Breaking the rules

Pile of political buttons

The Postal Service is offering employees more guidance on the Hatch Act.

The Hatch Act is a law that prohibits postal and other federal employees from engaging in political activity while on duty, while wearing a uniform, while on federal property, or while inside a federal vehicle.

In a new message, USPS highlights the real-life case of “Jess” — not her actual name — an employee who brought a presidential candidate’s political signs to the Post Office where she works.

Jess, a union member, received the union’s permission to distribute signage to other members, but not at work. Nevertheless, Jess announced at a Post Office employee meeting that she was making the political signage available to anyone interested.

Jess violated the Hatch Act by campaigning for a political candidate at work. She agreed to serve a 30-day suspension for her violation.

The Postal Service previously told employees about:

The Ethics Blue page has more Hatch Act resources, including a Let’s Talk Politics!fact sheet. Employees who have questions can contact their local field law office or send an email to ethics.help@usps.gov.