LINK mobile
  • News
  • Facts
  • People
  • Etc.
  • Videos
Printable version
View archives published before year 2015

USPS News Link

Skip to content
  • About the Business
  • Best Practices
  • By the numbers
  • Coronavirus pandemic coverage
  • Editor password reset
  • Heroes’ corner
  • Link welcomes you
  • Mailbag
  • Need to Know
  • News Archives
  • On the Job
  • On the Move
  • Privacy & Terms of Use
  • Quotable quotes
  • The List
  • Tip of the day

Restructuring update

Top story

Link Extra
Restructuring update
Next phase includes voluntary early retirement offers
3 days ago
Safety in numbers
District’s data key to success
2 days ago
Retail revenue
Postal Service celebrates Clerks Care Week
2 days ago

‘Meal’ ticket

‘Meal’ ticket

Employees can join webinar on food planning
Postal Service employees can participate in an upcoming webinar to learn how to stretch their dollars to provide nutritious, delicious meals.
2 days ago

Bear necessities

Bear necessities

Author ships popular weight-loss book with USPS
Amanda Rose turned to her local Post Office for help when orders for her book exceeded expectations.
3 days ago

On display

On display

OSHA safety form must be posted
Postal Service facility managers must complete and display a work-related injuries and illness form for calendar year 2020.
3 days ago

Street wise

Street wise

News Quiz: How much do you remember?
Test your knowledge of next-generation delivery vehicles, a Hallmark card giveway, heroic letter carriers and other recent topics.
3 days ago

Derring-do-gooders

Derring-do-gooders

Union promotes carriers’ heroic, humanitarian acts
A Postal Service employee from Colorado who defended a customer and her baby from a knife-wielding assailant has been named the 2020 National Hero of the Year by the National Association of Letter Carriers.
4 days ago
COVIDEmployees

Home defense

Home defense

Cybersecurity tips for working remotely
The Postal Service is reminding employees who are working from home due to the coronavirus pandemic to always keep the organization’s electronics and sensitive information secure.
4 days ago

Scanning snapshot

News Briefs

Scanning snapshot

Postal Bulletin also highlighted
Check out this week’s scanning snapshot and read about Postal Bulletin’s latest issue.
4 days ago

Electronic smoking devices

Electronic smoking devices

USPS seeks feedback on proposed restrictions
The Postal Service has proposed a rule change that would extend the mailing restrictions for cigarettes and smokeless tobacco products to include electronic cigarettes and other vaping-type products.
5 days ago

Don’t miss a paycheck

Don’t miss a paycheck

Use direct deposit to receive wages
Taking advantage of the direct deposit option can help you avoid potential delivery delays caused by bad weather and other factors.
6 days ago

Mules ain’t cool

Mules ain’t cool

Don’t become a scam accomplice, Inspection Service warns
Transferring money or valuables on behalf of others in this way may lead to serious consequences.
6 days ago

Know someone special?

Know someone special?

Program recognizes engaged employees
The Engagement Most Valuable Player is one of several programs that help engage and empower USPS employees.
6 days ago

National Kidney Month

National Kidney Month

Raising awareness of the body’s ‘factories’
One in three U.S. adults is at risk for kidney disease, which occurs when the organs are damaged and can’t filter as well.
6 days ago

Vehicles video

Vehicles video

Watch USPS announcement of new fleet
A new video shows the Postal Service’s next-generation delivery vehicles announcement.
2 weeks ago

New vehicles

Link Extra

New vehicles

USPS awards contract to modernize delivery fleet
The Postal Service has awarded a 10-year contract to manufacture a new generation of U.S.-built delivery vehicles.
2 weeks ago

Archives

Heroes’ Corner

  • Earth angel

    Family grateful for carrier’s response to gas leak

    March 5

    Earth angel

    Family grateful for carrier’s response to gas leak
    March 5 at midnight

    Letter Carrier Dave Stephenson was recently delivering mail in a Monmouth, IL, neighborhood when he smelled the odor of leaking gas at a multifamily residence.

    Stephenson immediately called 911 and alerted occupants to the danger until firefighters arrived and completed the evacuation.

    Twin sisters, their roommate and her 3-year-old daughter were at home in one apartment.

    The sisters’ grandparents later mailed a letter for Stephenson to the local Post Office.

    “We truly feel you were their angel who saved them from death,” they wrote, adding that the little girl and her mom, who were sleeping upstairs, were sickened by the gas and sought medical attention at a hospital.

    “You are our whole family’s hero,” they continued. “We will be forever thankful to you.”

    Archives

Best Practices

  • Performance enhancers

    The year in good advice

    Dec. 28, 2020

    Performance enhancers

    The year in good advice
    Dec. 28, 2020 at 9:45 a.m.

    This year, Postal Service employees offered tips for one another through Link’s “Best Practices” column.

    Here’s some of their best advice:

    • Remember that customers are counting on you. “Many people — especially older customers who live alone — look forward to their daily mail delivery.” — Gordonsville, VA, Rural Carrier Tyler Balint
    • Share information.“Sometimes customers don’t know what to ask, so employees must be able to anticipate their needs. Don’t be afraid to ask your customers a few questions so that you can lead them in the right direction.” — Ocracoke, NC, Postmaster Celeste Brooks
    • Be visual.“Keep the latest stamps on display so customers can see what’s available.” — Rives Junction, MI, Retail Associate Denise Prentler
    • Familiarize yourself with the Postal Service’s offerings.“In addition to shipping options like Priority Mail, learn about services like Every Door Direct Mail and Informed Delivery.” — Dallas Customer Services Manager Emiliano Chapa
    • Promote engagement year-round. “Encourage employees to speak up and share their ideas throughout the year. Don’t act like you only care about their feedback when it’s time for the Postal Pulse.” — Altoona, PA, Postmaster Michael Olsavsky

    Madeira Beach, FL, Letter Carrier Pamelin Williams always encourages colleagues to perform timely and accurate scans of the mail, but her best advice is to have an appreciation for the Postal Service’s mission to deliver.

    “I love my job and I’m postal proud,” she said.

    Archives

On the Job

  • Work it out

    All year long, employees showed their value

    Dec. 24, 2020

    Work it out

    All year long, employees showed their value
    Dec. 24, 2020 at 9:24 a.m.

    No matter what their job title might be, all Postal Service employees contribute to the organization’s effort to deliver for the nation — and throughout 2020, Link’s “On the Job” column introduced readers to several of these hardworking public servants.

    Dale Scalero, a USPS tractor-trailer operator in Sacramento, CA, said he takes pride in his behind-the-scenes role.

    “Tractor-trailer operators aren’t often recognized, but we work hard to make sure that our customers’ mail gets to its recipients. It’s an honor for me to wear the uniform and a privilege to drive for our organization,” he said.

    Likewise, La-Vora Chambers Better, a Postal Police supervisor in Washington, DC, said she knows how much postal workers depend on her to protect them.

    “What we do is very important. Employees know they can depend on us. If something happens, we’ll be there,” she said.

    Several employees explained how their jobs changed because of the coronavirus pandemic.

    Leo Ramirez, a Brooklyn, NY, custodian, said he always strives to keep his workplace clean but feels an even “greater responsibility” to disinfect common areas during the pandemic, while Lupe Hernandez, a Los Angeles acting contract technician whose job involves ordering supplies, said the pandemic-fueled shipping surge made her busier than ever.

    “We surpassed 15 million packages in April. That requires a lot of supplies!” she said.

    Meanwhile, Mauricio Cruz, a Fairfax, VA, letter carrier, said the pandemic taught him the importance of being proactive by wearing face coverings and practicing social distancing, both on the clock and off.

    “I would encourage my co-workers to be proactive, too,” Cruz said. “Be serious about your job more now because a lot of people depend on us. Keep pushing and we’re going to make it through these hard times.”

    Archives

On the Move

  • High achievers

    Executive, manager news

    March 2

    High achievers

    Executive, manager news
    March 2 at 9:39 a.m.

    Here’s a look at some recent changes in the USPS leadership ranks:

    • Wendy Daniels, customer contact internal and contract manager, was named acting enterprise customer care support executive manager.

    • Kenneth E. Hanson Jr., the Greensboro, NC, Processing and Distribution Center’s acting plant manager, resumed his regular duties as the Charleston, WV, Processing and Distribution Center’s plant manager, while Vickey Bramble, Charleston’s acting plant manager, resumed her regular duties as Appalachian District’s finance manager. Reece Holmes, the Evansville, IL, Processing and Distribution Center’s plant manager, was named Greensboro’s next acting plant manager.

    • Allen Mitchell, the Palatine, IL, Processing and Distribution Center’s plant manager, was named the St. Louis Processing and Distribution Center’s acting plant manager. Charlesten Anderson, senior distribution operations manager at the South Suburban Processing and Distribution Center in Bedford Park, IL, was named the Palatine plant’s acting plant manager.

    • Henry W. Payne, the Roanoke, VA, Processing and Distribution Center’s plant manager, was named the Raleigh, NC, Processing and Distribution Center’s acting plant manager.

    • Melvin Smith, the Chicago Network Distribution Center’s in-plant support manager, was named acting plant manager.

    • Melvin Taylor, the Louisville, KY, Processing and Distribution Center’s senior distribution operations manager, was named acting plant manager.

The List

  • Nevertheless, she persisted

    5 female firsts in postal history

    March 2

    Nevertheless, she persisted

    5 female firsts in postal history
    March 2 at 9:16 a.m.

    Women have played a pivotal role in the American postal system since the early days of the republic. In observance of Women’s History Month, here are five categories of female firsts:

    1. Postmaster. Mary Katherine Goddard served as Baltimore’s Postmaster from 1775-1789. She was the only female Postmaster when Benjamin Franklin was named the first American Postmaster General in 1775, making her the first known female Postmaster in the United Colonies, predecessor of the United States. Goddard was an esteemed printer as well, perhaps best known for the second printing of the Declaration of Independence (the one with the signatures — the first only contained two). When the newly appointed Postmaster General replaced her in 1789, Goddard petitioned to regain her position, and more than 200 prominent Baltimore businessmen endorsed her. The Postmaster General refused, however, claiming the right to exercise his own judgment.

    2. “Star” route carriers. Star routes were those bid on by private contractors to transport mail between Post Offices. In the Victorian era, when the cult of femininity was in full flower, female star route carriers were seen as swashbuckling mavericks. Polly Martin was the first woman known to carry mail on a star route. She carried mail, packages, telegraphs and passengers between Attleboro and South Attleboro, MA, from about 1860 to 1876. The subtitle of an interview with Martin published by the Boston Daily Globe says it all: “Brave Polly Martin … How She Horsewhipped Highway Robbers and Silenced Saucy Passengers.”

    3. Pilot. Katherine Stinson, aka “the Flying Schoolgirl,” was the first woman to fly U.S. Mail. Her first flight carrying mail was in 1913, dropping mailbags over the Montana State Fair. In 1918, she became the first woman to fly both a regular and experimental airmail route. She answered the call — twice — for volunteer pilots to serve in World War I but was rejected both times. A frustrated Stinson went to Europe on her own to drive an ambulance for the Red Cross. She contracted tuberculosis while overseas and on her return to the United States moved to the desert Southwest for her health. There, architecture replaced aviation as her vocation.

    4. Inspector. In 1971, Janene Gordon was one of the first two women admitted to the Postal Inspection Service. In 2004, she was the first woman to retire with a federal law enforcement pension. In between those years were a number of other firsts, as chronicled in a short documentary the Inspection Service made about her called “A Career of Firsts.” Gordon worked bomb investigations, internal crime, fraud, consumer protection and undercover narcotics. She also became a certified polygraph examiner, a field she continued in after retirement.

    5. Stamp. The first woman to appear on a U.S. stamp never stepped foot on U.S. soil. Queen Isabella I of Spain was featured in a series of 16 stamps released for the 1893 Columbian Exposition in Chicago. The series commemorated the 400th anniversary of Columbus’s arrival in the New World and were the first U.S. commemoratives ever issued. Of the 16, Isabella is pictured on seven. Most of these are small tableaux of Columbus pleading with the king and queen for funding or forgiveness, but one displays Isabella’s portrait prominently alongside that of the explorer. The face value of the portrait stamp was $4, the equivalent of more than $100 today. (Yes, there was criticism of such extravagance at the time). Today, the original stamp in mint condition has been valued as high as $4,000 on the collector’s market.

    Archives

Mailbag

  • Sabrina Todd, Grand Rapids, MI:

    I love the Mahogany greeting cards highlighted in the “Uplifted and empowered” article. I received my free pack of cards yesterday. I’m glad the Postal Service is being more inclusive with its selection of greeting cards.

    Archives

Latest videos

  • ‘Next Generation Delivery Vehicles’ Feb. 24
  • ‘USPS All-Employee Message’ Feb. 9

Coronavirus coverage

About Link

USPS National Employee Emergency Hotline: 888-363-7462

Copyright © 2021 United States Postal Service. All rights reserved. Privacy & Terms of Use
  • Home
  • Coronavirus coverage
  • About Link

USPS National Employee Emergency Hotline: 888-363-7462
  • About USPS
  • Archives
  • Privacy & Terms of Use
View archives published before year 2015