Is Your Current Contact Info on File?

In an emergency, the Postal Service may need to contact employees to verify that they are safe. The only way we can do that is by calling you on your phone number of record.  In urgent situations, we may also conduct a home visit at your home address to verify that you are safe.

Unfortunately, information on file is not always up to date. Telephone numbers may not be current and sometimes the home address on file is a Post Office Box. While that is correct as a mailing address, it would not be enough information to conduct a home visit to verify that you are safe under urgent, perhaps life-threatening, situations.

If information isn’t accurate in your work file, we then reach out to whomever you have designated as your emergency contact.  That information, too, may change over time.

If that information is not accurate or lists a PO Box as a home address, please go to  https://liteblue.usps.gov, click on “I want to:” click on “change my address.”

Miami SSA Achieves Perfect RCE Score

Miami Olympia Heights Branch Sales and Services Associate Damary Jeanty scored 100 percent on a Retail Customer Experience (RCE) transaction. Smiling eyes tell us our employee was pleased with Gold Star Award recognition.

Photo: Miami Customer Relations Coordinator Mirtha Uriarte

Employee Hotline ... One Call Does It All

The South Florida District Emergency Management Team reminds employees to add the National Employee Emergency Hotline number --- 888-363-7462 --- to their cell phone directory, if they have not already done so. This number also should be on a yellow sticker on the back of your employee ID badge.

The National Employee Emergency Hotline (888-EMERGNC or 888-363-7462) is the official source  of information for weather issues, work schedule changes, and facility status. 

When calling the National Employee Emergency Hotline, remember to enter the first three digits of the ZIP Code of your workplace location. In addition, if you evacuate and relocate due to an emergency, call the hotline number, and after entering your facility ZIP Code, select “Option 5.” You will be routed to an individual who can take your information and relay it to District and Area leadership whose priorities are your safety and well-being.  

If you use Telecommunications Relay Services (TRS), call a Florida TRS toll-free number, and the TRS operator will interact with the hotline application on your behalf. The simplest way to access the variety of Florida Relay services is to dial 7-1-1. Other options include: 

TTY	800-955-8771 If you are using TTY equipment.
Voice	800-955-8770 If you are a standard (voice) user who connects with a Relay user.
ASCII	800-955-1339 If you are utilizing a computer.
Voice Carry Over (VCO)	877-955-8260 If you prefer to speak directly to a hearing person.  The Relay Operator listens to the speaking person and types what is said to your TTY/VCO phone.
Speech to Speech (STS)	877-955-5334 If you have a speech disability and prefer that a Relay Operator serve as your voice and repeat your responses to the called party.

 

Miami Sunset SSA Earns Gold Recognition

Underneath his face covering, Miami Sunset Branch Sales and Services Associate Frank Lepert is all smiles. Recently, he earned a Gold Star Award for a perfect Retail Customer Experience (RCE) transaction.

Photo: Miami Customer Relations Coordinator Mirtha Uriarte

Hurricane Prep: Updating Your Contact Info 

It only takes one tropical storm or a hurricane to realize the importance of having current information in your eOPF (electronic Official Personnel File). If you haven’t done so, now is a good time to update your information to ensure that your manager and supervisor can contact you in any emergency --- including a tropical storm or a hurricane. Here are five options:

 

LiteBlue

Go to liteblue.usps.gov. On the welcome page, enter your Employee Identification Number (EIN) and Self Service Password (SSP). Instructions are provided if you have forgotten your password or if you don’t know where to find your EIN.  After entering this information, in the middle of the next page, where you see Employee Apps – Quick Links, click on Change of Address to update your contact information.

 

Personnel Computer Kiosks

Use the personnel computer kiosks and look for a tab titled Present Job Info/Change of Address on the main web page.

 

Blue Page (USPS internal web page)

All employees who have access to the Blue page may change their mailing and residential address and emergency contact information. To change your address from the Blue page:   

Select Log On from the upper right corner. 

Log on with your ACE ID and password.

Ensure the welcome screen has your name on it.

Select the tab labeled My Life. Under this tab, on the right side of the page is the heading My Profile, where you will find two links titled Address/Phone and Emergency Contact. Select Address/Phone.

Make your desired change(s) and click on Save.

 

PS Form 1216, Employee’s Current Mailing Address 

Use a PS Form 1216, “Employee’s Current Mailing Address.”  Send Copy 1 of your completed form to HRSSC COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS, PO BOX 970400, Greensboro NC 27497-0400.

 

HRSSC

Call the Human Resources Shared Service Center at 877-477-3273, and select Option 5.  Validate your identity with your Employee Identification Number (EIN) or Postal Identification Number (PIN).  Follow the prompts.

#PostalProud Miami SSA Shares a Smile

Miami Olympia Heights Branch Sales and Services Associate Alfonso Alfonso scored 100 percent on a Retail Customer Experience (RCE) transaction. He briefly removed his face mask to show us his smile upon receipt of his Gold Star Award!

Photo: Miami Customer Relations Coordinator Mirtha Uriarte

USPS Announces New Holiday Stamps

The Postal Service has announced five new stamp releases for the holiday season.

• Our Lady of Guápulo. This Christmas stamp will feature a detail of “Our Lady of Guápulo,” painted in the 18th century by an unknown artist in Cuzco, Peru.

The image shows a crowned Virgin Mary, enrobed in a pyramidal gown speckled with jewels and holding a scepter woven with roses and leaves, looking down at a similarly adorned Christ Child in her left arm.

“Our Lady of Guápulo” is from the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City.

• Winter Scenes. These stamps will celebrate the beauty and serenity of seasonal sights amid snowy landscapes.

Ten different photographs will be featured in a booklet of 20 stamps that showcase iconic scenes from the northern part of the United States.

• Holiday Delights. These four stamps are inspired by Scandinavian folk art with a modern graphic vibe.

The digital illustrations use a traditional palette of red, green and white to depict four holiday icons: a prancing reindeer with antlers, an ornament tied with a bow, a tree topped with a star and a stocking holding a teddy bear and a sprig of holly.

• Hanukkah. This new stamp will celebrate the joyous Jewish holiday with a colorful digital illumination that shows the lighting of the Hanukkah menorah on the last evening of the holiday.

All eight of the Hanukkah candles have been lit, and a child reaches up to replace the shamash, the helper candles used to light the others in the menorah.

• Kwanzaa. To honor the Pan-African holiday, this new stamp will feature the face of a woman in profile with her eyes closed sitting in front of a kinara (candleholder) with the seven lit candles (mishumaa saba). Her contemplative demeanor signifies the ways in which observers of Kwanzaa reflect on the holiday’s seven founding principles, the Nguzo Saba, and their role in everyday life.

Kendall SSA is Good as Gold

 

Kendall Carrier Annex Sales and Services Associate Amber Beasley earned a Gold Star Award for a perfect Retail Customer Experience (RCE) transaction.

Photo: Miami Customer Relations Coordinator Mirtha Uriarte

What's Up, Doc? 

The Postal Service dedicated its Bugs Bunny stamps during a virtual ceremony July 27 — 80 years to the day the iconic character made his screen debut.

“Bugs is both timeless and timely, a quick-change artist who can get out of a jam, win any battle, through his wits and clever disguises. He simply summons up whatever talent, costume or personality is needed to escape every perilous situation,” said Chief Information Officer Kristin Seaver, who represented USPS during the ceremony.

Bugs first appeared in the short-subject cartoon “A Wild Hare” in 1940. Since then, generations of audiences have cheered the character’s gleeful gusto, quick wit and endless clever resourcefulness.

Bugs’ very first line, “What’s up, Doc?” — unusual slang blurted out with the accent and wise-guy attitude of a street-smart New Yorker — had audiences howling and became an instant catchphrase of the character, who would go on to win an Oscar and receive a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

The new stamp pane features 10 designs that show Bugs in some of his most memorable getups. Each design appears twice on the 20-stamp pane.

How Do You Help Your Customers Stay Connected? 

 

Mervin Kitnurse III
City Carrier Assistant
Lauderridge Carrier Annex 
2 Years of Service

“I educate my customers that they can sign up to for Informed Delivery, allowing them to digitally preview their mail and manage their packages scheduled to arrive soon.”

 

How Do You Help Your Customers Stay Connected?  

Dayvette Hunter

Letter Carrier

Lauderridge Carrier Annex

7 Years of Service

“During these challenging times, I educate my customers that the best way to stay informed about any service disruptions is to check on usps.com.”

Pizza Party in Port Salerno

Port Salerno postal employees enjoyed a pizza lunch provided by the Presbyterian Church of Port Salerno. Postmaster Helen Gulley and employees appreciated being recognized for their ongoing dedication throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.

 How Do You Help Your Customers Stay Connected?

Beatriz Martinez Pavon 

City Carrier Assistant

Flagler Station, Miami, FL  

1 ½ Years of Service

“I promote our Informed Delivery feature so my customers know when their mail will arrive and that they can manage their packages.”

Postmaster Prevents Elderly Fraud

Palm Beach Postmaster Valarie Rother

Financial frauds targeting seniors have become so prevalent that they’re now considered “the crime of the 21st century.” Why? Because seniors are thought to have a significant amount of money sitting in their accounts.

Financial scams also often go unreported or can be difficult to prosecute, so they’re considered a “low-risk” crime. However, they’re devastating to many older adults and can leave them in a very vulnerable position with little time to recoup their losses.

Recently, Palm Beach Postmaster Valarie Rother recognized the signs of financial fraud and saved an elderly customer from mailing a $500 money order via Priority Mail Express. Rother had overheard a conversation between Sales and Services Associate Joel Velez and the customer. Rother shared her suspicion with the customer. The customer opened up to Rother and shared that recently, she had inherited “a little bit of money” and now had been receiving “a lot of calls.”

“I implored her to keep her money as I was afraid this was fraud,” Rother said.

Rother took the customer’s phone number and contacted the U.S. Postal Inspection Service Miami Division. The customer went home and thought about Rother’s suspicion and contacted her financial advisor who also shared the Postmaster’s concern. The customer returned to the Post Office.

“I was so happy she returned. We cashed her money order to provide a refund,” Rother said. “I told her that I was proud of her and suggested that she not answer any other calls of this nature, and to consider changing her phone number.”

Have Kiosk, Will Travel 

Customers can now use self-service kiosks in Post Offices to schedule passport application appointments.

Beginning July 13, the scheduling option will allow customers to avoid lines and adhere to social distancing guidelines during the coronavirus pandemic.

 

To make an appointment, customers will select “New Passport Only” or “New Passport with Photo Services” on a self-service kiosk’s display screen, then enter the number of adults and minors for the appointment.

Appointments can be made up to 28 days in advance.

The kiosk will display a list of available appointment dates and locations. The closest location will be listed first.

The customer can then make a selection and enter their name, phone number and email address.

After confirming the information, the customer must select “Schedule Appointment” to finalize.

The kiosk will print a receipt listing the details of the appointment, a confirmation number and a confirmation email. Optional text notifications will also be available.

USPS accepts millions of passport applications each year, making passports an important part of the organization’s efforts to grow revenue.

Source: LINK

 

The Postal Service wants employees to remember the differences between Political Mail and Election Mail tags during this year’s election season.

 

Red Tag 57, for Political Mail, should be used for any political campaign mailing by a registered candidate, campaign committee, and committee of a political party.

 

This tag also can be used for a political message mailing by a political action committee (PAC), a super PAC or other organizations engaging in issue advocacy or voter mobilization.

 

Green Tab 191 should only be used to identify ballot mail addressed for domestic or international delivery.

 

If you handle mail, follow these tips to ensure Political Mail and Election Mail are properly processed and delivered:

 

• Use Tag 57 to properly identify, document and process Political Mail using your facility’s Political Mail log.

 

• Use Tag 191 to identify ballot mail, including sample ballots, and document this mail through your facility’s Election Mail log. All ballot mail is time sensitive and should be processed and delivered within USPS standards for items with paid postage.

 

• If you encounter Political Mail or Election Mail that isn’t identified with a tag, enter the mail information into the appropriate log and report the problem to your local Election Mail or Political Mail coordinator as soon as possible.

 

Racing to Raise $1 Billion in Leads 

Race for a $Billion, a campaign to raise $1 billion in estimated annualized revenue through sales leads from employees, is underway. 

The Small Business Sales team is organizing the effort, which began in the fall and will continue through the end of the current fiscal year on Sept. 30. The campaign aims to build on last year’s success, when employees submitted sales leads that generated more than $900 million in estimated annualized revenue.

 

Sales leads can come from virtually anywhere — a new restaurant in town, a home-based business owner who uses a USPS competitor to ship his or her products, or a shopkeeper seeking new ways to advertise his or her wares.

Employees who spot these kinds of opportunities can use one of five programs to submit the lead: Customer Connect (for letter carriers), Clerks Care (for distribution clerks, machine clerks and retail associates), Mail Handlers (for mail handlers), Rural Reach (for rural carriers) and Submit a Lead (for everyone else, including Executive and Administrative Schedule employees).

The Sales Blue page has more information --- including instructions on participation.

The American Spirit of Innovation

The Innovation stamps will celebrate advances in computing, biomedicine, genome sequencing, robotics and solar technology.

The Postal Service will release stamps this year that celebrate the American spirit of innovation.

The Innovation stamps will feature five designs, each representing an area where U.S. scientists and engineers have made significant contributions: computing, biomedicine, genome sequencing, robotics and solar technology.

Antonio Alcalá, a USPS art director, designed the Forever stamps, choosing a detail of an existing photograph for each. Additional details, including the date that the 20-stamp pane will be available, will be announced soon. All images are subject to change prior to printing.

 Fruits and Vegetables on Stamps 

Chief Human Resources Officer and Executive Vice President Isaac Cronkhite will be the dedicating official at the virtual dedication of the fruits and vegetables stamps at 11 a.m. on Friday, July 17.

The virtual stamp event featuring the historic Capitol Market in Charleston, WV as a background will be posted on the USPS Facebook and Twitter pages. The historic farmers’ market and retail establishment is built on the site of a railroad depot dating back to the late 1800s.

USPS captures the classic beauty of still-life paintings with the release of stamps featuring 10 different images of fruits and vegetables. Each stamp features a different arrangement: red and black plums, heirloom and cherry tomatoes, carrots, lemons, blueberries, red and green grapes, lettuces, strawberries, eggplants, and figs.

Inspired by the artistic traditions of Renaissance Europe, Artist Robert Papp used real fruits and vegetables as models. After sketching his subjects, he transferred the drawings to canvas mounted on hardboard and created 10 stunning oil images of fruits and vegetables. 

Leading By Example in Key Largo

Leading by example, Key Largo Postmaster Eddy Suarez (left) and Supervisor, Customer Services Rollo Casiple (right) wear face coverings and observe social distancing.

Tax Day Cometh Wednesday, July 15

If you’re still sharpening your pencil to work on your federal income tax next Wednesday, many South Florida Post Offices regularly are open after 5 p.m. and can help you meet that all important July 15 deadline. Visit usps.com, select “Mail and Ship” on the toolbar, and then from the drop menu,  choose “Find a USPS Location.”

July 15 is the new Tax Day, as the Treasury Department moved the deadline to help taxpayers contend with disruption related to the coronavirus pandemic.

Tax Day tips:

• Mail early in the day at any Post Office. Be sure to verify Post Office hours of operation.
• If depositing a tax return in a blue collection box on July 15, double check the scheduled pick-up time. Your tax envelope must be deposited prior to the last scheduled pick-up time posted to receive the July 15 postmark.
• Clearly and correctly address your envelope, including the return address, and use the correct ZIP Code, if not using the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) pre-addressed envelope.
• Affix the correct postage. Some tax returns include many forms and require additional postage. For First-Class letter-sized envelopes, one ounce is 55 cents and 15 cents for each additional ounce. A two-ounce letter-sized envelope is 70 cents. For a First-Class flat-sized (8 ½ X 11) envelope, the cost is $1.00 up to the first ounce and 20 cents for each additional ounce. That would be $1.20 for up to two ounces.
• Customers may purchase postage at the retail counter or at a Self-Service Ship and Mail Center (credit/debit card only) in the Post Office lobby. Stamps also are available at alternate retail access locations posted at usps.com.

The U.S. Postal Service offers the following products and services:

• Priority Mail Express Service gets your tax return to many locations the next day guaranteed or your money back. Priority Mail Express includes online tracking and signature at delivery. The Priority Mail Express Flat-Rate Envelope is $26.35 (at Post Office & Online).
• Priority Mail Service gets our tax return delivered in an average of two to three days. Priority Mail with USPS tracking provides a receipt of mailing for recordkeeping purposes and allows the customer to confirm electronically at usps.com, or at 1-800-222-1811, that the mailpiece was delivered to the IRS. This Priority Mail Flat-Rate envelope is $7.75 (at Post Office & Online).
• First-Class Mail Service is an efficient, economical option to mail your return with a July 15 postmark.
• Proof of Mailing Services provide customers with peace of mind. Services prove that you mailed your tax return, verify that it was delivered, or both.

--  A Certificate of Mailing receipt shows evidence that you mailed your tax return. Certificate of Mailing is $1.50 and is in addition to the postage.

--  A Certified Mail receipt proves that you mailed your tax return and provides online access to verify the date and time of delivery. Certified Mail is $3.55, in addition to the postage.

--   A Return Receipt verifies both mailing and delivery, returning to you a postcard signed by the person who received your IRS documents. Return Receipt (hardcopy PS Form 3811) is $2.85 (mail receipt) and $1.70 (email receipt). This is in addition to the postage. 

• Click-N-Ship Online Service allows you to print Priority Mail Express and Priority Mail labels, with or without postage, from any computer. 

Key West Kudos

Key West Letter Carrier Vinny Alwani loads 150 parcels into his Long Life Vehicle (LLV) for delivery to customers who always praise his outstanding service.

Disposing Prescription Medication

Do you know how to properly dispose of prescription medication?

The Postal Service is joining with the Food and Drug Administration and the Drug Enforcement Agency to make sure employees know how to safely dispose of their prescription medications.

If no disposal instructions are provided on the prescription drug label and no prescription drug take-back program is available in your area, then follow these steps to throw the drugs in the household trash:

• Remove the medicine from its original container. Mix it with an undesirable substance, such as used coffee grounds or kitty litter, to make it less appealing to children or pets.

• Place the mixture in a sealable bag, empty bag or other container. This will prevent medicine from leaking or breaking out of a garbage bag.

Don’t flush medicines down the sink or toilet unless the prescription drug label or patient information that accompanied the medicine instructs you to do so.

Some communities prohibit flushing of medications, so check before discarding medications in the sink or toilet.

After disposing of medications, scratch out all identifying information on the label. This will protect your identity and the privacy of your personal health information.

Remember: Do not share your leftover prescription drugs with others — they were prescribed to you.

A recent Postal Service stand-up talk, available on the Safety Toolkit website, highlights these and other tips.

More information about disposing unused medication is available on the Food and Drug Administration website.

Source: LINK

Surviving in the South Florida Heat

Hot weather is here. Extreme heat can be dangerous. No one should die from heat wave, but every year on average, extreme heat causes 658 deaths in the United States.

There are three degrees of heat illness: heat cramps, heat exhaustion and heat stroke. Heat-related deaths are preventable when the signs and symptoms are recognized and respected:

Heat Cramps – intermittent, involuntary spasm of muscles occurring in an individual who is physically active in hot or humid weather.

Heat Exhaustion – is a serious illness.  Symptoms include headache, nausea, dizziness, weakness, thirst, and heavy sweating.

Heat Stroke – is the most serious and requires immediate medical attention.  Symptoms include confusion, fainting, seizures, very high body temperatures and hot, dry skin or profuse sweating. 

What can you do?

Drink plenty of water, at least eight ounces every 20 minutes

Take rest breaks to help your body recover

Rest in the shade or in air-conditioning to cool down