Tuesday, June 4, 2024
Some political activities are permitted under the Hatch Act
Employees can make donations, volunteer for campaigns and more
The Postal Service wants employees to understand — and follow — the rules on political activities under the Hatch Act.
The law prohibits federal workers — including USPS employees — from engaging in partisan political activity while on duty, while wearing a uniform, while on government property or while inside a vehicle owned or leased by the government.
The Hatch Act’s goals are to ensure federal programs are administered in a nonpartisan fashion, to protect employees from political coercion in the workplace, and to ensure that employees are promoted based on merit and not political affiliation.
While the law restricts the partisan political activity of federal employees, not all actions are off limits.
For instance, employees are permitted to:
• Vote in elections;
• Assist in voter registration drives;
• Donate to political candidates and parties;
• Work at the polls on Election Day;
• Volunteer for political campaigns;
• Attend political fundraisers;
• Place campaign signs at their residence; and
• Run for offices in which none of the candidates is affiliated with a political party.
Violating the Hatch Act can result in disciplinary action against an employee, including suspension, removal and debarment from federal employment, and up to $1,000 in civil penalties.
The U.S. Office of Special Counsel has more information about what federal employees can and cannot do under the Hatch Act.
Employees with questions can email the USPS Ethics Office or call 202-268-6346.
On the Job
Yosemite, anyone? Why, yes!
This national park postmaster never wants to leave
My name is Ellen Damin and I’m the postmaster for Yosemite National Park in California.
I was working as postmaster for Tuolumne, CA, last May when my boss asked if anyone wanted to cover for Yosemite’s retiring postmaster. I blurted out: “I will! I will! I will!”
After two weeks, I applied for a lateral transfer. I don’t ever want to leave.
The entire vibe of the park is just wonderful. It’s pure joy. Think about when you last visited a national park — everyone is on vacation, everyone is happy.
People come in to mail a whole lot of postcards and souvenirs, and we hand out a lot of packages, often boxes of supplies that hikers along the Pacific Coast Trail send themselves in advance.
The Post Office building will be 100 years old next year. That brings some challenges. There’s no air conditioning, for example, but it’s a really great building. People come in and take photos all the time.
There are historical items everywhere. I even found old “Wanted” posters in a filing cabinet! Nothing was ever thrown out.
It’s neat to be able to walk to work. I live in a little duplex up the road. My husband is still in Tuolumne. We had just started a renovation on our home there when I transferred, but we visit each other on the weekends. He loves it here, too. I have two grown daughters in their 30s.
Our white husky, Luna, accompanies me often on walks. The park mentioned us in its daily email when we first arrived and people will often stop and ask, “Is that Luna?”
I’m an old-school bleed-blue type of gal. My grandfather was a postmaster, and my father worked as a clerk for a while. I love the Postal Service and want it to succeed.
I’m really honored to represent the Postal Service here in Yosemite.
“On the Job,” a column on individual employees and their contributions to the Postal Service, appears regularly in Link.
Cyberthreats can come from inside the organization
If you see a violation of information security policies, report it
The Postal Service is reminding employees and contractors that threats to the organization’s information security can come from people within USPS.
Any person familiar with the organization’s resources — including personnel, facilities, information, equipment, network and systems — can be a threat.
The risks can come in the form of misuse of information technology, unauthorized disclosures of information and other activities that can be detrimental to employees and the Postal Service.
Some examples of insider threats include:
• Unauthorized use of portable electronic devices such as USB thumb drives;
• Disclosing restricted postal information on the internet or in the public domain;
• Unauthorized escalation of privileged access;
• Unlawful retention of postal property or information; and
• Deliberate disregard for USPS information security and cyber policies.
Employees or contractors who observe this kind of activity should report it to the Insider Risk program at insider_risk@usps.gov.
Anyone who notices an employee or contractor posing an imminent danger to USPS assets or personnel should call the Postal Inspection Service at 877-876-2455 and select option 2.
The CyberSafe at USPS Blue and LiteBlue pages have more information.
June 11, 2024
Datebook
Protect Sea Turtles stamp ceremony
The Postal Service will dedicate its Protect Sea Turtles stamps on Tuesday, June 11, in Corpus Christi, TX.
The ceremony will be held at 11 a.m. Central at the Texas State Aquarium, located at 2710 N. Shoreline Blvd.
The speakers will include David Camp, the Postal Service’s Texas 2 District manager.
Attendees are encouraged to RSVP online.