USPSNEWS@WORK

Stay connected: USPS National Emergency Hotline

If your community is facing local emergencies or incidents or extreme weather - like hurricanes, flooding, tornadoes or wildfires - and you need to know whether your facility is operating as usual, the Postal Service has a nationwide number you can call to find out.

The USPS National Emergency Hotline is your information lifeline. Call 888-363-7462 to check on facility closings, reporting time changes and other workplace information.

Because it's national and outside your immediate area, the hotline works even if local facility phone message systems are down because of power failures or other storm-related damage.

This dedicated toll-free system proved itself during Florida's back-to-back hurricanes in 2004, and last year during the Gulf Coast's double-whammy of Katrina and Rita.

When you call, you'll be asked for the first three digits of your work ZIP Code. Then you'll hear your district's operating information.

Deaf or hard-of-hearing callers can use their state Telecommunications Relay Services (TRS) toll-free number, and the TRS operator will handle the call.

Keep this number handy: 888-363-7462. It'll help keep us all on our appointed rounds.

USPS governors propose price adjustments, "forever stamp"

The USPS Governors proposed a "forever stamp" as part of a broader rate adjustment plan that would go into effect next year. Customers would be able to purchase a special First-Class Mail stamp that would be good for any future single-piece First-Class letter mailing, no matter how prices might change beyond 2007. On the broader plan, the governors cited increasing costs for fuel and healthcare as among the reasons for the filing with the independent Postal Rate Commission for price adjustments next year. The plan includes a 3-cent increase in the price of a First- Class Mail stamp. The annual effect is well below $6 for the average household.

95% on-time delivery

The Postal Service attained a 95 percent on-time performance score for overnight delivery of First-Class Mail, the agency's consumer advocate told the Board of Governors during its meeting in Washington, D.C. The assessment is measured independently by IBM Consulting Services. The Board also heard that for the second year in a row, Americans rated the Postal Service as the number one agency they trust to protect their privacy.

Combining weight with shape lets businesses reduce costs

The Postal Service has unveiled proposed new pricing incentives that would effectively reshape the future of mail and provide benefits to both business customers and USPS. Current pricing relies primarily on a weight-based system. The new plan combines weight with shape to allow USPS to better align prices with processing costs. That will ensure every type of mail covers its costs. Price changes would not occur before May 2007.

VOE surveys due soon

If you're among the 25 percent of Postal Service employees who recently received a VOE survey in the mail, remember that it's due May 24. Be sure to complete your survey - on the clock - and send it back before the deadline. The surveys help the Postal Service identify workplace issues that need to be improved - and that helps employees and customers alike.

Let your voice be heard. Return your completed VOE survey for receipt by May 24.

New Orleans PDC celebrates re-opening

New Orleans Mayor's representative Don Hutchison, center, presents a thank you proclamation to all New Orleans postal employees. Accepting on behalf of the Postal Service are New Orleans Postmaster Alan Cousin, left, and Postmaster General Jack Potter.

"In the days and months since the storm," said Potter, "we have seen repeatedly the one thing that could not be conquered by even this unprecedented storm - the human spirit. Today, we are here to re-open this plant because the human spirit could not be stopped."

New Orleans Mayor's office representative Don Hutchison presented a proclamation expressing the city's thanks for the efforts of all New Orleans postal employees.

The New Orleans PDC encompasses more than 466,000 square feet of space and offers the latest in automated mail processing technology. Depending on which tour they work, employees attended an appreciation dinner Thursday evening or a breakfast Friday morning.

USPS issues The Art of Disney: Romance stamps

The Postal Service issued The Art of Disney: Romance stamps during the kickoff of the 13th annual Epcot International Flower and Garden Festival at Walt Disney World Resort. The third stamp pane in the Disney series, these stamps feature four famous couples:

• Mickey and Minnie Mouse.

• Cinderella and
Prince Charming.

• Beauty and the Beast.

• Lady and the Tramp.

"The commitment of Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse to each other over the years has taught us to play by the heart," said Great Lakes Area VP Jo Ann Feindt, who dedicated the stamps.

Joining Feindt were Al Weiss, President of Worldwide Operations for Walt Disney Parks and Resorts, some classic Disney characters featured on the stamps, and larger- than-life, seven-foot topiary images of the stamps made from fresh flowers and plants.

Local LiteBlue Web site brings 24/7 access

The Spokane Performance Cluster (PC) has given employees more convenient access to postal information than ever before by launching its own district Web site on LiteBlue. It was just the third PC in the nation - and the first in the Western Area - to do so. There now are nine districts with sites on LiteBlue.

"The site generated 140 incoming e-mails in its first week," said Information Systems Specialist Dave Shuman, one of Spokane's four LiteBlue editors. "And that feedback was very positive."

LiteBlue gives employees 24/7 access to postal information from any computer with an Internet connection. LiteBlue is packed with information on career development, employee benefits programs, revenue and service performance, employee deals, national postal news and more.

Check out all our district sites at liteblue.usps.gov. Have your employee ID and USPS PIN handy to log in. Your employee ID is the 8-digit number printed by your name on your earnings statement. Your PIN is the same 4-digit number you use for PostalEASE.

World Philatelic Expo opens in May

Ever wonder what that box of stamps your grandmother tucked away in the attic is worth? It's definitely worth a little, but you just might have a real gem like the 1918 Inverted Jenny Biplane stamp that recently sold for $2.9 million. You can see the Jenny, along with $40 million worth of other rare stamps, at the world's largest stamp show, the Washington 2006 World Philatelic Exposition, running May 27 through June 3, at the Washington, DC, Convention Center. Admission is free.

"It's a fun and educational activity the entire family can enjoy," explained Postmaster General Jack Potter. "We look forward to seeing parents and children, teachers and students, collectors and non-collectors at the Washington 2006 World Philatelic Expo to sample the pastime of a lifetime."

For complete details, visit www.washington-2006.org.

Safety posters

Two new safety posters were mailed out beginning May 8 to all postal facilities on the "Safety Depends on Me" distribution list. The posters also are included on pages 8 and 9 of this issue of the Postal Bulletin.

One poster deals with drinking and your uniform: "Off the clock? You might be, but your postal uniform never is. Don't give anyone the wrong impression. Don't drink in uniform."

The other poster has a checklist for vehicle, keys and driver's license, with the following message: "Always carry a valid driver's license when driving on postal business. Is yours suspended? Tell your supervisor."

Be sure to display these posters in areas where all employees can see them.