Friday, August 16, 2024
The changing of the green
New stamps celebrate autumn’s vivid color show
USPS will release stamps on Friday, Aug. 16, that capture the drama of trees in a biochemical blaze of glory as they get ready for winter.
The Autumn Colors stamps will be dedicated during the Great American Stamp Show in Hartford, CT.
The leaves of deciduous trees appear green in spring and summer because of the continuous production of chlorophyll — a result of photosynthesis. As days grow short and nights get cool, chlorophyll production plummets and the leaves begin to show their true colors.
Autumnal hues of orange and yellow stem from carotenoids — chemicals in the leaves that begin to show as chlorophyll fades.
Dark red leaves are created by a more involved process and get their color from anthocyanins, part of a class of chemicals called flavonoids.
The stamps feature 10 images by photographer Allen Rokach (1941-2021), who is known for a technique called the “Rokach effect,” which gives the images an impressionistic cast.
Ethel Kessler, an art director for USPS, designed the stamps using Rokach’s photographs.
Autumn Colors stamps will be issued in panes of 20 and will be available at Post Offices and on usps.com.
Employees can’t hire or promote a relative
USPS prohibits nepotism in the workplace
The Postal Service is marking USPS Ethics Awareness Week by reminding employees that nepotism is prohibited in the workplace.
Under the rules, USPS employees cannot hire or promote a relative, which is defined as a spouse, parent, child, sibling, aunt, uncle, cousin, niece, nephew, in-law, stepparent, stepsibling or half sibling.
Employees are also prohibited from taking direct or indirect action related to a relative’s career at the Postal Service.
Reporting relationships between relatives can also raise ethics concerns.
For example, an employee is not permitted to report directly to his or her spouse.
Reporting relationships between other relatives can also raise anti-nepotism and misuse of position concerns. For this reason, a higher-level relative in a reporting relationship should generally recuse themselves from taking actions that financially benefit a lower-level relative, such as making decisions regarding compensation, promotions, overtime, leave requests or detail assignment requests.
Another employee should be designated to perform these tasks.
Reporting relationships between relatives can raise workplace environment concerns beyond ethics regulations.
Human Resources and Labor Relations should always be consulted regarding reporting relationships between relatives.
The Ethics Blue page covers these topics in more detail.
For more information, employees can email the Postal Service’s ethics helpline or call 202-268-6346.
People
‘STAMP’ of approval
Employees create a pandemic memorial, honor wounded warriors and receive kudos
A Postal Service employee and his wife have created a work of art memorializing the COVID-19 pandemic that will become part of the organization’s historical collection.
In March 2020, to boost the morale of his colleagues, Kevin Devaney, a distribution operations supervisor at the Boston Processing and Distribution Center, began displaying letters from customers expressing their gratitude to USPS for its essential service.
“The public recognized the challenges of the crisis. I was amazed by the outpouring of appreciation the public had for the Postal Service,” he said.
Devaney shared the sentiments he was seeing at work with his wife, Joy, and the couple was inspired to create a collage of the letters.
The piece, which they named “STAMP,” is currently displayed in the Boston P&DC’s lobby.
With the help of Rich Picardi, a processing support specialist, Devaney contacted Chief Processing and Distribution Officer Isaac Cronkhite, who arranged for “STAMP” to be added to the historical collection at USPS headquarters in Washington, DC.
“This collage is the result of combining the creativity of this one-of-a-kind leader with the incredibly thoughtful citizens from our Boston community — and it’s truly awe-inspiring,” said Cronkhite.
Ride of a lifetime
Osakis, MN, Postmaster Noelle Koskela recently completed the Soldier Ride, a multi-day bicycle ride in Chicago organized by the Wounded Warrior Project, a nonprofit organization for veterans and active duty military members.
The annual event aims to help participants build their confidence and strength.
“It wasn’t easy. Trust me; I still can’t sit down without hurting,” Koskela said.
Nevertheless, she said she was inspired by her fellow riders, many of whom are dealing with injuries.
“I am so thankful I was able to go,” she said.
Local honor
Cynthia Rosas, officer in charge at the Waccabuc, NY, Post Office, was recently profiled by the Waccabuc Report, a local publication.
Rosas joined USPS in 1998 as a letter carrier, a position she held for 18 years before moving into management.
In Waccabuc, a hamlet of about 800 residents in Westchester County, Rosas is focused on making both behind-the-scenes and front-of-the-house improvements at the Post Office.
“This is a significant milestone in my 26-year career with the Postal Service,” Rosas said of the article, noting it’s “the first time a community has honored me in such a special way.”
“People” appears regularly in Link. Got news to share? Email us.
News Quiz
On the beat
How much do you know about the Postal Pulse and other recent topics?
“News Quiz” is a weekly feature that lets you test your knowledge of recent Link stories. The correct answers appear at the end.
1. When is the latest Postal Pulse employee survey scheduled to conclude?
a) Friday, Aug. 23
b) Friday, Aug. 30
c) Friday, Sept. 6
d) Friday, Sept. 13
2. Fill in the blanks: USPS reported total operating revenue was (blank), while total operating expenses were (blank) during the quarter that ended June 30.
a) $1.4 billion, $1.7 billion
b) $1.7 billion, $18.8 billion
c) $18.8 billion, $21.4 billion
d) $21.4 billion, $67 million
3. What is the subject of the Aug. 2 entry on Postal Posts, the USPS blog?
a) Dog bite prevention
b) Highway Post Office service
c) Passport services
d) Sorting and delivery centers
4. Which president signed the legislation that created the U.S. Postal Service?
a) George Washington
b) John Adams
c) Lyndon B. Johnson
d) Richard M. Nixon
5. Match the semipostal stamp in Column A with its designated promotional month in Column B.
Column A
a) Alzheimer’s
b) Breast Cancer Research
c) Healing PTSD
d) Save Vanishing Species
Column B
I) September
II) October
III) November
IV) December
Answers: 1) d. 2) c. 3) d. 4) d. 5) a. I., b. II., c. IV., d. III.
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What's included
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The changing of the green
New stamps celebrate autumn’s vivid color show
-
Employees can’t hire or promote a relative
USPS prohibits nepotism in the workplace
-
People
‘STAMP’ of approval
Employees create a pandemic memorial, honor wounded warriors and receive kudos
-
News Quiz
On the beat
How much do you know about the Postal Pulse and other recent topics?