PMG Brennan: Investing in the Future

The Postal Service will invest in its future by creating opportunities for long-term growth, strengthening employee training and making needed infrastructure improvements, PMG Megan Brennan said today.
“We can reinvigorate the way we serve our customers and the public by constantly looking forward as an organization, anticipating the changing needs of our customers, and adapting as quickly as we can to a competitive and evolving marketplace,” Brennan wrote in a letter to employees. 
Brennan, who became the 74th Postmaster General and CEO Feb. 1, said USPS will:
• Invest in the future, including strengthening employee training and making needed infrastructure improvements.
• Speed the pace of innovation by developing new products and services.
• Empower employees, giving them more flexibility to better serve customers.
• Build an efficient network, including continuing to streamline the Postal Service’s operational footprint.
Brennan, who joined USPS as a letter carrier in 1986, is the first woman to serve as PMG. She has always drawn inspiration from the dedication of her fellow postal employees, she wrote.
“Your commitment to our public service mission and to delivering for our customers defines who we are as an organization and is the bedrock of all of our successes.”

Modern-Day Barefoot Mailmen Hike From Pompano Beach to Miami Beach

 
Boy Scouts of America South Florida Council complete their annual Barefoot Mailman Hike. Photo: Mirtha Uriarte 

More than 600 Boy Scouts and Scout Leaders hiked 35 miles from Pompano Beach, FL, to Miami Beach FL, to commemorate the 51^st annual Barefoot Mailman Hike this weekend.

The Boy Scouts of America relived part of South Florida history, walking the trail of the Barefoot Mailmen who carried mail on foot between 1885 and 1893. The Barefoot Mailmen braved heat, thunderstorms, alligators, sharks, and bears to carry mail between Palm Beach, FL, and Miami, FL. Crossing inlets by rowboat and hiking along the beach, a round trip took six days. Their exploits earned them $600 a year, and later resulted in a best-selling book and a movie.

James Hamilton was the most well-known carrier. He mysteriously disappeared after only three months on the job. It is believed that he lost his life at Hillsboro Inlet in Pompano Beach, FL, where he attempted to swim from the shoreline to the other bank to retrieve his rowboat that had drifted. Search parties scoured the coastline, but only found Hamilton’s clothes and backpack of letters.

Following in Hamilton’s footsteps, modern-day Barefoot Mailmen were self-sufficient, carrying their food supply, shelter, and letters on their backs. They camped overnight on the beach. On the second day, family and friends gathered to applaud and cheer Scouts --- some barefooted and blistered --- as they completed their journey. Miami Customer Relations Coordinator Mirtha Uriarte collected letters and affixed a “Barefoot Mailman Station” special cancellation to each envelope to commemorate the event.

Miami Customer Relations Coordinator Mirtha Uriarte affixes special cancellation to letters carried on the Barefoot Mailman Hike. Photo: Debra Fetterly

Black Heritage Stamp Series to Honor Robert Robinson Taylor on Feb. 12

February is Black History Month, and this year's Black Heritage stamp will be available at Post Offices beginning February 12. 

The 38th stamp in the Black Heritage series honors architect and educator Robert Robinson Taylor (1868–1942). This stamp features a photograph of Taylor taken circa 1890, when he was around 22 years old and a student at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

For more than three decades, Taylor supervised the design and construction of the Tuskegee Institute in Alabama while also overseeing the school’s programs in industrial education and the building trades. He is believed to have been both the first black graduate of the MIT and the country’s first academically trained black architect. Through his calm leadership and quiet dignity, he earned the admiration of colleagues and students alike while expanding opportunities for African Americans in fields that had largely been closed to them.

In 1892, after graduating from MIT, this young man from Wilmington, North Carolina, accepted an offer from educator and activist Booker T. Washington to teach at the Tuskegee Institute in Alabama, where he soon set about shaping the appearance of the burgeoning school. Over the course of nearly 40 years, Taylor designed dozens of essential buildings, including libraries, dormitories, lecture halls, industrial workshops, and a handsome chapel, transforming a makeshift campus on an abandoned plantation into a confident, state-of-the-art institution.

Taylor’s work as a teacher and administrator was equally vital to the Tuskegee mission. While overseeing programs to train skilled artisans, he also established a curriculum with a certificate to help graduates enter collegiate architecture programs or earn entry-level positions at firms. His work furthered Booker T. Washington’s dream of fostering not just African-American builders and carpenters, but architects who could plan the buildings as well.

Carol City Ad-Hoc Position Open

Are you looking to broaden your horizons in the Customer Services functional area? If so, consider a detail (not to exceed two years) as Manager, Customer Services, EAS-21, at the Carol City Branch located at 18690 NW 37 Avenue in Miami Gardens, FL. Work hours will be 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. with Saturday and Sunday as non-scheduled days. Persons eligible to apply include all qualified EAS career employees within local commuting distance (50 miles) of the South Florida District. (Please refer to ad-hoc vacancy announcement posted at your work location.) 

The successful candidate will manage the activities of a large detached mails unit operation, on three tours, in the receipt and distribution of mails normally in an area broader than that associated with a station or branch; provides window services and/or mail delivery and collection. Requirements include:

Knowledge of postal operations related to delivery and collection; caller service; and mail processing, including distribution, dispatch, and transportation.

Knowledge of the national agreements with clerks, carriers, and mail handlers, including provisions related to overtime, corrective action, and grievance resolution.

Knowledge of policies and procedures related to the investigation and handling of vehicle and industrial accidents.

Knowledge of route inspections, route adjustments, and the Delivery Service Information System (DSIS).

Knowledge of service standards and service objectives.

Ability to prepare and manage a budget, including controlling costs within budget allocations.

Ability to manage the work of people, including planning, scheduling, coordinating, and monitoring, to meet organizational goals.

Ability to communicate orally and in writing in order to train and give guidance to employees, resolve grievances, investigate customer complaints, and give information and technical guidance to major mailers.

Ability to forecast mail volume and work force and equipment needs.

Ability to analyze data in order to evaluate performance and identify deficiencies.

Employees interested must submit their eCareer profile, along with a summary of accomplishments addressing the requirements stated on this posting.  All applications must be sent via the mail to Postmaster, Opa-Locka, 550 Fisherman ST, Opa-Locka, FL 33054-9998.  Applications must be received by COB, Friday, February 6, 2015.

Brennan Becomes 74th PMG/CEO

Megan Brennan is the 74th Postmaster General/Chief Executive Officer and the first woman to hold the job, effective February 1. Brennan succeeds Patrick R. Donahoe who retired after a 39-year career.

“I am deeply honored and humbled to take on this role at such an exciting time for the organization," said Brennan. "The Postal Service plays a vital role in America’s society and economy, and I’m looking forward to strengthening that role and meeting the demands of a rapidly evolving marketplace in the years ahead.”

Brennan, a 28-year postal veteran, was named Chief Operating Officer and Executive Vice President in December 2010. Previously, she was Vice President, Eastern Area Operations, and Vice President, Northeast Area Operations. She joined USPS in 1986 as a letter carrier in Lancaster, PA, and began her management career as a delivery and collection supervisor.

Fort Lauderdale Kudos

Fort Lauderdale, FL, Officer in Charge David Guiney presented a retirement certificate to Letter Carrier Ruth Carvalho who has worked at the Plantation, FL, Branch for 10 of her 26-year postal career.  Carvalho will retire on Jan. 31. Guiney also presented a retirement certificate to Letter Carrier Joyce Davis who has worked 10 of her 30-year career at the Westside Branch. Davis will retire Feb. 28.

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Fort Lauderdale, FL, Manager, Customer Services Raymond Borger presented Certificates of Appreciation and $100 gift cards to Retail Associates Kimberly Mathis and Lilly Sills of the Galt Ocean Postal Store, the only Fort Lauderdale unit to achieve a perfect Retail Customer Experience (RCE) score on transactions throughout FY14.

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Several Fort Lauderdale, FL, Retail Associates achieved a perfect score on their Retail Customer Experience (RCE) transactions: Virginia Johnson, Melrose Vista Branch; Jacqueline White, Melrose Vista Branch; and Theresa Young, Westside Branch.

District Seeks Outstanding Workers for 'Federal Employee of Year' Awards

It’s that time of year to recognize postal employees through the South Florida Federal Executive Board's "Federal Employee of the Year" Awards Program. 

Employees are asked to nominate co-workers who consistently perform above and beyond, who deserve recognition for heroic efforts, or who generously volunteer time to benefit others. 

Award categories include Administrative, Clerical/Administrative Support, Law Enforcement, Management (except Agency Head), Organizational Partnership, Professional, Scientific, Service to the Community, Technical/Information Technology, Trades and Crafts, and Valor. Nominees must work in Broward, Miami-Dade, Monroe, or Palm Beach counties. 

Nomination deadline is Feb. 13. For more information and a nomination package, contact Manager, Learning Development and Diversity Damaris Agrait at 305-470-0881.