Safeguarding Your Mental Health

Postmarks would like to conclude National Safety Month by encouraging everyone not to minimalize a frequently-neglected element of maintaining good health: your inner safety.


For better or worse, your mental health affects every part of your life and the lives of those around you

Depression, anxiety, and mental illness are medical conditions that often require medical or clinical intervention, and to ignore symptoms in yourself or someone you love can often lead to tragic results.

If you or a family member are suffering inside, please talk to your physician, a counselor, or call the Employee Assistance Hotline (EAP). EAP is a free service provided to all USPS employees. The hotline is manned 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. You can also visit their website for information about emotional well-being, child care providers, veteran services, suicide prevention, money management, and much more.

Sometimes, things happen that can seem extremely hard to face or overcome. Most of us have been there at some point in our lives. Needing help is nothing to be embarrassed about: the shame is in needlessly suffering alone when treatment and relief are just a phone call away.

EAP Hotline: 1-800-EAP-4YOU or 1-800-327-7341
EAP TTY number: 1-877-492-7341
EAP Website: www.eap4you.com

Postal Service Has a History of Seeking Five-Day Delivery to Cure Financial Woes

Postal Service Has a History of Seeking Five-Day Delivery to Cure Financial Woes

PostalMag.com, 6/25/2010

According to documents obtained by PostalMag.com, the USPS has a history of attempts to discontinue Saturday mail service to reduce postal costs. For example, a 1977 special study commission recommended a discontinuance of Saturday mail service that would have saved the Postal Service $412 million annually.

My Five-Day Experience, by Postal Pete On the day I was born June 12, 1957:"Postmaster General Summerfield today outlined for Congress a series of cuts in postal service which he plans to put into effect July 1 if his department is not given more money ... The list, submitted at a closed meeting, was reported to include: Elimination of Saturday mail deliveries ... (and) closing of 2,000 small fourth-class post offices." When I was almost five years old : Feb 19 1962The Kennedy administration has studied the discontinuance of Saturday mail delivery but fears any publicity might adversely affect its proposals for raising mail raise, Postmaster General J. Edward Day has told Congress ... (Day) said the (post office) department estimated it could save $100 million a year by ending Saturday mail delivery. When I was eighteen: Nov 24 1975With the United States Postal Service losing more that $250,000 an hour, Postmaster General Benjamin F. Bailar is considering further economic moves such as discontinuing Saturday mail deliveries .... The Postal Service ... ran up a $1.5 billion debt as of last July. The year I took the postal exam: March 29 1977"The Commission on Postal Service ... voted 5 to 2 to recommend elimination of Saturday delivery, a step that would save $400 million a year ... Elimination of Saturday delivery is likely to be unpopular on Capitol Hill. Numerous legislators denounced the idea when the service said it was being considered a year ago." and so it continued throughout my postal career: Feb 7 1981Saturday mail deliveries, Amtrak train service and urban programs, survivors of last year's spending cuts, face a new threat from President Reagan's budget ax, according to internal administration documents obtained Friday ... (The documents say), "The possible reduction of service to five-day delivery is a symbol of the seriousness of the fiscal austerity being imposed by reductions throughout the federal government. December 15, 1987:The Postal Service lost $223 million in the fiscal year that ended Sept. 30 ... Possible major effects ... include ... Seeking congressional permission to eliminate delivery on Saturdays ... closing 10,000 to 12,000 small post offices, primarily in rural areas. October 16, 1992:Postmaster General Marvin Runyon said Thursday that he backs continuing Saturday deliveries but wonders whether home delivery could be cut from six to four days a week... His suggestion was to eliminate Tuesday and Thursday mail for home deliveries, keeping deliveries on Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday. Business deliveries would remain six days a week. April 9, 2001:The U.S. Postal Service is thinking about ending Saturday deliveries -- and shutting down post offices in rural and remote areas, and raising the price of stamps even more ... because it finds itself in almost exactly the position the railroads were in after commercial jet travel became commonplace... Something quicker came along: regularly scheduled jets. We said we loved the railroads -- but we headed to the airports. We gave the railroads our hearts, but not our money... This country will feel different -- diminished -- without Saturday mail. But the country already feels different. Fax machines, privately owned overnight delivery services, and -- most significantly -- the huge growth in e-mail have transformed the way that we write to each other.  December 31 , 2008:After thirty years of service I take the early out and talk of five day delivery resurfaces.

Keep Your Chins Up

Question 31 on the VOE survey is I am proud to work for the Postal Service.

We're all aware that the Postal Service has been struggling lately. Sometimes, it seems like everyone and their uncle has something to say about what should be done to keep us afloat, or about our salary and benefits and how much we're overpaid, or about how unfriendly or how lazy or clumsy or dishonest we are, or about how we're prone to workplace violence, on and on it goes.

If you sometimes have trouble feeling a sense of pride about working for the Postal Service, here are some facts to keep in mind:

1. The US Postal Service has been in business for 235 years. How many companies can say that?

2. The Postal Service is a self-supporting entity that is committed to providing service to every US residence without receiving any government assistance or tax dollars and with constraints under which other successful businesses would not thrive, such as having to pre-fund employees’ retirement and limitations on rate increases.

3. The Postal Service employs over 600,000 American citizens without over having laid off a single employee.

4. For 5 years in a row, the Postal Service was ranked as the #1 Most Trusted Government Agency.

5. Postal Employees work hard to protect our fellow citizens. Daily, Postal Inspectors prevent crimes; Carriers rescue customers; and mail processors and window clerks are on the look-out for signs of fraud and terrorism.

6. Postal employees are generous. Each year, we give an average of $38 million to the charities involved in the Combined Federal Campaign.

7. Along that same train of thought, Stamp Out Hunger, the letter carriers’ annual food drive, has collected over a billion pounds of food to restock the nation’s food banks and pantries. The 2010 drive set a new record: 77.1 million pounds of food was collected this year alone.

8. The Breast Cancer Awareness semi-postal stamps have raised over $70 million for breast cancer research. Sales of the stamps have been extended until 2011.

9. More than 49,000 Postal employees have registered for the Bone Marrow Donation program. In 2009, the Postal Service received the first Rod Carew Award for Leadership for having saved more lives through marrow donation (80) than any other organization

10. The USPS is on the forefront of employing green technology to help preserve our natural resources, and new products and practices are being introduced all the time. Since 1995, the Postal Service has won more than 75 major environmental awards.

National Lightning Safety Week June 20-26

Unlike hurricanes or tornadoes, lightning is such a frequent occurrence that we have become accustomed to its presence and often ignore its dangers. After Carrier Christine Jones’ death last week from having been struck by lightning while on the job, here are some things to remember. Let such a tragedy never again happen to a USPS employee or to any members of their families.

Lightning Facts and Injury Prevention:

The US averages about 100,000 thunderstorms each year, with 20 million lightning strikes annually at a rate of about one per second. Worldwide, there are about 100 strikes each second.

Your chances of being struck by a particular lightning bolt are 1 in 600,000, while the odds of being struck in your lifetime are 1 in 3,000.

Although a lightning bolt is usually about as big around as a quarter, it packs a wicked punch. The energy contained in a single lightning strike can power a 100-watt light bulb for 90 days, and the temperature of a typical lightning bolt is hotter than the sun’s surface.

The U S Department of Agriculture estimates that lightning causes over 80 percent of all accidental livestock deaths.

Rubber-soled shoes or insulated boots will not protect you against a lightning strike, nor will being inside a vehicle with rubber tires. If you get caught in a thunderstorm while driving, if you can, move to the center of the vehicle, close all of the windows, and don’t touch any metal.

Most forest fires in the US are caused by lightning.

You will not get electrocuted if you attempt to help lightning strike victims because the body does not store electricity after a lightning strike. And more than likely, a strike victim will need immediate CPR.

At home, if there is a thunderstorm, stay away from corded phones, from the sink and shower (electrical charges can travel through plumbing), and from computers and computer keyboards that are plugged in (a surge can travel through the line to the keyboard).

If you hear thunder, immediately seek shelter even if you don’t see any lightening. If you can hear thunder, you are within striking distance. Lightening can strike as far as ten miles away from where it is raining. I know that this isn’t practical advice for most working people, but when you first hear thunder, you’re supposed to seek safe shelter and not leave it until 30 minutes after the last sound of thunder. The national Weather Service’s slogan about lightning is this: When Thunder Roars, Go Indoors!

Alabama National Championship Cachets Available at Several Locations

The Alabama National Championship cachets are now on sale for $10 at several post offices in Alabama.

The post offices are

Alexander City

Anniston

Athens

Auburn

Birmingham MOWU

Bham, Cahaba Heights

Demopolis

Dothan

Fayette

Florence

Foley

Fort Payne

Fultondale

Gadsden

Grand Bay

Greenville

Gulf Shores

Guntersville

Haleyville

Bham, Hoover

Huntsville GMF

Mobile MOWU

Northport

Oakman

Ozark

Pell City

Scottsboro

Selma

Summerdale

Titus

Towncreek

Troy

Tuscaloosa

Adopt a Shelter Pet Stamp Event in Lincoln, Alabama

From The St. Claire Times:

The Lincoln post office recently hosted the Animal Shelter of Pell City Inc. in honor of the new Animal Rescue: Adopt a Shelter Pet stamps.

“Postmaster Brian Webster and I discussed it, and we had already planned to hold a customer appreciation day, and decided to combine that with the animal shelter and do an adopt-a-pet day,” said Betty Nelson, sales/services clerk for the Lincoln post office.

The city of Lincoln contracts with the ASPCI for animal control services.

Nelson said the national Animal Rescue: Adopt a Shelter Pet stamps, released April 30, have been popular.

“All the animals on the stamps were up for adoption at the time the pictures were taken,” she said. “And all those animals have homes now.”

Nelson said Ellen DeGeneres and Halo, Purely for Pets (a holistic pet care company DeGeneres co-owns) are donating one million meals to shelter pets.

“We were glad for the opportunity to go to Lincoln and tell residents about the services we offer,” said Helen Powell, president of the ASPCI Board. “We want to thank the Lincoln post office for sponsoring the event.”

Powell said she and ASPCI treasurer Jo Mitchell brought two adoptable dogs to the event, which included cookies and drinks for customers.

“We gave out information about our Spay Neuter Assistance Program (SNAP), which is available to Lincoln residents as well as St. Clair County residents,” she said.

Powell said the SNAP certificates are offered only at the shelter for now, and are $50 for dogs and $35 for cats. Vaccination certificates are also available and cost $35 for both dogs and cats. The vaccination certificates are only sold in conjunction with a SNAP certificate.

Certificates are redeemable at a number of participating veterinarian practices, including Animal House Veterinary Clinic in Harpersville, Argo Animal Clinic in Trussville, Branchville Animal Hospital in Branchville, Crossroads Animal Hospital in Moody, Leeds Pet Clinic in Leeds, Lincoln Veterinary Clinic in Lincoln, Logan Martin Vet Clinic in Pell City, Moody Animal Clinic in Moody, Main Street Animal Clinic in Birmingham, and Pell City Animal Hospital in Cropwell.

There are numerous animals available for adoption at the ASPCI. The adoption fee is $125 and includes spay/neuter surgery, all vaccinations, microchipping, dewormer, physical/fecal exam, heartworm test for dogs, and feline leukemia test for cats.

“We are also in need of volunteers and board members,” Powell said. “Anyone interested in volunteering or serving on the board is welcome to come to our meetings.”

Powell said the meetings are open to the public and are held on the second Monday of each month at 6 p.m. at the Pell City Civic Center.

“Volunteers can be any age, however children under 17 years old must be accompanied by a parent or guardian,” she said. Powell said volunteers help walk the animals, clean cages, clean food and water dishes, help with laundry, and other tasks.“We can also use volunteers to help out at adoption functions or at information booths at various events,” she said.

Powell said board members should have an interest on serving on a working board that promotes the interest and well being of the ASPCI.“We don’t just hold meetings,” she said. “We take an active role in the various aspects of the ASPCI.”

For more information, call the Animal Shelter of Pell City Inc. at 205-814-1567.

Persistant Postal Workers Nab Nuts

Acquiring new customers and keeping our old ones happy takes work: not just from one employee or category of employees, but from all of us.

Point Clear Postmaster Sissy Hawkins started helping the company B & B Pecans with their shipping about 12 years ago. Regularly, B & B sends out 60-70 boxes a day; during their busy season (late October through mid December), that total rises to around 1400 packages each day that they send to customers across the globe.

For years, Sissy has been dedicated to providing B & B Pecans with the best possible service. Although Point Clear is a one-person office and Sissy has to do everything herself, she still would pick up packages for B & B at their store on her lunch breaks, and she would pick up their packages on Sundays when the Post Office was closed just so that she could have them ready for processing when she came in early at 3am Monday morning, hours before her shift officially started,.

But B & B started using UPS during their busy season because UPS gave them a computer upon which to print their labels and placed a shipping container on their lot that they would come and empty daily.

This is where Fairhope Rural Carrier Hollie Thomas entered the picture. She had just heard a talk from
Business Solutions Specialist Karen Lane about Rural Reach, where rural carriers submit leads when they see companies using our competitors.

While on her route, Hollie had noticed that B & B Pecans was using UPS and how busy that company was. She was already a firm believer in the value of our service and that employees should know as much as possible about what we offer so that we can reach out to our customers (or potential customers). “Employees should educate themselves so that they will know what to explain to our customers,” Hollie said. “We are all post offices on wheels.”

Listening to Karen Lane reinforced this idea, and not long afterwards, Hollie submitted a lead about B & B Pecans to Karen.

Karen took it from there. She approached B & B, talked to them about Click-n-Ship, and helped them download the Eagle Eye (a rate comparison program) program from Stamps.com. She asked them to try it for a month, and when minor difficulties have arisen, has tried to get them immediately resolved.

Sissy Hawkins, the Postal employee that B & B has known the longest and trusts the most, is still assisting B & B. “I’ll take care of B & B come hell or high water, no matter what,” Hawkins says.

Childersburg Post Office One of the Safest, Knock on Wood

The Childersburg Post Offices is one of the safest in the state of Alabama: 942 days accident free. Actually, the count is probably much higher than that now, as this figure was submitted several weeks ago. Postmaster James Perini is hesitant to announce Childersburg's safety record so as not to jinx his employees, so nobody mention to him that it's now on the wordwide web.

Postmaster Perini attributes their great record to safety-minded employees and to the safety program that he has in place, and regularly, he says to his employees, "It's your job to be safe."

                                                     Marcus Berry, Cyrstal Robinson, Donna Booth, Albert Palmer and Libby Lovett

Playing It Safe at the Weaver, Alabama Post Office

For National Safety Month, Postmarks is recognizing safe offices and employees as much as possible.

The following was submitted by Roswitha J. Sparks, the Postmaster of Weaver, Alabama:

Weaver employees: Carrier Alice Smith, RCA Shelia Wagoner, PTF Laura Bean, SSA Barbara Summers, Carrier Janet Bearden, RCA Paul Sparrowhawk, and Carrier Richard Bannister.

The employees of the Weaver Post Office have worked over 1500 days accident free. While all aspects of safety are important, the one that concerns us the most is the safety of children on our routes. A Best Practice habit that Carrier Alice Smith shared with our group is this: when she sees children in a yard where she is about to deliver mail, even if she is only stopping at the mail box, she counts heads. Before she pulls away from the box, she accounts for each child who was in the yard when she approached. Habits like that and following the rules about vehicle, driving safety, and work room safety are the ways to stay safe.

Celebrating Flag Day in Alabama

Happy Flag Day, everyone! Today is one of the six days during the year that Post Offices fly both the American Flag and the MIA flag. And for some other interesting flag facts, visit the Flag Rules and Regulations site, where you can learn the flag code and also see newsworthy flag code violations.

For those of you with children, you can go to the Scholastic website and create your own printable flags together.

There is something very wrong with this stamp. Can you see what it is? If not, visit Fox News to read the article. Perhaps after doing so, you'll want to go out and purchase one or two of these stamps.

For Alabama USPS Employees: Will and Estate Planning in Huntsville

Irondale, Alabama Post Office Accident Free For One Year

For the month of June (which is National Safety Month), Postmarks will be spotlighting the safest Post Offices in Alabama. Today's featured office is Irondale.

On May 20, all 28 of the Irondale employees celebrated one year of remaining accident free. That's a lot of employees to have doing everything right: great job, Irondale!

Adopt A Shelter Pet Stamp Event in Moundville This Saturday

Cleophus Brown and Negro League Baseball Honored in Birmingham

Today in Birmingham at historic Rickwood Field (which is the oldest stadium in the country in continuous use), the Birmingham Barons celebrated all baseball players who have ever played on the field at the 15th Annual Rickwood Classic.

Negro League players were among those honored. Those of you who regularly read the Postmarks blog are already familiar with Cleophus Brown, a Birmingham MVS driver who played in the Negro Leagues from 1953-1955 for the Louisville Clippers and the Birmingham Black Barons. Known in his playing days as Hard Hittin' Brown, he was primarily a pitcher who also played first base.

Mr. Brown was among those honored, and Postmarks photographer Marvin Owens was there to take some fabulous pictures of the event. Here are just a handful of them:

Former Negro League players being honored on the field. Mr. Brown is fourth from the right.

Cleophus Brown giving an autograph to a young fan.

Cleophus Brown (second from right) with a small group of former Negro League players and friends.

Cleophus Brown in front of Rickwood Field, which was built and donated to the City of Birmingham by his former employer, Woodward Iron.

Cleophus Brown's brick on the Walk of Fame outside Rickwood Field.

Mr. Brown will be featured in this quarter's Postmarks magazine, which will be coming out in the next couple of weeks.

This Year's Food Drive Set New Record: 77.1 Million Pounds!

The results of this year's Stamp Out Hunger annual food drive were announced today: our carriers collected 77,132,180 pounds of food to help replenish our nation's food banks and pantries.

This beats last year's all-time high of 73.4 billion pounds and puts the total food collected since the food drive began in 1993 to over a billion pounds.

Tampa, Florida NALC Branch 599 alone collected 2,062,529 pounds to be crowned this year's top branch.

Postmarks thanks the generous American public who, despite trying economic times, donated more food than ever before to help our fellow citizens; the companies and individuals that partnered with the NALC to support the food drive; and most especially all of our hard-working carriers across the country, who carried or unloaded every pound of that food.