Police won't listen? Tell your mailman.

Carol Anne Bond was thrilled when she learned that her best friend, Myrlinda Hayes, was pregnant. However, the thrill was gone when she learned that her husband, Clifford Bond, was the baby's father.


Carol Anne Bond, a microbiologist, then stole chemicals from her workplace and proceeded to attempt to poison Hayes by sprinkling toxic powder on Hayes' apartment door, her car door, and her mailbox.


When Hayes noticed the powder and how it burned her fingers, she called the local police, who told her to just wipe it off. Frustrated by their lack of concern and action, Hayes mentioned it to her her mailman, who got the ball rolling: he told his supervisor, who notified the postal inspectors, who set up the video surveillance that caught Bond stealing Hayes' mail and placing the poison inside her mailbox and car muffler.


According to CNN, "Instead of being charged with simple assault, which may have gotten her six months to a year or two in state prison, Bond was indicted in federal court on two counts of mail fraud and the bombshell: two counts of violating a federal law and international treaty for the possession and use of 'chemical weapons.' "


Now, Bond's case is being heard in the Supreme Court: she and her lawyers think that it was inappropriate for her to have been charged with federal crimes. She received a much harsher sentence ( 6 years in prison plus $12,000 in fines) than she would have if she had been prosecuted locally. 


Bond wants out of her sentence but not out of her marriage: she and her husband are still together. He has visited her in prison. 


To read more about this case, type her name into the search engine of your choice or go to the CNN article about it by clicking here.

Alabama AAA Travel Show

On Saturday, January 29, the Alabama District helped everyone prepare for the vacation season at the Alabama AAA Travel show. From 9:00am until 2:00pm at the Cahaba Grand Central Convention Center, USPS staff renewed passports and advised citizens about what documents they needed and where to go in the future to obtain passports.

Hoover Retail Associates Donna Self and Fran Gray offer a warm greeting to our customers as they make the first necessary stop on their journey.  

$625.00 in revenue was generated from processing 25 passport applications, 20+ passport renewals were completed, and over 50 passport applications were handed out to be processed at a later time at one of our local passport acceptance sites. 

Postmasters Matilda Johnson and Daphne McClain are ready to help our customers prepare for international travel. 

Postmarks thanks Carol Brekle and Gloria Conaway-Jones for sharing the information and pictures. 

Postmasters first, presidents later

Happy Presidents' Day! Did you know that Abraham Lincoln and Harry S. Truman were postmasters before they became presidents?

Actually, Lincoln was the only president to have served as a postmaster: In 1914, Truman was appointed postmaster of Grandview, Missouri, but he gave his position to a widow in need.

Lincoln served as postmaster of New Salem, Illinois, from 1833 until 1836. According to the USPS, "The United States Official Register, published in odd-numbered years, dutifully records A. Lincoln as receiving compensation of $55.70 in the 1835 volume and $19.48 for one quarter's work in the 1837 volume. Besides his pay, Lincoln, as postmaster, could send and receive personal letters free and get one daily newspaper delivered free."

eCareer training sessions open to all employees

We aren't able to attach documents on the blog. However, if you are interested in attending, you can e-mail Postmarks at Erica.S.Werner@usps.gov , and we will forward the necessary form to you.

YOU are the brand

Leadership is action not position.

-Charles H. McGannon

Usually, when members of the public form opinions about the Postal Service, it's not the Postmaster General or Al the Mailman that they think about: it is the Postal worker on the front lines with whom  they interact most frequently that comes to mind.

Postmasters, retail associates, and carriers ARE the Postal Service to a majority of the population, and that's why it is so important for those workers to be supported and to be recognized when they are doing their best to provide excellent customer service. A large portion of our success rests upon their shoulders.

Today, Postmarks would like to welcome two new members to the 100% Retail Customer Experience (RCE) Club.

The first group is from the Decatur Post Office. Pictured below from left to right are Postmaster Jane Harper and Retail Associates Mark Gilreath and Sherry Pieper.



Decatur

About her retail associates, Harper said, "These two are both excellent employees. They do a great job with our customers, show a lot of caring and concern. On a daily basis, I watch them demonstrate their knowledge of their position and the efforts that they take to move the line while still being personable and friendly."

The second group is from the Orange Beach Post Office.



Orange Beach

Left to right: Postmaster Patti Meyer, Retail Associates Dixie Nolte and Raven Booth

"They go above and beyond, they really do," said Patti Meyer about her clerks. "We've got a lot of snowbirds that come our way in the winter who forget to send the $2 for their keys. Our clerks will pay the money for the customers and send them a note asking for reimbursement when they arrive in town."

Actually, though, the person who was "shopped" and earned the perfect score was Postmaster Meyer. Initially, she didn't make 100% because the shopper reported that Meyer was out of uniform. But due to Meyer's protest, Orange Beach's score was changed to a perfect one.

Meyer has some advice for other postmasters who have to work the window: "Your Postal badge is not enough: wear your name tag, too."

Postmarks congratulates both offices on their accomplishments and thanks Carol Brekle, Patti Meyer, and Jane Harper for helping us share this story.



Safely on the Road to Success

Last Friday, Huntsville Plant Manager Roger Hyde assembled Huntsville's MVS drivers to show his appreciation for their dedication to safety. The drivers received certificates, pizza, and a nominal award.

In the past 18 months, the Huntsville drivers have had ZERO MOTOR VEHICLE ACCIDENTS!

Proud of his staff,  Hyde said, "The Huntsville Plant Motor Vehicle Operators understand their role in our business and the importance of performing their duties safely and effectively. We appreciate the positive image they project for the Postal Service. Their efforts will help ensure our continued success."

Pictured above from left to right are Roger Hyde, Jerry Gilbert, Steve Saint, Billy Russell, Jonah Patterson, Jose Rivasluyando, James Dabbs, Lannis Martin, David Barnes, Paul Paetow, and Valerie Underwood.
Not included on the side of the truck are Johnny Anderson, Tommy Medley, and James Spears.  


The highlight of the short gathering was the National Safety Council Safe Driver award that was presented to MVS Driver Lannis Martin for 25 accident-free years on the road.

Hyde reading from Martin's award: "National Safety Council Safe Driver Awards are recognized trademarks of professional drivers who have proven their skill at avoiding traffic accidents. They are the highest honor for professional safe driving. Your job performance as a motor vehicle operator for the US Postal Service includes not being involved in a preventable motor vehicle accident for a total of 25 years."




To learn more about the National Safety Council's award program that was developed specifically for the US Postal Service, click here.

Is your heart on fire? Birmingham MVS can help!

Last Thursday, the Birmingham MVS received fire safety training from Birmingham Fire & Rescue. Employees learned about what causes fires and how to operate fire extinguishers, and then were given the opportunity to practice what they had learned.

When faced with an unexpected fire, the acronym P.A.S.S. has two meanings. If the fire is too large to be contained with a small extinguisher, pass on attempting to stop it by yourself, leave the area, and immediately call for help.

If the fire is small enough for you to handle, P.A.S.S. also stands for the steps that you take in operating the extinguisher:

P = Pull the pin.

A = Aim the nozzle at the base of the fire.

S = Squeeze the handle.

S = Sweep from side to side at the base of the fire until it is put out.

After the classroom training, the Fire & Rescue trainers took everyone outside to apply what they had just learned.

Clerk Kay Crumley was the first to give it a shot.

Success!

Everyone took a turn. Postmarks doesn't have enough room here on the blog to post all of the pictures, but if you'll visit our Facebook page (if you haven't been there before, you can get there by clicking on the Facebook icon on the upper left of the home page), we posted an album that contains all of the pictures.

Hartselle, a repeat contender

Hartselle Post Office retail clerks is the latest group to earn entry into the 100% Retail Customer Experience (RCE) Club. Pictured below are Janna Martin , Rick Lamar, Sandy Parker, and Sandra Latta.

When asked what was special about the Hartselle retail associates, Supervisor Heather Fairbanks replied, "They're all wonderful: need I say more?"

She's right. This is the fourth time in less than a year that Postmarks has featured employees from Hartselle. They went all out for their breast cancer awareness event, came in first in the state for level 18-20 offices for the Breast Cancer Stamp sales contest in October, and now this.

As an example of how her clerks care about their customers, Fairbanks related a recent incident where a customer needed a passport ASAP. After the customer had paid and left the post office, a clerk realized that he had written his check for the wrong amount. She called him, but he was unable to return that day to correct the situation, so the clerk made up the difference with her own money.

"Our clerks are very personable," Fairbanks said. "Their customers have known them for years, and everybody knows each other on a first-name basis."

Hartselle staff, congratulations on your achievement, and also for holding the Postmarks' record for most appearances by a single post office (excluding offices in major cities).

Iron Bowl commemorative envelope availability

Now on sale at the following Alabama post offices:

Addison, Alexander City, Algood, Ariton, Ashford, Ashland, Auburn, Birmingham, Blountsville, Boaz, Bremen, Brent, Bucks, Camp Hill, Cedar Bluff, Centre, Choccolocco, Coffeeville, Coker, Collinsville, Cordova, Crossville, Cullman, Daphne, Dauphin Island, Dawson, Dearmanville, Flomaton, Furman, Fyffe, Gardendale, Graham, Grand Bay, Guin, Gurley, Hamilton, Huntsville, Jasper, Kansas, Kimberly, Leesburg, Leighton, Lincoln, Marbury, Margaret, McIntosh, McKenzie, Meridianville, Millbrook, Morris, Moundville, Normal, Oakman, Opelika, Orange Beach, Parrish, Pelham, Pell City, Pine Hill, Point Clear, Red Level, Russellville, St. Elmo, Scottsboro, Smiths Station, Sommerville, Sulligent, Summerdale, Sylacauga, Sylvania, Tallassee, Tarrant, Theodore, Thomasville, Titus, Trussville, Tuscaloosa—Skyland, Union Springs, Valermosa Springs, Vina, Vinemont, Wellington, Wilmer, and Wilton.

Midfield walks the walk

Team Talladega drives towards perfection

Congratulations to the Talladega Post Office for earning entrance into the pretigious 100% Retail Customer Experience (RCE) Club! Pictured below are members of the winning retail associate team: David Grisham, Kim Tipton, Stephanie Bussie, Kim Buttrill and Jessica Rice.

"They always work well together," said Talladega Supervisor Dennis Goray. "Everybody blends. We don't have any problems."

Goray is also proud of the generosity of his staff. "Each year at Christmas, they purchase presents for needy families in the community. This year, they adopted three families and provided holiday gifts for five kids."

We Alabamians are a competitive bunch, and Talladega's entrance into the 100% club inspires Postmarks to issue this challenge: let's make it so that that membership in the RCE 100% Club is the norm rather than the exception.

Every post office and every retail clerk is capable of achieving a perfect score, so let's all drive forward together towards the finish line, where 100% of Alabama post offices will have achieved a 100% score. Wouldn't that be an amazing accomplishment? We can do it!

Recipe for Success

In the past decade, the popularity of five-ingredient recipes has soared: a plethora of books, websites, and television shows are devoted solely to this topic.

Busy consumers are craving simple, speedy satisfaction, and the Pelham Post Office is giving them what they want. Pelham's success at doing this became evident to all last month when they were welcomed into the 100% Retail Customer Experience Club.

Pelham Post Office retail associates Danny Brisby, Karen Shelton, Kim Stewart, Sue Stevens, and Jackie Scott

"A lot of times, you hear about employees who are rude to customers. But here in Pelham, the opposite is true: our clerks are a little too friendly," joked Pelham OIC Rhonda Kimbrough. "We have regular customers who drive all the way from ______ (we're not going to post what she said) and other surrounding areas because they say that they would rather come here."

Kimbrough then told Postmarks some of the attributes of each Pelham retail associate:

1. Danny Brisby is on the case when it comes to tracking down lost or delayed passports. In one instance, he located a child's passport the day before the family was scheduled for departure. He is also known for his calm demeaner and ability to soothe both colleagues and customers.

2. One of Karen Shelton's many strengths is her skill at explaining our products and services to customers.

3. Kim Stewart is adept and compassionate when dealing with older customers who might need extra attention.

4. Sue Stevens' specialty is dealing with post office box rentals and completing the accompanying paperwork.

5. Jackie Scott is known for being friendly and helpful. Recently, a customer called the office to report how Jackie had volunteered to go out to his car and carry in a package that was too heavy for him to get inside by himself.

Postmarks joins Kimbrough in feeling proud of the Pelham retail associates and thanks her and Carol Brekle for sharing Pelham's acccomplishment.

February is Black History Month