Derest Brown, Dallas
I love, love, love Link. Thank you for this excellent news source. […]
Shawn Selby
Posts by Shawn Selby
Clock wise
It’s always time for engagement in the Postal Service. Literally. USPS facilities across the nation are hanging posters near time clocks to help workers learn about the principles of engagement, a term that refers to employees’ involvement, enthusiasm and positive contributions to their organization. The posters also explain how engaged employees thrive in the workplace. […]
‘Prince of Soul’
The Postal Service has unveiled additional artwork for its forthcoming Marvin Gaye stamp, part of its Music Icons series. Known as the “Prince of Soul,” Gaye (1939-1984) was one of the most influential music performers of his generation, helping to shape the Motown sound in the late 1960s and broadening the reach of R&B music in […]
Spring forward
Let there be light. Daylight saving time begins Sunday, March 10, at 2 a.m. In areas where the change is observed, most people will “spring forward” and set their clocks ahead one hour March 9 at bedtime. Clocks will turn back Sunday, Nov. 3, at 2 a.m. Best booth. The Postal Service had one of the […]
Form and function
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. Which of the following can be used to make changes to your Form W-4? a) Accounting Blue page b) IdeaSMART c) Link mobile d) PostalEASE 2. The Postal Service’s […]
Highway patrol
Postal Support Employee Mail Processing Clerk Henry Wilkes III was recently driving home from his shift at the St. Louis Processing and Distribution Center when he spotted a car that had crashed alongside a highway. Wilkes pulled over and rushed to check on the driver of the vehicle, which was emitting sparks from underneath the […]
Mary Betts, Washington, DC
Cranford, NJ, Retail Associate Jennifer Goodwin did a remarkable thing when she helped two older customers avoid becoming scam victims. I applaud her for showing concern for others. […]
More power to her
To help mark Women’s History Month, here are some facts about women in the United States. 1. The United States has more women than men. There were 164 million women in the nation as of July 2016, according to the latest data available from the U.S. Census Bureau. By comparison, the number of men was […]
Don’t be scammed
To help mark National Consumer Protection Week, the Postal Inspection Service is offering USPS employees who served in the military tips to avoid common scams. These scams include: • The benefits buyout offer. Scammers take advantage of veterans in need by offering a quick, upfront buyout of future disability or pension payments, usually at a […]
Take the pledge
The Postal Service wants employees to take a pledge to use good cybersecurity practices each day. Employees can go to the CyberSafe at USPS Blue page to take the interactive pledge, which encourages them to commit to password safety, personal device security and other best practices. Employees are asked to renew their pledges each month […]
Positive experiences
The Postal Service has updated Providing Exceptional Customer Care, a training program to help employees sharpen the skills needed to respond to customers’ concerns and resolve their issues. The updated program is now available through the HERO learning platform. Improving customers’ experiences is a core priority for USPS, which wants to drive loyalty and boost […]
Shanika Garner, Royal Oak, MI
I enjoy reading Link stories about my co-workers. The “On the Job” and “Heroes’ Corner” columns give me a look into their lives and their good deeds, which often are unseen by the masses. […]
Learn and live
Distribution operations supervisors Robert Gorny and George Luckey were on the job at the Buffalo, NY, Processing and Distribution Center one day last fall when Clerk Jim Pientka collapsed. While 911 was called, Gorny and Luckey — both of whom serve on the facility’s medical emergency response team — rushed to Pientka’s aid and found […]
Chavez appointed
Eric Chavez has been named Northeast Area’s vice president, a position that oversees 90,000 employees in a region that encompasses New England, parts of New York and New Jersey, the U.S. Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico. Chavez, who has held the position on an acting basis since February, is a 33-year Postal Service employee who […]
Women’s History Month
Women’s History Month begins Friday, March 1. The annual observance, which traces its roots to the early 1980s, honors the contributions of women to American history and the shaping of contemporary society. The USPS workforce includes about 288,000 women, or about 45 percent of employees. “Throughout the Postal Service’s history, women have made significant achievements […]
Seeking innovators
The Office of National Drug Control Policy — in collaboration with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, the Postal Inspection Service and other federal agencies — has announced a global competition to find tools to help detect illegal opioids in international mail. The Opioid Detection Challenge is a $1.55 million prize competition to attract the best ideas for […]
Into the sun
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: In his latest “Dollars and Change” video, Chief Financial Officer Joe Corbett calls (blank) “one of our most important enhancements to mail.” a) Informed Delivery […]
Christmas cowboy
Letter Carrier Christopher Petersen was delivering mail on Christmas Eve in a Cary, NC, neighborhood when a customer yelled out from a nearby doorway: “Somebody help me! I think my husband is having a heart attack!” Petersen rushed to the scene, where he found that Mike Hodgin had collapsed while cooking. While 911 was called, […]
Aileen Kirts, Potomac, IL
“A selfless act,” the article about how Ogden, UT, employees ensured a military widow received condolence mail, brought tears to my eyes. Our customers always appreciate it when we help mail with missing information find its way to them. […]
Nuts and bolts
To help you prepare for National Peanut Month — which the National Peanut Board declares each March — here are five facts about the versatile legume. 1. George Washington Carver didn’t invent peanut butter. The trailblazing African-American agricultural scientist — who was featured on postages stamps in 1948 and 1998 — didn’t create the famous […]
New beginnings
Postal Service employees across the nation helped welcome the Lunar New Year’s arrival in February. The Lunar New Year is the most important holiday in several East Asian countries. The holiday marks the start of the Chinese lunar calendar, which operates on a series of repeating 12-year cycles that are each associated with a different […]
ID VIPs
Postmasters, plant managers and customer service managers will soon receive a kit to help them sign up customers for Informed Delivery. The kit is part of the Inform 5 VIP Club, which is part of a broader effort to encourage employees to tell five customers each day about Informed Delivery. The free feature allows users […]
Never too late
After being 73 years overdue, a children’s library book explaining how mail makes its way around the world recently completed its own international journey. “The Postman,” written by Charlotte Kuh and published in 1929, was checked out from the Silver Spring, MD, public library in 1946 by Mora Gregg’s mother. Later that year, Gregg and […]
Brooke Richmond, Murray City, OH
I look forward to reading Link every morning. I work out of a small Post Office, and the articles are helpful and informative. […]
Rapid response
Postmaster Gregory Harrison was recently on his way to work in Charleston, AR, when he spotted a house on fire. Harrison stopped and asked a bystander to call 911 while he rushed to the scene, where he helped four adults and several pets reach safety. The Postal Service employee also moved a vehicle in the […]
Continuing trends
In his latest “Dollars and Change” video, Chief Financial Officer Joe Corbett reviews the Postal Service’s financial results for fiscal 2019’s first quarter (Oct. 1-Dec. 31, 2018). “The major trends in our business continue,” he says. USPS recorded $19.7 billion in total revenue, but operating expenses were $21.2 billion, leaving the organization with a net loss […]
Higher education
The Postal Service has announced new higher education discounts for employees and their immediate family members. Through a new partnership with USPS, New England College is offering a tuition discount of 10 percent to postal employees and their immediate family members. The private college is located in Henniker, NH. American Military University and American Public […]
Sweet home
The Postal Service will release a stamp Saturday, Feb. 23, to mark Alabama’s bicentennial. Alabama became the 22nd state Dec. 14, 1819. Alabama’s history includes its settlement by European colonists and its participation in the nation’s space program. The state also was at the center of many important events in the civil rights movement of […]
Priority one
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. How many Priority Mail Express packages did USPS deliver in fiscal 2018 (Oct. 1, 2017-Sept. 30, 2018)? a) 28 million b) 1 billion c) 1.2 billion d) 3 billion […]
Legal aid
Buffalo, NY, Business Mail Technician Jack Harzynski was recently delivering newspapers while off duty when he spotted a police officer in trouble alongside a road. A man had tackled Wyoming County Sheriff Gregory Rudolph and was holding a knife to his throat. As Harzynski pulled over, he heard Rudolph yelling desperately: “Please save me. Help!” […]