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May 5 — Issue 207

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Whitewater, WI, Post Office employees let local customers know: “We’re still here for you, delivering hope” through their chalk message on the stairs to the entrance.

Delivering Hope

INSIDE STORIES:

USPS Supply Command Center Face Coverings Guidance for Warm Weather Handling Media Inquiries during COVID-19 CFC Reopens for Pandemic Donations Engagement MVPs

BEST FRIEND EXPECTATIONS RECOGNITION

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BEST FRIEND EXPECTATIONS RECOGNITION

New USPS Command Center assisting with supply needs

Face coverings guidance for warm weather

The Postal Service has established a COVID-19 Supplies Command Center to ensure USPS facilities have supplies to keep employees safe and meet facilities’ cleaning needs during the coronavirus pandemic. While facilities should continue to order supplies following standard procedures and using local buying where available, the center is working closely with Supply Management and district supply coordinators to centrally fulfill orders for masks, gloves, air and hand sanitizers, cleaning products and other items directly from the USPS Material Distribution Center in Topeka, KS. Facilities and employees can contact the center for help tracking orders and when they need assistance in locating and ordering supplies. Additionally, the center will monitor field inventories daily to assist districts in identifying the facilities that are low on items needed to help prevent the spread of the coronavirus. Employees can call the COVID-19 Supplies Command Center at 844-773-3594, Monday-Friday from 7 a.m.-7:30 p.m. Eastern Time. The COVID-19 Supplies Blue page has additional resources.

As the weather begins to warm up, the Postal Service is reminding employees of ways to prevent heat-related illnesses during the coronavirus pandemic. Employees exposed to hot and humid conditions are at risk of heat illness. It’s important to remember to stay cool and safe.

Because the coronavirus can spread between people in close proximity to each other, employees should adhere to social distancing guidelines — staying at least 6 feet apart — whenever possible. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends wearing a face covering in public settings where social distancing measures are difficult to maintain. Employees who experience difficulty breathing or discomfort as a result of the heat while wearing a face covering should remove the covering until the discomfort ceases.

However, if the employee decides to remove the face covering, they should continue to practice social distancing when they come into contact with others, and sneeze or cough into their elbow or a tissue. Here are some tips to prevent heat-related illnesses:

Hydrate before, during and after work. Dress appropriately for the weather, including wearing light-colored, loose-fitting and

breathable clothing to keep your body temperature down on warm days. When possible, use shaded areas to stay out of direct sunlight.

These are the signs of heat stress: Hot, dry skin or profuse sweating Headache Confusion or dizziness Nausea Muscle cramps Weakness or fatigue Rash

Employees who experience signs of a heat-related illness should call 911 and notify their supervisor. The Safety Blue page has more information.

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Handling media inquiries during COVID-19

Additionally, the Postal Service wants employees to take care when answering questions from customers, who could share the information with the press. It’s particularly important for employees to keep these guidelines in mind during the coronavirus pandemic. USPS is providing an essential public service during this crisis, and the organization wants to ensure customers have accurate information about its work. Detailed guidance on responding to the news media is available in the Administrative Support Manual (Chapter 3, section 332.41). USPS recently distributed a stand-up talk that explains the guidelines.

The Postal Service wants employees to follow proper procedures when interacting with the news media. If an employee is contacted by a reporter or another member of the media, the employee should refer the individual to his or her supervisor or manager. The employee can also direct the reporter to the USPS Newsroom website, which has a list of media representatives available to answer questions from the press.

Combined Federal Campaign reopens for pandemic donations

The Combined Federal Campaign (CFC) has reopened so federal employees can contribute to charities during the coronavirus pandemic. Donations can be made from April 20 through June 30.

The U.S. Office of Personnel Management, which runs the campaign, is offering the special solicitation period to support charities as they face unprecedented challenges due to COVID-19. Postal Service employees can use the online donation portal or the new CFC Giving mobile app, available for Apple and Android devices, to make a charitable donation to more than 6,000 CFC charities. Employees can make a one-time or recurring pledge. However, they cannot change payroll deductions made during the previous 2019-20 campaign cycle, which ended Jan. 12. The campaign website’s FAQ page has more information.

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Celebration Submissions

Resilient The Postal Service has a long, storied history of creating new technologies for the American people — enabling faster, more efficient communications and safer, more secure delivery of correspondence and merchandise. For nearly two-and-a-half centuries, it has adapted to meet the evolving needs of its customers.

Empowering The Postal Service invests more than $590 million a year in training for its workforce, including onboarding 100,000 new employees. More than 8,000 employees are enrolled in leadership programs and the organization encourages all employees to take advantage of 3,200 online professional development courses. The Postal Service also has partnerships with 23 universities and educational organizations that offer discounts on degree and certification programs to employees.

The Postal Service is…

Did you miss a previous engagement newsletter? Go to the Engage Weekly site on Blue or LiteBlue. Do you have a birthday, retirement, postal or wedding anniversary you would like to announce? Log on to LiteBlue and fill out the form. Or...

Go to USPS LiteBlue and log on with your employee ID and USPS self-service password. Under Hot Topics, select Employee Engagement.

In the left column, select Employee Celebration Submission and fill in the online form.

Southern Area Network Operations Analyst Warren Hathaway retired after 49 years of service.

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Appreciating USPS employees

Devon McPeak, daughter of Indianapolis General Clerk Tracy McPeak, shows her appreciation for postal workers while standing behind her wall of puzzles that her family completed during the quarantine.

Akron, CO

Sidney, OH, Postmaster Brian Schroeder had a nice surprise when his granddaughter, Kinzley, gave him the page she colored.

Creston, IA

Mendham, NJ, Post Office Wheatland, WY

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Recognizing frontline workers

Eddie Lin, a balloon artist from Edison, NJ, used his skills to recognize USPS essential workers.

Mesquite, TX, Letter Carrier An Nguyen received a special homemade t-shirt as a “thank you” from one of her customers.

Isabella Barron, granddaughter of Gainesville, FL, Mail Handler Robert Ortiz and Silver Springs, FL, Retail Associate Kassie Ortiz, thanked postal workers with her homemade card.

Pewee Valley, KY, Rural Carrier James Perry holds up a thank-you note and drawing from a child on his route.

But now it’s your turn to receive mail from us.”

Pikeville, KY, Rural Carrier Associate Jessica Lyon (left) and Retail Associate Jessica Lester (right) used their artistic talents to create a mural to honor their co-workers.

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Engagement MVPs

Coppell, TX, Human Resources Clerk Karlene Harold

Woodson, TX, Retail Associate Bridget Briles

Throckmorton, TX, Rural Carrier

Associate Allison Bundy

Coppell, TX, Human Resources Clerk Tammy Hernandez

Knoxville, TN, Mail Processing Clerk Yvonne Lett

Oklahoma City, OK, Reno Meridian Station Lead Retail Associate Darrell Gamble

USPS craft employees throughout the country are being recognized as Engagement Most Valuable Players (EMVPs). These bargaining unit employees were nominated by colleagues for fostering enthusiasm, involvement and commitment in their workplaces. Each EMVP honoree will receive a lanyard, pin and certificate of appreciation.

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May 2 Willie Sutton Postmaster Capitol Heights, MD May 10 Brice Roy Postmaster Fryeburg, ME May 12 Karen Chapman Training technician Philadelphia May 13 John Siwulich Jr. Budget financial analyst Duluth, GA May 17 Daiva Viney Letter carrier Chesapeake, VA May 18 Justin Hairsine Letter carrier Chesapeake, VA May 20 Jimmy Summerhill Letter carrier Chesapeake, VA May 22 Gail Ballard Letter carrier Chesapeake, VA May 22 Nancy Bauer Rural carrier Chesapeake, VA May 23 Bonita Sommers Postal support employee Pontotoc, TX May 27 Jesse Boone Letter carrier Chesapeake, VA May 30 Albert Villanueva Letter carrier Chesapeake, VA

Wanda and Roy Macklin Jr. celebrated their 29th wedding anniversary. Wanda is customer services supervisor in Essex, MD. Arthur and Lynette Barber celebrated their 39th wedding anniversary. Arthur is an auto parts storekeeper in Tulsa, OK.

2 years Erica Thorson Postmaster Ryegate, MT

5 years Michael Hennech Retail associate Bluff Dale, TX

24 years Nelly Ruiz Business mail entry technician Phoenix 25 years Robert Van Horn Revenue assurance analyst Phoenix 25 years Gale Ingram EEO specialist Houston 31 years Cheryl Reko Administrative assistant Minneapolis 35 years Rafael Correa Network specialist San Juan, PR 35 years Vincent Lewis Distribution clerk Coppell, TX 35 years Jim Abril Mailing requirements clerk Phoenix 36 years Tracey Gray Customer retention agent Dayton, OH

36 years Karen Byars Customer retention agent Dayton, OH

13 years of service Betty Hautzenrader Retail associate Rhonert Park, CA

26 years of service Ralph Paysinger VMF manager Colorado Springs, CO

32 years of service Eddie Curzon Letter carrier Rohnert Park, CA

32 years of service Donna MacDowell Postmaster Montgomery, NY

35 years of service Julie Van Dierendonk General expeditor Kansas City, MO

41 years of service Brenda Knight Lead retail associate Clarksburg, WV

49 years of service Warren Hathaway Network operations analyst Plano, TX

54 years of service Linda Crow Contract technician Fort Worth

RETIREMENTS

POSTAL ANNIVERSARIES

BIRTHDAYS

WEDDINGS / ANNIVERSARIES

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Military Appreciation Month

Asian Pacific American Heritage Month

Older Americans Month

Older Americans Month, an annual celebration honoring older adults, began May 1. This year’s theme is “Make Your Mark.” The theme was selected to “encourage and celebrate countless contributions that older adults make to our communities. Their time, experience and talents benefit family, peers and neighbors every day,” according to the Administration for Community Living, the federal agency that organizes Older Americans Month. The Postal Service is encouraging employees to participate in Older Americans Month by helping to raise awareness of aging issues. The Administration for Community Living’s website has more information.

Asian Pacific American Heritage Month — an annual celebration of the nation’s 22.2 million Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders — began May 1. About 48,000 Postal Service employees identify as being Asian, Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander. This represents approximately 7.6 percent of the USPS workforce. Asian Pacific American Heritage Month is held in May primarily for two reasons: The nation’s first Japanese immigrants arrived May 7, 1843, and the transcontinental railroad was completed May 10, 1869. Most of the workers who laid the tracks were Chinese immigrants. The federal government’s Asian Pacific American Heritage Month website has more information.

All military veterans will receive a certificate of appreciation for their service and a letter of thanks from Postmaster General Megan J. Brennan. Employees marking five years of service with USPS in 2020 will also receive a #PostalProud challenge coin. The coin is double-sided and shaped like a military dog tag. One side displays the Postal Service logo and a message thanking the employee for his or her service. The other side features an American flag design stamped with the words “Proud Veteran.”

Due to social distancing rules, items will be mailed directly to eligible employees throughout May instead of presented at ceremonies. Employees who have questions can contact their district’s veterans coordinator. A list is available on LiteBlue.

To mark Military Appreciation Month, the Postal Service is distributing tokens of appreciation to employees who are veterans. “There are approximately 100,000 former and current service members working for the Postal Service, and we are proud to honor their contributions to our nation in the armed forces and their continued service to our customers,” Chief Human Resources Officer Isaac Cronkhite said.

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