The Postal Service has announced release dates for several of next year’s stamps, along with the cities where the dedication ceremonies will be held: Lunar New Year: Year of the Rat: Saturday, Jan. 11, Monterey Park, CA Black Heritage: Gwen Ifill: Thursday, Jan. 30, Washington, DC Let’s Celebrate!: Friday, Feb. 14, Mesa, AZ Wild Orchids: […]
Postal Service employees nationwide are supporting Operation Santa, the annual program that allows families in need to write letters to Santa Claus for “adoption” by those who want to help. Families in participating cities can mail their letters to Santa’s official address at 123 Elf Road, North Pole 88888, through Friday, Dec. 20, the deadline […]
Although First-Class Mail volume has declined in recent years, greeting cards remain popular with many customers — especially during the holidays. U.S. consumers purchase approximately 6.5 billion greeting cards each year, generating $7 billion-$8 billion in annual sales, according to the Greeting Card Association, an industry trade group. Christmas cards are the most popular type […]
To mark the recent release of the Healing PTSD semipostal stamp, here are seven facts about post-traumatic stress disorder. 1. A wide range of people are affected by PTSD. People with PTSD may relive past events, have trouble sleeping, be dehydrated, feel nauseated and be startled easily. They can also experience uncontrollable shaking, chills, heart […]
Letter Carrier Christopher Paolera was recently delivering mail in a Cambridge, MA, neighborhood when a police officer on duty at a construction site was struck by a dump truck. Paolera leaped into action and alerted the driver that the officer was pinned beneath a tire. While the driver freed the injured man, the Postal Service […]
The Postal Service is reminding employees they can use Checkbook’s Guide to Health Plans to compare their options during this year’s open season. The online tool has information about all plans available through the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program (FEHB). This includes information on copays, deductibles, prescription drug costs and whether dental and vision benefits are […]
Here’s Link’s latest “News Quiz,” a weekly feature that invites readers to test their knowledge of recent stories. The correct answers appear at the end. 1. Fill in the blank: This year’s open season benefits enrollment period ends (blank). a) Friday, Dec. 6 b) Monday, Dec. 9 c) Friday, Dec. 13 d) Tuesday, Dec. 31 2. […]
Holiday stamps. The Postal Service is reminding employees that the organization offers a wide variety of secular and religious stamps for the holidays, including: Birds in Winter Christmas Carols Diwali Eid Greetings Florentine Madonna and Child Global: Poinsettia Hanukkah Holiday Wreaths Kwanzaa “Madonna and Child” by Bachiacca Sparkling Holidays Winter Berries Customers can purchase these […]
A trio of employees at the Cleveland Processing and Distribution Center leaped into action recently when a colleague experienced medical distress. While Training Technician Harold Jones-Bey and Acting In-Plant Support Manager Kennard Everett II rendered first aid to the ill employee, Administrative Assistant Susan Nelson called 911. When paramedics arrived, Nelson guided them to the […]
The Postal Service’s National Printing Center (NPC) prints many items that employees across the nation use every day, including tray labels, forms and training books. But one of the NPC’s most important jobs is printing the postcards and fliers that USPS workers receive during the open season benefits enrollment period. “The postcards and fliers play […]
The importance of flexible spending accounts (FSAs) is explained in a newly updated video from the Postal Service. FSAs, one of several options available to employees during the open season benefits enrollment period, can help employees reduce their taxable income and save on yearly health or dependent care costs. The four-minute video, “2019 Flexible Spending Accounts,” […]
Celebrating the holidays often means dressing up to show your spirit. This goes for mail, too. Each year, USPS offers a variety of secular and religious stamps for the holidays, as well as special postmarks. Both offerings allow customers to dress up their greeting cards, packages and other holiday mail. This tradition goes back more […]
Recipients of the Nobel Prize — which honors achievements in peace, economics, physics, chemistry, medicine and literature — receive their award each year on Dec. 10. Here are five facts about the prize and its recipients. 1. Theodore Roosevelt was a first — twice. The country’s 26th president was the first American and the first […]
Orangevale, CA, Letter Carrier Andres Rendon, featured in a recent “Heroes’ Corner” article, did a good job taking care of a toddler who had wandered into a busy street. […]
Merry mail. To help celebrate the holiday season, all First-Class Mail postage stamps will be canceled using the national holiday postmark from Dec. 2-31. This year’s postmark features a festive wreath — a nod to the new Holiday Wreaths stamps. Another holiday postmark is available through the Greetings from the North Pole Post Office program, […]
Healing PTSD, a semipostal stamp to raise funds for those diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder, will be released Monday, Dec. 2. PTSD develops in some children and adults who have survived a traumatic event. The condition can be triggered by experiences such as a natural disaster, car accident, physical or sexual assault, abuse and combat, […]
Do you know the difference between a deductible and a copayment? If you don’t know, you’re not alone. Many people are confused by health insurance terminology. To help you navigate your way through this year’s open season benefits enrollment period, here are some important definitions: • Deductible: This is the amount you pay for covered […]
Another Postal Service employee has received praise after reuniting a customer with a large amount of cash that should never have been mailed. Betzaida Ingram was using a delivery barcode sorter at the Baltimore Processing and Distribution Center when $900 spilled out of a damaged envelope. “As soon as I realized what was inside of […]
The Postal Service is ready again to deliver the holiday items that customers will purchase on Cyber Monday, one of the year’s biggest shopping days. Online purchases on the first Monday after Thanksgiving are expected to hit $9.4 billion in 2019, an 18.9 percent increase from last year, according to market researcher Adobe Digital Insights. […]
Rural Carrier Associate James Wentworth was delivering mail in Stickney, SD, in June when he saw an older customer lying beside a gravel road, waving for help. Wentworth stopped to check on the man, who said he’d been working in a field nearby and fainted while walking back to his house. The Postal Service employee […]
To help get you in the mood for this year’s Thanksgiving travel crunch, here are eight facts about plane, train and automobile transportation in the United States. 1. If you’re traveling for Thanksgiving, you aren’t alone. More than 55 million Americans are expected to travel 50 miles or more away from home this holiday, according […]
Online shopping isn’t just transforming the way consumers purchase goods — it’s also creating business opportunities for the Postal Service. The United States is home to an estimated 224 million people who shop online, a figure that is expected to reach 230 million during the next two years, according to research by Statista, a global […]
A newly updated video about the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program (FEHB) reminds employees to conduct a “health plan checkup” during this year’s open season. The three-minute segment, “FEHB Health Plans: Your Changing Life,” encourages employees to evaluate their health care options to ensure they have the coverage they need. The video also explains how […]
Lisa Doran had just given birth prematurely to twins, a boy and girl, when she received more life-changing news: Her 4-year-old son, Tom, had late-stage leukemia. This was in 1999, several years before Doran — an Essex, MA, retail associate — began her Postal Service career. In addition to being concerned about her son’s diagnosis, […]
I loved “‘Amazed’ by Grace,” the article about Cincinnati Letter Carrier Melissa Tilton, who helped Grace Flannery learn about delivering mail. Thanks to all USPS employees who made this happen. […]
It was a July day in Grand Rapids, MI, when Letter Carrier Dustin Brown spotted a 3-year-old boy walking alone on a street, wearing only a diaper. The child was unable to say where he lived, so Brown sheltered him in a USPS vehicle and called 911. The Postal Service employee comforted the boy until […]
To mark Native American Heritage Month, here are five facts about the annual commemoration and the people it celebrates. 1. The first Native American Heritage Month was celebrated in 1990. President George H.W. Bush signed a joint resolution designating November as “National American Indian Heritage Month.” The name of the commemoration later evolved into Native […]
It’s the most wonderful time of the year. For the Postal Service, it’s also the most important time — especially from a business perspective. Peak season occurs annually from Thanksgiving to New Year’s Day. This period — which lasts anywhere from 34 to 40 days, depending on the calendar — always includes the busiest mailing, […]
A newly updated video reminds Postal Service employees of the importance of the open season benefits enrollment period. The two-minute segment, “2019 Open Season,” notes that employees’ circumstances may change from year to year. For example, some employees may want to add a dependent to their plan, while other workers may determine they no longer […]
Raymond German Jr. says the secret to his 58-year postal career is simple: USPS has been good to him. German, a mail processing clerk at the Suburban Maryland Processing and Distribution Center in Gaithersburg, began his career in 1961, following two years with the U.S. Navy. USPS leaders and colleagues recently gathered at the facility […]