postalnews blog

Subscribe to Postage Due:

Subscribe to Postage Due:

From USPS NewsLink: 

President George W. Bush has issued an Executive Order directing federal government agencies to close Tuesday, Jan. 2, 2007, as a mark of respect for former President Gerald Ford, who died Tuesday, Dec. 26.

For USPS, this means that Jan. 2 is a “National Day of Observance” and there will be no regular mail delivery or retail service. Express Mail delivery will be available. All postal units, including Headquarters, Area and District administrative offices, will observe this day of mourning. Local postal managers will advise employees regarding staffing levels for Tuesday, Jan. 2, to maintain operations in preparation for resumption of delivery on Wednesday.

Regular retail and delivery service will resume Wednesday, Jan. 3. Flags at all USPS facilities will continue to fly at half-staff through Jan. 25.

Pay and leave administration for the “National Day of Observance” for affected bargaining unit employees is governed by Employee and Labor Relations Manual 519.4 and provisions of May 4, 2000, Memorandums of Agreement between the Postal Service and its unions.

Presidential Proclamation: National Day of Mourning for Gerald R. Ford

As a further mark of respect to the memory of Gerald R. Ford, the thirty-eighth President of the United States, NOW, THEREFORE, I, GEORGE W. BUSH, President of the United States of America, by the authority vested in me by the Constitution and laws of the United States, in honor and tribute to the memory of Gerald R. Ford, and as an expression of public sorrow, do appoint Tuesday, January 2, 2007, as a National Day of Mourning throughout the United States. I call on the American people to assemble on that day in their respective places of worship, there to pay homage to the memory of President Ford. I invite the people of the world who share our grief to join us in this solemn observance.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this twenty eighth day of December in the year of our Lord two thousand six, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and thirty-first.

GEORGE W. BUSH

Executive Order: Providing for the Closing of Government Departments and Agencies on January 2, 2007

By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and laws of the United States of America, it is hereby ordered as follows:

Section 1. All executive departments, independent establishments, and other governmental agencies shall be closed on January 2, 2007, as a mark of respect for Gerald R. Ford, the thirty-eighth President of the United States. That day shall be considered as falling within the scope of Executive Order 11582 of February 11, 1971, and of 5 U.S.C. 5546 and 6103(b) and other similar statutes insofar as they relate to the pay and leave of employees of the United States.

Sec. 2. The first sentence of section 1 of this order shall not apply to those offices and installations, or parts thereof, in the Department of State, the Department of Defense, the Department of Justice, the Department of Homeland Security, or other departments, independent establishments, and governmental agencies that the heads thereof determine should remain open for reasons of national security or defense or other essential public business.

GEORGE W. BUSH

THE WHITE HOUSE,

December 28, 2006.

Subscribe to Postage Due:

amNewYork goes behind the scenes at the busiest post office on its busiest day of the year–as it rushes to deliver holiday mail.

San Francisco postal workers speak about the November 28 murder-suicide. From the Labor Video Project.

Subscribe to Postage Due:

While the 1993 Elvis stamp continues to hold court as the most popular stamp of all time with more than 124 million collected, three sets of stamps issued during 2006 rank among the top 10, Postmaster General John E. Potter announced today.

“Stamp collecting continues as one of the world’s most popular educational hobbies that the entire family can enjoy,” Potter said in announcing the 25 most popular stamps of all time. “Three stamp subjects issued this year were extremely popular: Wonders of America, Land of Superlatives, came in at number two for all time with more than 87 million collected; DC Comics Super Heroes hit number five with 73 million; and, Art of Disney: Romance was number eight with more than 57 million.”

Since 1988, the Postal Service has annually surveyed more than 10,000 households to determine the number and types of stamps purchased versus stamps saved.

The Postal Service receives stamp ideas from about 50,000 people every year, yet only 20 to 25 subjects make the cut. To narrow down the selection, the Postmaster General’s Citizens’ Stamp Advisory Committee — a cross section of designers, historians and academics — reviews the suggestions and make recommendations to the Postmaster General for final approval.

“The fact that 10 of the top 25 were issued in the last three years serves as a testament to the Committee’s expertise in selecting dynamic subjects and America’s continued interest in the hobby,” he added.

This year proved to be the best ever for stamp shows. The Washington 2006 World Philatelic Exhibition — as the world’s largest stamp show and held only once every decade in the U.S. — attracted nearly 140 postal administrations and more than 200 stamp dealers to showcase the world’s rarest stamp collections worth hundreds of millions of dollars to nearly a quarter of a million visitors.

The Postal Service encourages individuals with stamp ideas to submit their suggestions in writing to: CITIZENS’ STAMP ADVISORY COMMITTEE
STAMP DEVELOPMENT
U.S. POSTAL SERVICE
1735 NORTH LYNN ST RM 5013
ARLINGTON VA 22209-6432 To see the top 25 most popular stamp subject images, visit this special Download Center.

To see the 2007 Commemorative stamp program and learn more about the stamp selection process, visit the 2007 Commemorative stamp program.

Top 25 Most Popular Commemorative Stamps

Stamp Subject	Year	Stamps Saved
1) Elvis	1993	124.1 million
2) Wonders of America	2006	87.5 million
3) Wildflowers	1992	76.1 million
4) Rock & Roll/Rhythm & Blues	1993	75.9 million
5) DC Comics Super Heroes	2006	73.0 million
6) Greetings From America	2002	71.4 million
7) Insects and Spiders	1999	61.0 million
Art of Disney: Romance	2006	57.2 million
9) Legends of Baseball	2000	53.9 million
10) Art of Disney: Celebration	2005	52.8 milion
11) Baseball Playing Fields	2001	49.0 million
12) Art of Disney: Friendship	2004	47.7 million
13) Civil War	1995	46.6 million
14) Legends of the West	1994	46.4 million
15) Marilyn Monroe	1995	46.4 million
16) Advances in Aviation	2005	45.8 million
17) Bugs Bunny	1997	44.1 million
18) Lunar New Year SS	2005	42.7 million
19) Comic Strip Classics	1995	40.8 million
20) Jim Henson: Muppets	2005	40.6 million
21) Cloudscapes	2004	40.1 million
22) Stars and Stripes	2000	40.0 million
23) Baseball Sluggers	2006	39.5 million
24) Summer Olympics	1992	39.5 million
25) Lucille Ball	2001	38.7 million

USPS Press release

Subscribe to Postage Due: