What's in Your Mailbox Today?

The Postal Service is making strategic investments in technology, Postmaster General Megan Brennan told mailing industry leaders May 18.
“We’re especially committed to investing in innovation to spur growth and profitability,” Brennan said at the National Postal Forum, the industry’s largest annual conference.
One example: USPS is developing a daily digital notification service that will allow customers to see what’s arriving in their physical mailbox, the PMG said.
The project, known as real mail notification, is being tested in Northern Virginia and will expand to New York City this year. Initial results are encouraging: Ninety percent of participants use the service daily to check what’s arriving in their mail.
“We’re building this platform to bring physical content onto the same screen as the user’s digital content. The potential is enormous for this industry,” Brennan said.
The PMG also discussed other opportunities for the industry to leverage the rapid adoption of digital and mobile technology by consumers.
“Our industry has a big role to play in that digital future,” she said.
A transcript of the PMG’s speech is available online. A video will be posted when it’s available on the Newsroom site.

Forget-Me-Not Stamps Deliver Missing Children Message

The Postal Service has issued a stamp to raise awareness of the nation’s missing children.
“We are deeply committed to this noble and urgent cause,” said Postmaster General Megan Brennan, who dedicated the stamp at the National Postal Forum in Anaheim, CA.
Almost half a million children were reported missing last year.
The stamp is the latest example of the Postal Service’s “longstanding commitment” to the cause, the PMG said. Since 1985, at least 158 missing children have been recovered through a program that puts their photographs on “Have You Seen Me?” mailings.
Representatives from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children and Valassis Communications Inc., the Postal Service’s partners in the mailings, participated in the stamp dedication.
The ceremony also featured a video message from longtime victims’ rights advocate John Walsh, who praised the stamp as “another example of how the United States Postal Service and Valassis bring hope to families that their children will return home.”
The stamp shows a small bunch of purple forget-me-nots and the words “Help Find Missing Children.” The stamp sheet includes information on how to join the search.

ISC Safety Record is No Rubbish

Miami ISC Distribution Clerk Luis Alfonso proudly displays his safety board.

Story & Photo: Lucille Roberson

To reduce the number of accidents at the Miami International Service Center, Manager, Distribution Operations Ben Jones issued a challenge for employees to come up with an idea that promotes the importance of safety in the workplace. Over the past two years, Distribution Clerk Luis Alfonso has been picking up items that could cause slips, trips and falls from the floor and displaying these safety hazards on a poster board. “Luis went above and beyond what was expected and earned a gift certificate for his efforts,” said Jones.

Miami Quartet Provides Great Service

Congratulations to Miami Retail Associates who conducted perfect Retail Customer Experience (RCE) transactions: Briggett Glinton, Miami General Mail Facility (GMF) Postal Store; Rebecca Fickler, Coconut Grove Branch; Gerald Gorecki, Father Felix Varela Branch, and Byeong Im, Miami Springs Finance Unit.

Southern Area Recognizes District Business Service Network Trio

L to R:  Manager, Marketing Juan Nadal; Manager, Consumer and Industry Contact Lillian Castro; Business Service Network Representatives Vivian Plather, Iliana Valdes, and Adriana Bedoya; and District Manager, Jeffery Taylor.

By Lillian Castro, Manager, Consumer and Industry Contact

During a recent Southern Area Marketing Manager’s meeting, South Florida District was recognized for Business Service Network (BSN) performance for Quarters 1 and 2, FY15. The district received  framed artwork and postage stamp series featuring the brave heroes, fearsome villains, and extraordinary creatures that inhabit the world of Harry Potter.

The BSN is a nationwide network dedicated to providing support to our largest customers through service related issue resolution, information sharing, and request needs.  The BSN is strategically positioned to have an impact on customer satisfaction, revenue growth, and retention.

Business Service Network Representatives are single points of contact assigned to large accounts and are experienced in various aspects of Postal Service products, services, and procedures.  The South Florida District BSN is comprised of Adriana Bedoya, Vivian Plather and Iliana Valdes. Each has built strong professional business relationships with our most valued customers by providing excellent service, communications, and information and all are essential links between the customer and postal operations. The South Florida District BSN customers account for yearly revenue in excess of $75 million.

NALC Food Drive: "All in the Family'

Every second Saturday in May, letter carriers in more than 10,000 cities and towns across America collect the goodness and compassion of their postal customers, who participate in the National Association of Letter Carriers (NALC) “Stamp Out Hunger” Food Drive. As in every year, South Florida letter carriers, rural carriers, and postal and community volunteers worked together to collect, process, and/or deliver canned goods to local pantries and food banks.

Tavernier Postmaster Eddy Suarez (left) and Rural Carrier Martin Castellon (right)

Palms West Branch Letter Carrier Edward Frection

Palm Beach Gardens Branch Letter Carrier Tameki Stone

Alridge Station Letter Carrier Paul Berger

Inverrary Branch Letter Carrier Betty Fletcher

Palm Beach Gardens Branch Retail Associate/Distribution Clerk Anne Mack

Alridge Station Letter Carrier Margie Bartlett

Palm Beach Gardens Branch Letter Carrier Chris Caswell

Palm Beach Gardens Branch Letter Carrier Jack Solis

L to R: Oakland Park Branch Andy Gonzalez, Sue Rodon, Yanier Leon, and Sue Foley

Quail Heights Letter Carrier Danielle Reasor

Bridge of Hope volunteers at the Snapper Creek Post Office

Sunrise Branch Letter Carrier Cesar Ballestas


Inverrary Branch Letter Carrier Chanse Brown

Alridge Station Letter Carrier Aywanna Arnold

Photos: David Guiney, Gale Jackson, Alex Sepulveda, Mirtha Uriarte

Teamwork Returns MTE to USPS

Story & Photos: Gale Jackson, West Palm Beach Customer Relations Coordinator

Loxahatchee Rural Carrier Associate Dolly Noriega (above) poses with MTE that was recovered after she discovered it on a customer’s property.

Congratulations and thanks to Loxahatchee Rural Carrier Associate Dolly Noriega, who cited three pieces of Mail Transportation Equipment (MTE) at her customer’s home while delivering mail on her assigned route.   Noriega contacted Loxahatchee Officer In Charge Gale Jackson, who notified Postal Inspector Johnny Niedzwiedski about the containers.   When Inspector Niedzwiedski arrived at the home, he found three orange hampers full of trash in the customer’s front yard.  

Jackson notified West Palm Beach Manager, Transportation Roe Herzog who dispatched Tractor Trailer Operator Sergio Valencia to collect the hampers. A deputy from Palm Beach County Sheriff assisted Valencia in emptying and loading the hampers onto a postal truck.   

“I knew this customer should not be using this equipment and I just wanted to do the right thing,” said Noriega. “I got some soap, a water hose and washed down the equipment, it’s now back into circulation,” Valencia said.

West Palm Beach Manager, Transportation Roe Herzog (left) thanked Tractor Trailer Operator Sergio Valencia for his role in returning the equipment.

MTE is essential in accepting, sorting and moving mail within the processing network and is extremely expensive to replace. As a rule of thumb, the Postal Service suggests that no more than a seven-day supply of MTE remains on hand. Unfortunately, there are many instances where the equipment is never returned by customers who sometimes use the containers for personal use.

MTE is federal property. Anyone caught stealing or misusing it can be fined $1,000 and face up to three years in prison. The equipment can be returned to local Post Offices or to processing and distribution facilities. Arrangements also can be made for the Postal Service to pick up larger amounts of equipment and/or pallets by sending an email to hqmte@usps.gov with "Equipment Pickup Request" in the subject line. Please include the company name and address where equipment is located, the type of equipment and quantity, and a contact name and phone number.