Kwanzaa, the subject of a new stamp from USPS, begins Wednesday, Dec. 26. Here are five things to know about the annual celebration. 1. Kwanzaa began 52 years ago. Maulana Karenga, a professor of Africana studies at California State University, established Kwanzaa as a cultural celebration of African heritage and family in 1966. 2. Kwanzaa […]
USPS employees and customers are working together to send cheer to service members during the holidays. The organization expects to process more than 16 million pounds of mail for overseas Department of Defense and Department of State recipients during this year’s holiday season. In St. Paul, MN, employees recently participated in a two-day Shop, Ship […]
The following message is from Postmaster General Megan J. Brennan: I want to take a moment to thank you for your dedication and service to our customers this holiday season. Between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Day, you will deliver more than 15 billion pieces of mail and 900 million packages. Many of those mailpieces are […]
Chief Postal Inspector Guy Cottrell will retire Dec. 31 after more than three decades with USPS, including eight-and-a-half years leading the Inspection Service. Under Cottrell’s leadership, the Inspection Service played a larger role in dealing with cybersecurity crimes and shaping the nation’s response to the opioid crisis, including preparing the organization for expanded authority under […]
Seven members of the Western New York District Human Resources team were recently recognized for coming to the aid of a colleague, Marie McDonnell, who experienced a life-threatening medical emergency last year. Field Recruiter Kathy Deneka alerted others when she discovered McDonnell collapsed and unresponsive. District Complement Coordinator Frank Filipski and Safety Manager Daniel Welch […]
Read More… from Western New York District Human Resources Team, Buffalo, NY
If you think the Postal Service is delivering a lot of packages this holiday season, wait until you see what happens next year — and the year after that. Shoppers are expected to spend $123 billion on online holiday purchases in 2018, up 16.6 percent from one year earlier, according to data from eMarketer. In […]
USPS is making a New Year’s resolution to provide employees with a mail inventory system that is faster, more accurate and less labor intensive. Mail Condition Visualization (MCV), an Informed Visibility module, will become the organization’s system of record for mail processing conditions during fiscal 2019’s second quarter (Jan. 1-March 31). MCV will provide near-real-time […]
The Postal Service is continuing to promote the Combined Federal Campaign (CFC) and the importance of giving back. Across the nation, districts are holding events featuring representatives from CFC charities and guest speakers, including USPS employees whose lives have been touched by the annual federal workplace charity drive. “This year, we have encountered many disasters […]
Got straps? The Postal Service is working to find replacements for shoring straps that have broken metal buckles or are no longer usable. In the interim, the organization is selling some straps through a surplus government equipment auction site. Managers at processing plants, network distribution centers and other facilities that have large quantities of broken […]
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. True or false: Some Post Offices may have limited hours Dec. 24, but all Post Offices will be open during regular business hours Dec. 31. a) True b) False […]
When a mailpiece is undeliverable, it ends up at the Mail Recovery Center (MRC), where Postal Service employees do what they can to figure out where it is supposed to be delivered. “We get mailpieces that are deemed undeliverable. They are often damaged, can’t be delivered through the normal process or have label problems. Sometimes […]
We should all salute our postal colleague, Milwaukee Custodian Antonio Walker, for his brave action protecting a teenage girl who was being followed and verbally harassed by a man. Well done. […]
Letter Carrier Chris Metropulos was recently delivering mail in an Ashland, WI, neighborhood when an explosion ripped through a house, leaving a 29-year-old woman screaming for help from a second-floor window. As a blaze spread quickly, Metropulos enlisted the help of a customer at the delivery address and rushed to the scene, where they assured […]
Postal Service employees and customers are rebuilding their lives in the aftermath of the historic wildfires that raged through California last month. The Camp Fire, the deadliest wildfire in the state’s history, killed at least 85 people and destroyed more than 18,000 buildings in Northern California. In the greater Los Angeles area, the Woolsey Fire […]
Jacqueline Krage Strako has been named the Postal Service’s chief customer and marketing officer. Strako, who has served in the role on an acting basis since February, oversees all domestic and international product marketing, development and management. This includes responsibility for the Customer Relations, Product Innovation, Marketing, Global Business and Sales organizations, as well as […]
The Postal Service wants you to remember the rules on “moonlighting” — working for other employers while continuing to work for USPS. Federal ethics regulations don’t prohibit you from engaging in outside activities — unless doing so would cause a conflict with your official duties. This would happen if the outside activity creates a financial […]
The new guidebook for employee uniforms is coming to a mailbox near you. USPS is mailing Postal Uniform Guidelines to Post Offices across the nation. Each office will receive two copies of the book — one for delivery employees and one for retail employees. The organization wants managers and supervisors to use the book as […]
The Postal Service’s new Sparkling Holidays stamps feature images of Santa Claus that originally appeared in Coca-Cola advertisements from the 1940s-1960s. Here are five facts about the special connection between Santa and Coca-Cola. 1. Santa has been featured in Coke ads since the 1920s. Coca-Cola began its Christmas advertising almost a century ago with ads […]
Rural Carrier Associate Kevin Lippy was delivering mail in Powhatan, VA, in August when he was involved in a two-vehicle accident. Lippy, who sustained minor injuries, quickly grew concerned about a 3-year-old boy, Jojo Seabrook, who was pinned underneath the car that was being driven by his babysitter when the collision occurred. Neither Jojo nor […]
Scanning snapshot. The Postal Service’s national scanning rating was 97.25 percent during the week ending Nov. 30, down from one week earlier. Dakotas (98.42 percent) topped the districts, while Western (97.6 percent) led the areas. To see the latest results, go to the Informed Visibility site and select “Customer Experience,” followed by “DES 2 Scan […]
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 blanks: Revenue for the (blank) lead generation programs increased 156 percent and 18 percent, respectively, during the most recent fiscal year. a) Business Connect and Customer Connect […]
If you have questions about high-deductible health plans (HDHPs), one of the options available during this year’s open season, here’s what you should know: • HDHPs generally offer lower premiums than other plans. This means you’ll have less money taken out of your paycheck. • HDHPs give you greater flexibility. While HDHPs have higher annual deductibles […]
The Postal Service has announced holiday hours for Post Offices and blue collection boxes: • Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve. Some Post Offices may have limited hours Monday, Dec. 24. Post Offices will be open during regular business hours Monday, Dec. 31. Blue boxes with final collection times before noon will not be affected […]
Letter Carrier Edgar Prosper was delivering mail on a July day in Smyrna, TN, when he noticed a lawn mower running in a customer’s yard. At first, no one appeared to be around, but upon closer examination, Prosper spotted the customer collapsed nearby. The Postal Service employee rushed to check on the man, who was […]
Here are three facts about Save Vanishing Species, a semipostal stamp that USPS employees are promoting in December. 1. USPS released Save Vanishing Species in 2011. Since then, sales of the stamp have raised more than $5.2 million to help protect threatened and vanishing species. 2. Stamp purchases benefit conservation funds. Under a 2010 law, […]
Former President George H.W. Bush is being remembered for the value he placed on writing letters to people he knew and admired. He regularly set aside time each evening during his presidency to pen letters and cards, The Washington Post noted after his death last week. In a letter of encouragement to a marine who […]
The Postal Service will change its relocation services provider from Brookfield Global Relocation Services (BGRS) to Lexicon Relocation LLC. This change will take effect Feb. 1. Here’s what you should know: • All relocation authorizations initiated before Dec. 31 will continue to be serviced by BGRS through completion of the relocation. • New relocation authorizations […]
Reminder: USPS employees who want to save money for future medical expenses have several options during this year’s open season, which is underway through Monday, Dec. 10. If you enroll in a high-deductible health plan (HDHP), you may be eligible to contribute to a health savings account (HSA). An HSA allows you to pay for […]
Letter Carrier Kevin O’Day was delivering mail on an August day in Covington, KY, when he spotted smoke pouring from the upper floor of Grainwell, a family-owned shop specializing in custom wood products. O’Day rushed to the scene to alert co-owner Michelle Kirn and ensure that she and three dogs got out of the building […]
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: USPS wants consumers to sign up for (blank) to help them manage their holiday package deliveries. a) Informed Delivery b) Informed Facility c) Informed Visibility […]