s critical infrastructure and is continuing normal operations during the pandemic. The letter also affirms […]
USPS is offering a promotion on Visa gift cards at select Post Office locations. From April 4-17, employees and customers will receive $3.95 off the purchase fee of a Visa gift card valued at $100. Variable load gift cards are excluded from this offer. No coupon is needed. […]
The Postal Service is again educating employees about the Hatch Act by providing examples of co-workers who broke the law. The Hatch Act aims to keep politics out of federal workplaces by prohibiting workers from engaging in political activity while on duty, while wearing a uniform, while on federal property or while inside a federal […]
Durice Washburn knows a thing or two about safe driving. Last year, the National Safety Council recognized the Old Town, ME, rural carrier for driving at least 30 years, or approximately 1 million miles, without causing an accident. Washburn has spent most of her 36-year postal career on the same route, which covers 72 miles […]
Action star. Hung Bui, a USPS enterprise computing support manager and 23-year employee, is profiled in the latest edition of Diversity in Action magazine. Bui oversees 35 employees who provide telephone, computer and other technical support to workers at USPS headquarters in Washington, DC. “I define my success by the success of those in my […]
I was extremely happy to read “Remove and discard,” the article reminding employees to remove all labels and tags from mail sacks, trays and tubs. It’s a very important step in the correct processing of mail. […]
An older customer in Coatesville, PA, recently faced a dire situation: The woman had fallen in her bedroom overnight and couldn’t reach her phone or her medical alert device. The customer knew Rural Carrier Pamela Irwin would bring mail to the front door in the afternoon, so she dragged herself to the kitchen in hopes […]
Gwen Ifill was co-moderating a 2016 Democratic presidential primary debate when she turned to one of the candidates, Sen. Bernie Sanders, and raised a provocative topic. “When we talk about race in this country, we always talk about African Americans, people of color,” Ifill said. “I want to talk about white people, OK?” “White people?” […]