DiMaggio Stamp to Hit Home Run at Children's Hospital this Saturday

Joe DiMaggio had an outstanding baseball career complete with 10 pennants and nine World Series titles, a collection of awards, and a Baseball Hall of Fame induction, yet there was another part of his life that brought incredible meaning to him in his later years.  In 1992, DiMaggio gave his name and fundraising efforts to support a children’s hospital at Memorial Regional in Hollywood FL, making clear the one caveat to all of his support:  No child will ever be turned away because of inability to pay. 

On Saturday, September 8, Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital is hosting a birthday celebration commemorating 20 years of world-class healthcare.  The event will be from 5:00 pm to 7:30 pm on hospital grounds at 1005 Joe DiMaggio Blvd in Hollywood.   At 6:00 pm, District Manager Jeffrey Becker and Hollywood Officer-In-Charge Michael Lloyd will present an enlargement of the Joe DiMaggio stamp to hospital administrators and to Morris Engelberg, DiMaggio's closest friend and confidante over the last 16 years of his life.

To commemorate the hospital’s “two decades of world-class care,” the Postal Service created a special cachet envelope.  At the event, employees will distribute flyers promoting the availability of these cachets at $4.00 each at these Hollywood Post Offices:

Hollywood Main Office, 1801 Polk St

Hillcrest Postal Store, 4229 Hollywood Blvd

West Hollywood Hills Branch,  5771 Johnson St

This birthday party is a community event for families with a children’s movie under the stars, petting zoo, interactive games, and many other kid-friendly activities – all free!  Be sure your children visit the postal booth to pick up a coloring book and crayons while supplies last.

*  Employees are reminded that participation is an off-the-clock activity.

Heat Postal Commemoratives Still Hot

This summer may be the hottest on record — for more than one reason. 
For a limited time, the Miami, FL, Post Office is offering matted artwork with a commemorative envelope to celebrate the Miami Heat’s 2012 National Basketball Association Championship. 

The artwork is available for $19.99 (plus $7.70 total shipping and handling charge for one or more items).  For an order form, please visit: https://liteblue.usps.gov/news/link/2012/08aug/miami-heat_order-form_8-2-12.pdf.

For the cost of envelopes and postage, customers also can request a pictorial postmark commemorating the Heat’s championship. Customers should affix stamps to any envelope or postcard of their choice and send their requests to: Pictorial Postmarks, Champions Station, Postmaster, PO Box 524004, Miami, FL 33152-4004.

Customers also can send stamped envelopes and postcards without addresses for postmark, as long as they supply a larger return envelope with adequate postage and their address.
There’s a charge of 5 cents per additional envelope to be postmarked, when ordering 51 or more. Checks should be made out to “Postmaster.”

Handle with Care

When customers send a package containing the remains of a loved one through the mail, they trust the Postal Service to handle it with care.
Customers have the option of mailing cremated human remains — “cremains” — to a domestic address using either Registered Mail or Express Mail Service.
For cremains sent to international addresses, Registered Mail Service is the only option. The country listing in the International Mail Manual must indicate that cremated remains are permitted and that Registered Mail Service is available for that country.
According to Publication 52, Hazardous, Restricted, and Perishable Mail, human ashes must be packed in siftproof or other containers and sealed in durable siftproof outer containers. The contents should be identified on the address side of the package.  See Postal Bulletin 22242 for more information.

SFL 'Wait' for Recognition is Over

USPS has been conducting a Wait-Time-in-Line (WTIL) Traveling Trophy Competition to improve the retail customer experience (RCE).
At the end of each quarter, the district in each Area with the best WTIL score receives an award it retains for the next quarter. High-performing districts also receive congratulatory letters from Delivery and Post Office Operations VP Dean Granholm.
In quarter 3 results, five districts were consecutive winners, and two — Greensboro (98 percent) and Northern New England (97.2 percent) — have won six consecutive times.  
This is the first time that five districts have won WTIL recognition for two consecutive quarters. Central Pennsylvania, Gateway and Sacramento districts also have repeated their award-winning performance for the second consecutive quarter.
Other high-performing districts include Arkansas (94.6 percent) and Hawkeye (95.4 percent).
Many districts showed significant improvement in the third quarter. South Florida District’s score went from just under 76 percent in fiscal year 2011 to 84.7 percent in the first quarter of 2012 — an increase of more than 8 percentage points.
The Postal Service’s overall performance in quarter 3 was 89.8 percent.

Broaden Your Horizons in Key West

Are you looking to broaden your postal horizons?  Here’s an opportunity to be a Supervisor, Customer Services, EAS-17, at the Key West Post Office at 400 Whitehead Street in Key West.  This ad-hoc position, not to exceed two years, is open to all qualified EAS career employees within the South Florida District.  

Applications will be accepted September 1–12, 2012.    

OCCUPATION CODE:  2310-0022

NON-SCHEDULED DAYS:  SUN/TUES    HOURS:  0500 - 1400

(P``                               (Per diem and lodging will be approved for the selected applicant.) 

A Supervisor, Customer Services supervises a group of employees in the delivery, collection, and distribution of mail, and in window service activities within a Post Office, station or branch, or detached unit.

REQUIREMENTS

1.   KNOWLEDGE OF PERFORMANCE MEASUREMENT systems and standards, and customer satisfaction indicators, as they relate to customer service operations.

2.  CHANGE MANAGEMENT: Prepares employees for change by establishing and maintaining continuous dialogue with employees; communicates change to employees and reassures them during the transition from present to future state.

3.   COMMUNICATION SKILLS: Organizes and expresses thoughts and information in a clear and concise manner while tailoring the message to the audience; engages in active listening; is aware of the impact of nonverbal cues on the message being delivered; takes into account the feelings and motivation of others when delivering  a message.

4.   EMPLOYEE FOCUS: Establishes a positive and safe work environment conducive to increasing productivity through treating employees with dignity and respect; defines the roles of employees and clarifies their responsibilities for the success of the organization; provides employees with the tools and support they need to accomplish their goals.

5.  FUNCTIONAL ADMINISTRATION: Completes administrative tasks; generates and analyzes daily reports to ensure appropriate documentation of operations.

6.    OPERATIONS MANAGEMENT: Manages the operation through the use of operational plans developed to drive work unit and organizational performance; addresses labor relations issues and applies knowledge of local and national agreements to solve workplace conflicts; analyzes data on a regular basis to determine if adjustments to current operations are necessary to achieve goals.

7.    PERSONAL ACUMEN: Adapts to changes in the business environment; demonstrates trustworthiness and initiative to accomplish work unit and organizational goals and objectives.

8.    WORK UNIT PLANNING: Determines priorities of the work unit on a daily and weekly basis; identifies resources (employees and capital) needed to accomplish goals and allocates resources as allowed to support the priorities and goals established for the work unit and organization as a whole.

Interested employees must submit their eCareer profile, along with a summary of accomplishments addressing the above requirements.  Applications should be mailed for receipt by COB, Wednesday, September 12, to:                 

JOSEPH CROCE

MANAGER, POST OFFICE OPERATIONS

16000 PINES BLVD

PEMBROKE PINES FL 33082-9998

It's National Preparedness Month

At home or at work, routines can be disrupted with little or no warning by catastrophic events. Don’t wait for an emergency to think about being prepared. Anticipating emergencies and planning a response can save lives, and greatly lessen the extent of injuries and property damage.

For National Preparedness Month this September, the National Safety Council urges businesses and families to prepare for unexpected emergencies, both large and small. One step everyone can take is to receive training in basic First Aid, CPR, and the use of automated external defibrillators (AED). Ideally, at least one person in each household should have these life-saving skills.

NSC offers emergency care training year-around through its local chapters, in classrooms or online. Visit the council’s Website, www.nsc.org, for chapter locations and local contact information.

National Preparedness Month is sponsored by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Ready campaign to increase public awareness of emergency preparedness. NSC is a campaign partner.

The National Safety Council saves lives by preventing injuries and deaths at work, in homes and communities, and on the roads, through leadership, research, education and advocacy.

Source:  National Safety Council

New Purple Heart Stamp Available

The U.S. Postal Service continues to honor the sacrifices of the men and women who serve in the U.S. military with the issuance of the new Purple Heart Medal Forever stamp.  

Today, September 4, is the first day that customers may purchase this new stamp at their local Post Office. The new Forever Stamp differs from the 2011 version with a slightly larger image of the Medal and on a white background.

The Purple Heart is awarded to members of the U.S. military who have been wounded or killed in action. According to the Military Order of the Purple Heart, an organization for combat-wounded veterans, the medal is “the oldest military decoration in the world in present use and the first award made available to a common soldier.”

How to Order the First-Day-of-Issue Postmark:   Customers have 60 days to obtain the first day of issue issue postmark by mail. They should affix the stamps to envelopes of their choice, address the envelopes (to themselves or others), and place them in a larger envelope addressed to:       

Purple Heart Medal Stamps 
Special Cancellation
PO Box 92282
Washington DC  20090-2282

After applying the first day of issue postmark, the Postal Service will return the envelopes through the mail. There is no charge for the postmark. All orders must be postmarked by November 5, 2012.