Postal Facts - U.S. Postal Service
The Postal Service is part of the fabric of the nation with employees making a difference in every community across the country. Here’s a look at some of the programs and causes our organization supports.
Link, a daily news site for Postal Service employees, is available on any computer with internet access. The content is produced by a team of writers and editors based at USPS headquarters in Washington, DC. Additional contributions come from postal employees across the nation.
The site is updated with new articles, photos, graphics and videos each weekday.
#Postal Proud. The #PostalProud program recognizes employees for the work they do every day. It provides employees at every level of the organization with an opportunity to share why they are proud to be a postal employee.
The Postal Service workforce remains one of the most diverse organizations in the nation. Our pride in serving the American public is a common thread that unites us.
The first female Postmaster General was Megan J. Brennan, Washington, DC, 2015.
FIRST
African American on stamp
The first African American on a stamp was Booker T. Washington, 1940.
FIRST
Native American on a stamp
The first Native American on a stamp was Pocahontas, 1907.
FIRST
Hispanic American on a stamp
The first Hispanic American on a stamp was Adm. David Farragut, 1903.
FIRST
African American Inspector
The first known African American postal inspector was Isaac Myers, Baltimore, MD, 1870.
1st AMERICAN
woman on a stamp
The first American woman on a U.S. postage stamp was Martha Washington, 1902.
FIRST
African American Carrier
The first known African American mail carrier was James B. Christian, Richmond, VA, 1869.
FIRST KNOWN
African American Postmaster
The first known African American Postmaster was James W. Mason, Sunny Side, AR, 1867.
FIRST KNOWN
female mail carrier
The first known female mail carrier was Sarah Black, mail messenger, Charlestown, MD, 1845.
The first known female Postmaster in the United Colonies was Mary Katherine Goddard, Baltimore, MD, 1775.
1860
African American Postmasters
African Americans worked as Postmasters, clerks and carriers beginning in the 1860s — 100 years before the Civil Rights era brought wider opportunity in the American workplace.
Women served as Postmasters in this country more than a century before they won the right to vote.
Veterans. The Postal Service employs nearly 73,000 military veterans, making it one of the largest employers of veterans in the country. The organization has also issued more than 140 stamps honoring the nation’s military history, including the Service Cross Medals stamps.
The Postal Service invests more than $590 million in training its workforce. The organization encourages employees to take advantage of self-paced career development by offering 7,600 online courses and 26 educational partnerships offering discounts towards degree and certification programs.
Minorities comprise 49 percent of the Postal Service workforce. The strength of the organization lies in its amazing diversity.
With more than 2,000 career possibilities, the Postal Service is full of opportunity. From letter carriers, mail processing clerks, tractor-trailer operators, engineers, mail handlers, nurses, postmasters, mechanics and more - all the way up to the Postmaster General.
The Postal Service has collective bargaining agreements with seven different unions, representing nearly 500,000 employees.
Social Responsibility. The Postal Service supports communities nationwide. These efforts include facilitating the nation’s largest one-day food drive, working with customers to prevent dog bites, educating customers on consumer protection, and delivering holiday magic to those in need.
You call that scribble legible? Employees at the Remote Encoding Center in Salt Lake City, UT, are responsible for deciphering terribly handwritten or shoddily printed addresses.
Although it was against postal regulations, in the early days of Parcel Post, a few parents managed to mail their children to relatives. In 1913, an 8-month-old baby in Ohio was mailed by his parents to his grandmother who lived a few miles away.
Every two weeks, the Postal Service pays $2.1 billion in salaries and benefits.
Louis DeJoy is the 75th Postmaster General of the United States.
More than 1,400 postal-owned buildings are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
JUDICIOUS
resolving disputes
The Postal Service's Judicial Officer Department is a court system that conducts hearings and neutrally resolves a wide variety of disputes involving postal matters. Its independent decisions involve contract disputes, employee debt disputes, mail disputes and mail fraud, among many other areas.
Connecting
USPS and mailers
Postal Customer Councils (PCCs). These Postal Service-affiliated networks connect business mailers with local Post Office leadership to develop more effective and profitable mailings through training and information sharing. Since the 1960s, PCCs have been the go-to local resource for helping mailers learn, innovate and build their business. More information can be found at postalpro.usps.com/pcc.
Mailers
providing technical advice
Postmaster General’s Mailers Technical Advisory Committee (MTAC).
Representing select mailing associations, this group works to enhance the value of mail by providing technical advice and recommendations to the Postal Service. More information can be found at postalpro.usps.com/mtac.
NPF
annual industry conference
National Postal Forum (NPF). The annual mailing industry conference provides educational and networking opportunities for thousands of business customers. Attendees learn about the latest mail trends and innovations through more than 100 workshops and seminars. More information can be found at npf.org.
The U.S. Postal Service has no official motto. Nope, it’s not this: “Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds.” But we appreciate the sentiment.
Those words are engraved on the front of the James A. Farley Post Office in NYC, set in stone by the architectural firm that built it. The phrase is taken from an ancient book by the Greek historian Herodotus and refers to messengers in the Persian Empire.
The Post Office Department was founded in 1775 with Benjamin Franklin as the first Postmaster General. His annual salary was $1,000. Before 1971, the PMG was a Cabinet member.
1980
Military Postal Service Agency formed
The Military Postal Service Agency was formed in 1980, consolidating the postal operations of the Army, Air Force, Navy and Marine Corps. The Department of Defense designated the Secretary of the Army as the single military mail manager.
6
boxes in Military Care Kit
Who cares? We care. The kit contains six Priority Mail Flat Rate boxes — two large-sized and four medium-sized — six address labels, one roll of tape and six customs forms, and can be ordered at no charge at usps.com/shop or by calling (800) 610-8734.
National Consumer Protection Week. During the Federal Trade Commission’s annual awareness campaign, the Postal Service and U.S. Postal Inspection Service provide customers with education, tools and information to combat identity theft and mail fraud. More information can be found at consumer.ftc.gov/features/national-consumer-protection-week.
Trademarks
The Eagle Logo, the trade dress of USPS packaging, the Letter Carrier Uniform and the Postal Truck and the following marks are among the many trademarks owned by the United States Postal Service: Click-N-Ship®, Deliver The Win®, EDDM®, ePostage®, Every Door Direct Mail®, Express Mail®, First-Class™, First-Class Mail®, Forever®, Global Express Guaranteed®, IMb®, Informed Delivery®, Intelligent Mail®, Parcel Select®, P.O. Box™, Post Office®, Pony Express®, Postal Inspection Service™, PostalOne!®, Postal Police®, PostalProud®, Express International®, Priority Mail Flat Rate®, Priority Mail International®, Priority: You®, Registered Mail™, Standard Mail®, The Postal Store®, United States Postal Inspection Service®, United States Postal Service®, U.S. Mail®, U.S. Postal Inspector™, U.S. Postal Service®, USPS®, USPS BlueEarth®, USPS Mobile®, USPS Operation Santa®, USPS Tracking®, usps.com®, ZIP+4® and ZIP Code™. This is not a comprehensive list of all Postal Service trademarks.
Non-Postal Trademarks
Forest Stewardship Council®, McDonald’s®, National Dog Bite Prevention Week®, Starbucks®, Sustainable Forestry Initiative®, Walmart®
Postal Facts 2020 provides the public with information about the Postal Service. The facts in this publication may be reproduced for the purpose of stating the fact itself, and in a business, informational, academic context and the like, and in the body of text discussing factual subject matter relevant to the fact being presented. However, these facts may become outdated after publication and seeking the latest information is advised.
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