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The ZIP Code was introduced in 1963 to improve the speed and efficiency of mail processing by using machine-readable codes. Over the years, it has become ubiquitous in the marketplace and the culture in general, and it’s one of the Postal Service’s most valuable assets. When it comes to postal rates and service standards, all ZIP … Read more
After discussion with USPS HQ, the Memorandum of Agreement from May 2000 (link below) will be applied to the National Day of Observance tomorrow (January 9, 2025).
The mid-Atlantic and Central Plains regions have experienced heavy snow, freezing rain and icy conditions in recent days. The Postal Service will continue to deliver where it is safe to do so. Heavy snow, freezing rain, icy conditions, and severe weather events in the Central Plains through the Mid-Atlantic (New Mexico, Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Louisiana, … Read more
A national day of observance has been declared Thursday, Jan. 9, to honor former President Jimmy Carter, who died Dec. 29 at age 100. The Postal Service will suspend regular mail delivery, retail services and office activity on Jan. 9. There will be limited package delivery service on that day to ensure the organization does … Read more
The Postal Service will offer four virtual job fairs for supervisory positions this year, starting in February. Topics to be covered during the fairs include: • The supervisory role, including responsibilities, potential career paths and how to find and apply for positions. • How to effectively respond to knowledge, skills and abilities questions to demonstrate … Read more
One of the U.S. Postal Service’s key reform initiatives is worsening service and raising costs, a recent inspector general report found, contrasting the agency’s claims about the impact of its changes. The IG said a pilot program to test USPS’ Regional Transportation Optimization plan, which requires mail to sit overnight at post offices instead of … Read more
On December 31, 2024, the UPS/USPS Negotiated Service Agreement (NSA) officially expired, marking the end of a long, mostly silent period of negotiations. Unfortunately, these talks failed to produce a resolution, leaving shippers with unexpected consequences. Starting on January 2, 2025, shippers noticed an immediate problem: SurePost labels for P.O. Boxes and APO/FPO addresses began … Read more
Federal law says the government has to deliver the mail. It would take an act of Congress to change that. Because federal law establishes the postal service as a core function of the government, privatizing USPS would require Congress to pass a new law. The U.S. Postal Service in its current form was established by … Read more
UPDATE: On Sunday, January 5, 2025, President Joe Biden signed the Social Security Fairness Act into law at a bill signing ceremony at the White House. This landmark bipartisan legislation repeals the Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) and Government Pension Offset (GPO). Both GPO and WEP unfairly reduce, or in some cases eliminate, Social Security benefits earned … Read more
(RUSHVILLE, Mo.) A beloved United States Postal Service worker in Rushville is spending the beginning of the new year navigating a new normal after her family’s house caught fire Monday evening. 72-year-old Bobbie Smith was away from her home when the fire took her house and everything in it. The house, which has belonged to … Read more