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Electronic smoking devices

Top story

Electronic smoking devices
USPS seeks feedback on proposed restrictions
19 hours ago
Don’t miss a paycheck
Use direct deposit to receive wages
2 days ago
Mules ain’t cool
Don’t become a scam accomplice, Inspection Service warns
2 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.
2 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.
2 days ago

Caveat emptor

Caveat emptor

National Consumer Protection Week begins
The coronavirus pandemic has created whole new avenues for con artists.
5 days ago
COVIDCustomers

‘Personal duty’

‘Personal duty’

Mail handlers help bring in revenue
The Mail Handlers sales program has generated more than $36.5 million in new estimated annualized revenue since its inception in 2013.
5 days ago

Eat well, be well

Eat well, be well

National Nutrition Month held in March
Good nutrition can help you manage health conditions and lower your risk for serious problems.
5 days ago

Sound body

Sound body

How ergonomics helps prevent injures
Last year, Postal Service employees experienced nearly 9,000 work-related musculoskeletal disorder injuries.
6 days ago
COVIDEmployees

Stock up

Stock up

Hand sanitizer, disposable face masks available
The Postal Service has surplus quantities of hand sanitizer available to ship to facilities for employees’ use.
6 days ago
COVIDOperations

Winter heat

Winter heat

News Quiz: How much do you remember?
Test your knowledge of heat safety efforts, a Postal Service pilot program, privacy rules and other newsworthy topics.
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.
7 days ago

USPS testimony

USPS testimony

Leaders address House committee
Postmaster General Louis DeJoy and USPS Board of Governors Chairman Ron A. Bloom testified before the U.S. House Committee on Oversight and Reform on Feb. 24.
7 days ago

Latest headlines

Latest headlines

Stay informed with Link mobile
Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t want to miss it, Link mobile can help.
2 weeks ago
COVIDEmployees

Scanning snapshot

News Briefs

Scanning snapshot

Museum council also highlighted
Check out this week’s scanning snapshot and read about new additions to the National Postal Museum’s advisory board.
7 days 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.
1 week ago

Archives

Heroes’ Corner

  • Caring is key

    Carrier misses customer’s greeting, takes action

    Today

    Caring is key

    Carrier misses customer’s greeting, takes action
    Today at midnight

    Letter Carrier Kelleigh Fulton was recently delivering mail in a Manasquan, NJ, neighborhood when something out of the ordinary at an older customer’s home worried her:

    The woman, who normally greets Fulton at the door, was nowhere to be seen.

    Fulton alerted a neighbor, whom she knew had a key to the woman’s residence.

    They checked on her, discovered that she’d fallen, and immediately called 911.

    Paramedics soon arrived and rushed the woman to a hospital.

    She later transferred to a physical rehabilitation center to continue her recovery.

    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

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