Martha Carson, Guysville, OH
I look forward to the new stamps that USPS plans to release in 2020. As a veteran and a doggy rescuer, the Military Working Dogs stamps were my favorites last year. […]
Shawn Selby
Posts by Shawn Selby
Door to floor
Letter Carrier Joseph Kepling was delivering mail last July at a residence in Napoleon, OH, when he grew concerned about an 87-year-old customer whose front door was open with a dead kitten nearby. Realizing he hadn’t recently seen the woman, who was known for regularly riding her bicycle around the neighborhood, Kepling alerted his supervisor. […]
Write to vote
If USPS is the original social network, then postcards might be considered the first tweets. And just as today’s activists use Twitter to promote their favorite causes, advocates for women voting — called suffragists — used postcards to make their case more than a century ago. “Suffrage was the first movement that was able to […]
Proud to protect
The latest #PostalProud video shines a spotlight on a postal inspector. “Carroll’s Story” features co-workers and family members praising Carroll Harris, a husband and father of three sons who is based at USPS headquarters in Washington, DC. “Carroll brings an impressive level of energy to everything he does and just sheer passion, not only for […]
Free for all
Did you know the Postal Service offers free self-development training to all employees? This program allows employees to learn something new, grow personally, improve their skills and, in some cases, prepare for professional certifications. More than 3,200 courses are available, including offerings at the beginner, intermediate and advanced proficiency levels. All courses are voluntary and […]
Exceeding expectations
“News Quiz” is a weekly feature that lets you test your knowledge of recent Link stories. The correct answers appear at the end. 1. By how much did USPS employees surpass the organization’s goal for Combined Federal Campaign donations last year? a) 2 percent b) 3.8 percent c) 8.3 percent d) 20 percent 2. How […]
First responder
Michael Bond, a custodian at the Baltimore Processing and Distribution Center, was on the job one day last March when a colleague suffered a heart attack and collapsed. Bond was the first person on the scene and rushed to his co-worker’s aid — comforting him and keeping him conscious while 911 was called. Paramedics soon […]
Derest Brown, Dallas
I loved reading “Front and center,” the article about Brad Albright, the Grand Rapids, MI, Vehicle Maintenance Facility tool and parts clerk who recently received a medal of recognition 29 years after he served in the military during Desert Storm. The story brought tears to my eyes. […]
Cyberthreat warning
USPS is requiring employees, contractors and others to demonstrate increased cybersecurity vigilance amid escalating tensions in the Middle East. Email spearphishing campaigns targeting U.S. government agencies are intensifying, the Postal Service Corporate Information Security Office reports. Cyberthreat actors are aggressively attempting to steal sensitive information, including account credentials and financial data, using targeted campaigns. This […]
Righting wrongs
The latest episode of the USPS video series “Engage” highlights a postal plant where supervisors and employees have learned to work better together. The Dominick V. Daniels Processing and Distribution Center in Kearny, NJ, faced a morale problem when Jacqueline Thomas became plant manager in 2017. “When I first got here, people didn’t want to […]
Bridge to the future
If you work for the Postal Service, chances are you’ve heard a lot about Informed Delivery in recent years. That’s because the free feature is an important part of the organization’s future. Informed Delivery bridges digital and physical communications by allowing consumers to digitally preview their incoming mail and manage their packages from computers, smartphones […]
Featured creature
To help prepare for this week’s release of Year of the Rat, the first stamp in the latest Lunar New Year series, here are five facts about the creatures and their role in the holiday. 1. The rat is the first of the 12 zodiac animal signs associated with the Chinese lunar calendar. Many ancient […]
Earl Musick, Washington, DC
I really enjoy reading Link. We receive so many emails. Link is always the first one that I open. It’s positive, encouraging and brightens my day. […]
Front and center
A USPS employee who served in the military during Desert Storm recently received a medal of recognition that was 29 years overdue — thanks to his postal supervisor, who worked behind the scenes to ensure the oversight was corrected. Brad Albright, a tool and parts clerk at the Grand Rapids, MI, Vehicle Maintenance Facility, was […]
New beginning
The new year will bring stamp releases, annual events and other Postal Service activities you should know about. USPS has announced several planned stamp releases for 2020, beginning with Year of the Rat, the first stamp in the latest Lunar New Year series, on Jan. 11. Other releases include Big Bend, a new Priority Mail […]
Life insurance changes
It’s now easier for Postal Service employees to sign up for life insurance or make changes to their coverage. USPS has added a Federal Employee Group Life Insurance (FEGLI) module to PostalEASE that’s similar to the platform’s health insurance, tax and banking modules. The new module allows current employees to reduce their current FEGLI elections, […]
Always improving
The nation’s postal system has a long history of embracing new technology and processes in its never-ending quest to better serve customers. These efforts have included the creation of the ZIP Code, which revolutionized the way mail is sorted and delivered in the 1960s, and Intelligent Mail barcodes and Intelligent Mail package barcodes, two more […]
Taking a stand
The year-long Montgomery Bus Boycott began 64 years ago this month. Here are seven facts about the protest and how it shaped the civil rights movement. 1. Discriminatory laws were at the heart of the boycott. African Americans in Montgomery, AL, were required by city ordinance to sit in a separate section on city buses […]
Courageous countdown: No. 2
Link is looking back at the year in “Heroes’ Corner” with a countdown of the five most-viewed articles. Coming in at No. 2 is “‘He is my son,’” the story of Meredith Taylor. The Kenna, WV, retail associate and her husband took in teenager Jason Thomas, who had been secretly living on his high school […]
Kimberly Freeborough, VA
I loved “Celebrating Mr. Rogers,” the article about Theodore Rogers, the Chicago mail handler equipment operator who recently marked 65 years of federal service. He’s a shining example of the beauty of tenure. […]
Meeting challenges
The Postal Service kept the mail moving during the summer, despite weather-related challenges across the nation. The organization responded to wildfires in the west as well as Hurricane Dorian, which left a wide path of destruction in parts of the Bahamas before proceeding along the Southeastern U.S. coast. After temporarily suspending service in areas affected […]
Read all about it
Postal Service employees made headlines for all the right reasons in 2019. Ronald Murphy Jr., a Tacoma, WA, letter carrier, was dubbed the “Good Guy Mailman” after a viral video showed him going out of his way to keep a package safe for a customer. “I took an oath and I’m going to do my […]
Taking care of business
Postal Service employees aren’t the only people who made news in 2019. Customers captured headlines, too. Nikki Howard and Jaqi Wright, two Maryland sisters who started a cheesecake business after they were furloughed from their federal government jobs, relied on Priority Mail to serve their customers. “The Postal Service is invested in us and wants […]
Work in progress
Employees from every corner of the Postal Service make valuable contributions to the organization, as Link’s “On the Job” column demonstrated again this year. Several employees discussed the value of good customer service, including Linda Anderson, a Merrifield, VA, mail handler who said she knows members of the public rely on her, even if they […]
Augustine Ruiz Jr., San Jose, CA
“‘I love it,’” the article about Cross River, NY, Postmaster Clarence “Thomas” Carson’s journey from homelessness and drug addiction, was very touching. It truly gives you a sense of hope and love during this holiday season. […]
Courageous countdown: No. 4
Link is looking back at the year in “Heroes’ Corner” with a countdown of the five most-viewed articles. Coming in at No. 4 is “Life line,” the story of Heather Adams. The Portland, ME, financial programs compliance manager responded to a kidney donation plea in her community without knowing that the 31-year-old woman in desperate […]
Once more, with feeling
Link is reviewing this year’s most memorable stories during the final days of December. Here are 10 more favorites. 1. “In his shoes.” In April, a group of New Jersey postal workers honored a late colleague by hosting his 14-year-old daughter, Elaina Ficarra, on Take Our Daughters and Sons to Work Day — another touching […]
The bottom line
“About the Business,” a Link column that began in the fall, aims to educate employees on the business of USPS. Here are some of the most interesting facts that have been covered so far: • USPS receives more than 40,000 stamp suggestions from the public annually. These ideas are submitted to the Citizens’ Stamp Advisory […]
Ties that bind
Postal Service employees worked throughout 2019 to strengthen the organization’s community ties. The Minneapolis Main Post Office gave tours to thousands of customers through a citywide initiative that gives the public behind-the-scenes access to unique venues, while the Davis, IL, Post Office — which serves ZIP Code 61019 — held a “date meets ZIP” event […]
Safety first
The Postal Service began 2019 by continuing to deliver for its customers, despite extreme winter weather in much of the nation. In her first “Business Focus” video of the year, Postmaster General Megan J. Brennan thanked employees for their efforts and reminded them to stay safe throughout the winter. “Please remember to wear proper footwear, […]