Monday, August 12, 2024
This week, USPS is focused on ethics
The organization’s annual campaign emphasizes integrity on the job
USPS Ethics Awareness Week, an annual campaign to educate employees on the importance of conducting themselves with integrity, will begin Monday, Aug. 12.
Public opinion polls regularly show the Postal Service is the nation’s most trusted government agency. By focusing on ethics, the organization aims to honor the public’s trust and ensure that customers continue to give their business to USPS.
Here are some tips employees can follow to help the organization maintain high ethical standards:
• Respect the sanctity of mail. Willful acts of mail theft, delay and destruction affect the public’s trust in USPS and hurt the organization’s reputation.
• Use Voyager cards to purchase fuel for postal vehicles or for authorized repairs. The cards are regularly audited and tracked and should never be used to buy fuel for a personal vehicle, drinks or snacks.
• Do not use USPS vehicles to commute between home and work, to go on vacation, to run personal errands or to transport unauthorized people, such as a child or another relative. Different rules apply for employees on detail assignments and on official travel.
• Never use postal devices for porn, gambling, partisan politics or a second job.
• Do not solicit or accept gifts from customers.
The Postal Service offers several resources for employees who want to learn more about ethical behavior on the job, including a Blue page and a public website.
Employees should also complete their annual ethics training, and they can download the USPS Ethics App from the USPS App Store.
For more information, employees can email the Postal Service’s ethics helpline or call 202-268-6346.
Heroes
Roadside service
A carrier helped a motorist with a flat tire — then received praise on social media
Rural Carrier Dennis Bergsbaken was driving recently in Pulaski, WI, when he spotted a car with a flat tire.
He safely pulled over to assist the motorist and then went on his way.
Later, the driver took to a local Facebook page to thank the Postal Service employee for going “above and beyond to help.”
“There are still good people out there,” the customer wrote.
Postmaster Laura Weier learned of Bergsbaken’s actions when she read the social media post.
The comments from the community “were just wonderful and made me proud,” she said.
Employees featured in “Heroes” receive letters of commendation through the Postmaster General Heroes’ Program. The nomination form is available on Blue.
Week in Review
Here’s what Link covered Aug. 4-10
A financial report and the Postal Pulse survey led the news
The Postal Service’s latest quarterly financial report topped Link’s headlines last week.
The organization reported $18.8 billion in total operating revenue for fiscal year 2024’s third quarter (April 1-June 30), an increase of 1 percent compared with the same quarter one year earlier.
We also covered the opening of the latest Postal Pulse employee survey; the publication of The Eagle magazine’s latest edition, which focused on the successful introduction of the USPS Ground Advantage shipping product; and the release of a new video on improvements to the organization’s delivery fleet.
Other highlights included a reminder of the Thursday, Aug. 15, deadline for USPS employees to order T-shirts to promote semipostal stamps, and a look at the 1970 signing of the legislation that created the Postal Service.
Additionally, we introduced you to “Heroes” such as Dennis Bergsbaken, a Pulaski, WI, rural carrier who helped a motorist with a flat tire, and we went “On the Job” with Larry Wilson, a Tompkinsville, KY, rural carrier who relies on a ferry to make some of his deliveries.
“I joined the Postal Service in 1985 and I have delivered this same route for my 39-year career,” Wilson said. “I have lived in Tompkinsville pretty much my whole life and I know I play an important role in delivering mail to customers throughout my community.”
Demings, Zollars nominated for USPS Board of Governors seats
President Joe Biden has nominated Val Butler Demings and William Zollars to be members of the USPS Board of Governors.
Demings, a Florida resident, was a U.S. representative for the state’s 10th District from 2017 to 2023. Prior to that, she was a member of the Orlando, FL, Police Department for 27 years, serving as chief from 2007 to 2011.
The nomination will be for a term expiring Dec. 8, 2030.
Zollars, a Kansas resident, was a member of the board from 2020 to 2022. He previously served as chairman, president and CEO of YRC Worldwide, a global transportation service provider.
The nomination will be for a term expiring Dec. 8, 2029.
In March, Martin J. Walsh, a Massachusetts resident and former U.S. labor secretary, was nominated for the remainder of a seven-year term expiring Dec. 8, 2029.
The U.S. Senate must confirm nominees before they join the board.
The governors are the principal officers of the Postal Service. The board is similar to a board of directors, conducting long-range planning duties and setting strategic policies, among other duties.
View past printouts
Printout details
What's included
-
This week, USPS is focused on ethics
The organization’s annual campaign emphasizes integrity on the job
-
Heroes
Roadside service
A carrier helped a motorist with a flat tire — then received praise on social media
-
Week in Review
Here’s what Link covered Aug. 4-10
A financial report and the Postal Pulse survey led the news
-
Brief
Demings, Zollars nominated for USPS Board of Governors seats