skip to main content
skip to newscasts

Saturday, May 18, 2024

Public News Service Logo
facebook instagram linkedin reddit youtube twitter
view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

4 dead as severe storms hit Houston, TX; Election Protection Program eases access to voting information; surge in solar installations eases energy costs for Missourians; IN makes a splash for Safe Boating Week.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

The Supreme Court rules funding for the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is okay, election deniers hold key voting oversight positions in swing states, and North Carolina lawmakers vote to ban people from wearing masks in public.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Americans are buying up rubber ducks ahead of Memorial Day, Nebraskans who want residential solar have a new lifeline, seven community colleges are working to provide students with a better experience, and Mississippi's "Big Muddy" gets restoration help.

USPS Celebrates National Postal Worker Day July 1 in PA

play audio
Play

Friday, June 30, 2023   

In Pennsylvania and across the country, Saturday is National Postal Worker Day, celebrated annually to show appreciation for postal workers.

The people who move the mail play a vital role in communication for the public, said Kim Miller, president of the Keystone Area Local chapter of the American Postal Workers Union. Snow, sleet, rain and a pandemic didn't stop them from delivering mail and packages, from rural America to the inner cities, she said, but like many employers, the Postal Service is facing challenges.

"What would be beneficial - because the mail volumes are slow due to COVID and people finding different means to utilize service and pay their bills - is to start mailing again," she said. "We need the revenue, we need the volume, because a lot of people's jobs rely on the service."

Miller said Saturday is also a day to say thanks to postal workers and acknowledge the effort it takes to process millions of packages and letters a month. In Pennsylvania, she said, the Postal Service is still experiencing a worker shortage and local post offices are looking to hire more people.

Miller referred to the types of jobs as "craft," and said there are plenty of openings for people who pass the tests.

"They're hiring in Reading. They're hiring in different craft; the carrier craft, they're always hiring - the retention is a little bit difficult," she said. "Maintenance craft - reaching out to veterans to get veterans preferences. While they're deployed, they have a right to take any test that was given while under deployment."

Miller said Postmaster General Louis DeJoy's 10-year plan to move letter sorting and distribution from the local offices into large regional hubs is going to affect people in Pennsylvania.

American Postal Workers Union President Mark Dimondstein said more than 600,000 people work for the Postal Service. He said the recognition this weekend is "wonderful," but noted the current staffing shortages are having consequences, both for workers and customers in small rural communities.

"Smaller towns, the post offices tend to be staffed with less people, so you may only have one or two people already," he said. "If you have this turnover, people are constantly left without enough clerks to take care of their postal business."

He said his union would like to see the Postal Service expand its range to offer more services at post office locations, from banking and bill-paying to voter registration or issuing fishing and hunting licenses.

Disclosure: American Postal Workers Union contributes to our fund for reporting on Consumer Issues, Livable Wages/Working Families. If you would like to help support news in the public interest, click here.


get more stories like this via email
more stories
About 7.4 million adults take insulin, a hormone regulating glucose and used to treat diabetes patients. (Adobe Stock)

Health and Wellness

play sound

More than 1 million people in North Carolina are diabetic and they have become increasingly worried about the national shortage of insulin. The …


Environment

play sound

Missouri homes and businesses have installed enough solar energy to power 68,000 homes each year. A new report released by the Solar Energy …

Social Issues

play sound

Workforce watchers project the country could face critical worker shortages in many of the skilled trades in coming years. The Nebraska Winnebago …


If power grid operators cannot change the interconnection process in time, data show around 80% of the emissions reductions expected from the Inflation Reduction Act might not happen. (Adobe Stock)

Environment

play sound

A new rule from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission could improve Virginia's electric grid transmission capacity. It requires utilities and …

Social Issues

play sound

Surrounded by states banning nearly all abortions, its legalization in New Mexico has made the state a top place to travel for the procedure and a …

As we near summer, tens of millions of Americans will take to our nation's waters to spend time with family and friends. (Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

Hoosiers are launching their boats to enjoy another season on the water. However, before jumping aboard, now is an ideal time to review safety plans …

Social Issues

play sound

This week, Ohio approved adult-use marijuana sales as part of a 2023 ballot measure, with sales anticipated to start mid-June. Ohioans age 21 and …

Social Issues

play sound

The Nevada state primary is coming up June 11 and one voting-rights group wants to make sure all Nevadans have the information they need to make their…

 

Phone: 303.448.9105 Toll Free: 888.891.9416 Fax: 208.247.1830 Your trusted member- and audience-supported news source since 1996 Copyright © 2021