Talk:United States Postal Service/Archive 5

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Alerting editors to scam LiteBlue links

Hi there, this is Jonathan from the Postal Service. I want to alert editors to the fact that several anonymous IP editors have persistently tried to add scam LiteBlue links to the article over the past couple months. I'll cite a few examples, with diff links: ex 1, ex 2, and ex 3.

LiteBlue is the portal that USPS workers use to monitor and manage their career and benefits. It contains, among other things, sensitive payroll information, and probably doesn't belong on the USPS page at all.

The link to the real site is here: https://liteblue.usps.gov/wps/portal. The links in the edits cited above, all of which have since been reverted, have slightly different URLs and take the user to a fake LiteBlue landing page that tries to scam them out of their login credentials. In other words, it's a phishing scheme.

The American Postal Workers' Union put out a bulletin in early January alerting its members of this scheme. Apparently it has since grown to include Wikipedia. I'm not suggesting that this article be put under protection. I just want to flag the issue and advise editors to double-check any edits that include LiteBlue links, because there's a good chance they're fraudulent.

Tagging in a few editors whom I've noticed tend to keep a close eye on the USPS article: DN, User:Ww2censor, and User:Coolcaesar.

Thanks for your help! Jonathan with U.S. Postal Service (talk) 21:58, 4 March 2024 (UTC)

POV issue: "Criticism of the universal service requirement and the postal monopoly"

This section is properly written to conform to neutral POV standards, but it's glaring in its omission of any contrary views. Is anyone with knowledge on the subject able to add some balance? WP Ludicer (talk) 16:54, 13 April 2024 (UTC)

I shortened one of the arguments in the section, which appeared too long and prominent for WP:DUEWEIGHT. Llll5032 (talk) 18:00, 13 April 2024 (UTC)

Deliveries section update

Hello editors, Jonathan here back on the talk page for my next request, this time updating a few figures in the Deliveries section that are outdated. In the first sentence of the section, I'm proposing these figures be updated:

Current language:

As of 2021, the USPS operates 31,330 post offices and locations in the U.S., and delivers 128.8 billion pieces of mail annually, to 163 million delivery points (as of 2022).

Suggested language:

As of 2023, the Postal Service operates 33,641 Post Office and contract locations in the U.S., and delivered a total of 127.3 billion packages and pieces of mail to 164.9 million delivery points in fiscal year 2022.

In the last sentence of the section, I'm proposing these changes:

Current language:

The period between Thanksgiving and Christmas is the busiest time of the year for the USPS with the agency delivering an estimated 900 million packages during the period of 2018.

Suggested language:

The holiday season between Thanksgiving and Christmas is the peak mailing and shipping period for the Postal Service, representing a total volume of 11.7 billion packages and pieces of mail during this time in 2022.

References

Of course, I will defer to non-COI editors to review these changes. If any editors have feedback on how to improve, please let me know. Thank you so much! Jonathan with U.S. Postal Service (talk) 17:50, 30 April 2024 (UTC)

Hopping back into this thread to ping two editors who've been helpful and active on this page in the past: User:Zippybonzo and User:Ww2censor. If there are any questions, please ping me back and I'll be ready to respond. Jonathan with U.S. Postal Service (talk) 14:49, 7 May 2024 (UTC)

Sorry to post another reply here, just trying to get some eyeballs on this edit request, which isn't too complicated. I'm going to ping here a few additional editors who have made appearances on this article recently: User:Llll5032, User:WP Ludicer, and User:Philipnelson99. Again, if anybody has questions I'll be around to give a reply. I do appreciate your time. Jonathan with U.S. Postal Service (talk) 14:04, 15 May 2024 (UTC)

Implemented, but with slight wording change so as to not be unnecessarily wordy. Graywalls (talk) 15:26, 22 May 2024 (UTC)

Thank you so much for taking the time to complete this request Graywalls. I'll have another edit request posted here shortly. In the interim, if you've got the time, I have an open edit request for the Delivering for America subsection that has received some past feedback from other Wikipedians, but seems to have lost momentum. Let me know if you could take a peek at that. Again, thanks a bunch! Jonathan with U.S. Postal Service (talk) 15:59, 24 May 2024 (UTC)

Requesting edits to During the Trump administration section

Hello again! Jonathan from the Postal Service here. For my next request, I wanted to revisit changes I was seeking to the During the Trump administration section back in May of last year. A couple of aspects of that request went unaddressed by editors. (Which is totally understandable; it was a pretty complex request.)

As I did last time, I'll lay out these suggested changes in table form. Going from left to right, you'll see the current text of the article, then my changes, and finally my justification for those changes as well as any relevant sourcing.

During the Trump administration Section Updates

Current version	Proposed change	Comments
In May 2020, in a controversial move, the Board of Governors of the United States Postal Service appointed Louis DeJoy, the first postmaster general in the last two decades who did not emerge from the postal bureaucracy.	In May 2020, in a controversial move, the bipartisan Board of Governors of the United States Postal Service appointed Louis DeJoy, the first postmaster general in the last two decades who did not emerge from the postal bureaucracy.	I believe it's meaningful to mention that the board that appointed DeJoy was bipartisan.
Mail collection boxes were removed from the streets in many cities; after photos of boxes being removed were spread on social media, a postal service spokesman said they were being moved to higher traffic areas but that the removals would stop until after the election.	In the summer of 2020, the longstanding practice of removing mail collection boxes from low-traffic areas came into question, as photos of their removal spread on social media. This practice had been ongoing for decades, due to declining volume of first class mail.	Clarifies the passage on removal of mailboxes, as it is as a long-running practice and not the result of a new directive.

References
References

I'll provide a link here to the old edit request, which has been archived, in case anyone wants to take a look at it. As always, I'm available to explain myself further, should editors have any questions. Thanks in advance to anyone who steps in to handle this request! Jonathan with U.S. Postal Service (talk) 16:01, 24 May 2024 (UTC)

 Not done I believe that both passages are more clear and neutral as they are currently. P,TO 19104 (talk) (contribs) 20:11, 27 May 2024 (UTC)

Thank you for the response. However, I would like this edit request to be re-opened in the event another editor weighs in offering additional feedback. Jonathan with U.S. Postal Service (talk) 17:39, 28 May 2024 (UTC)

COVID-19 test kits edit request

Hello. I'm back to post my next edit request, which is a relatively short one. Here, I'd like to add some information about the Postal Service's mailing out free COVID-19 test kits. I've cited notable media coverage of the program with articles from Time, Federal News Network, and USA Today.

In the draft below, I've done the following:

• Added a sentence detailing how the Biden administration contacted Postmaster General Louis DeJoy to kickstart the free test kit program, delivering 380 million home test kits between Jan. 2022 to May 2022, cited to Time as well as Federal News Network.
• Cited a USA Today piece stipulating that the USPS ended the program in March 2024, and that, by the program's end, it had delivered a total of 1.8 billion free test kits.

Please read below:

COVID test kits draft
After the Biden administration contacted the Postal Service about the possibility of mailing free COVID-19 test kits to Americans, Postmaster General DeJoy helped the USPS deliver approximately 380 million home test kits from January 2022 through May 2022. As of March 2024, when the program concluded, the USPS had delivered over 1.8 billion free COVID-19 test kits. References

Ideally, this new paragraph would be added to the end of the Coronavirus pandemic and voting by mail section. If editors have questions about this proposed language, please don't hesitate to ping me. Thank you. Jonathan with U.S. Postal Service (talk) 18:21, 31 May 2024 (UTC)

 Done STEMinfo (talk) 23:28, 31 May 2024 (UTC)

Thank you so much! Jonathan with U.S. Postal Service (talk) 17:02, 4 June 2024 (UTC)

USPS self-financing edit request

Hello! I'm back with my next request. This one, again, is quite a short one. As the article exists now, there is nothing that explains that the Postal Service is self-financing. I'd like to add two sentences that briefly explains the history of how the USPS became self-financing. Preferably this would be added to the Governance and organization section, explained below:

• Cited a CNN Business article, as well as a PBS article that states the USPS is self-financing and has been since the Postal Reorganization Act came into effect in 1971. NOTE: The PBS reference listed is already in use in the History and I've edited the citation in my draft update to make it a named reference because it is used multiple times.
• Cited both the CNN Business and PBS sources again to explain that the USPS does not receive taxpayer funding, and hasn't since 1982.

Please read below:

USPS self-financing draft
Since the Postal Reorganization Act came into effect in 1971, the USPS has been mandated to be self-financing and rely solely on revenue from stamps and package deliveries to support itself. In 1982, postal stamps were changed to be categorized as products rather than a form of taxation, and since then, the Postal Service has no longer received taxpayer funding. References

Thank you to whoever takes the time to review this request. As always, I'll be here to respond to any feedback. Jonathan with U.S. Postal Service (talk) 15:01, 12 June 2024 (UTC)

Jumping back into this thread to ping two editors who have been active on this Talk page recently: User:STEMinfo and User:P,TO 19104. If either have any interest in evaluating this or questions please do let me know, and thank you very much. Jonathan with U.S. Postal Service (talk) 18:56, 21 June 2024 (UTC)

 Done P,TO 19104 (talk) (contribs) 22:38, 27 June 2024 (UTC)

Thank you so much for completing this request, I appreciate it. If you'd be able to help with another request, I’m hoping to be back soon with a short request for a new image. Thanks again. Jonathan with U.S. Postal Service (talk) 13:42, 1 July 2024 (UTC)

LiteBlue scam link alert

Hi everybody, I'm back once again to alert editors of the LiteBlue scam links that have continued to be added to the USPS article. I posted on this Talk page back in March to make editors aware of this, a post which has since been archived. To refresh our memories, LiteBlue is a portal that USPS workers use to manage their careers and benefits. It contains sensitive payroll information and likely doesn't belong on the USPS page.

Here is a link to the actual LiteBlue website: https://liteblue.usps.gov/wps/portal

Links to the phishing LiteBlue scheme site have continued to be added to the article over and over again, and currently, three exist at the bottom of the page in the External links section. Here are a few examples of anonymous IP editors adding the links over the last month: example one, example two, and example three.

Back in January, the American Postal Workers Union posted an alert notifying members of this phishing attempt: [1]. I'm hoping that editors do take action here to make sure this vandalism doesn't continue to go unchecked. I'll ping a few editors here who have been active on this article recently: User:P,TO 19104, User:Spencer, and User:Ww2censor. Thank you all so much. Jonathan with U.S. Postal Service (talk) 17:49, 9 July 2024 (UTC)

 All links removed P,TO 19104 (talk) (contribs) 21:15, 9 July 2024 (UTC)

Thank you! Hopefully, these scam links will no longer be added to the page. Jonathan with U.S. Postal Service (talk) 15:54, 10 July 2024 (UTC)

Automated Postal Centers edit request

Hi editors, I'm back with another edit request. This time, I'd like to update the Automated Postal Centers subsection. The section as it exists now is outdated both in title and content, as the APC name was phased out long ago, and some of the citations in the section are either broken or outdated.

Specifically, I've made the following changes:

• Removed the image of the Automated Postal Center. I'm currently working on uploading an image to Wikimedia Commons of a Self-Service Kiosk that I'll propose the addition of in a future edit request.
• Updated the Lunewsviews citation.
• Renamed the subsection to Self-Service Kiosks.
• Added that the USPS renamed APCs to Self-Service Kiosks in the early-2010s cited to a Brooklyn Eagle article.
• Updated the description of SSK, noting its ability to weigh and mail parcels, letters and flats, renew postal office boxes, and print postage, cited to articles from Linns Stamp News and the USPS.
• Removed the archived USPS citation as it is outdated information.
• Also added that the SSKs only accept debit and credit cards as forms of payment, and operate similarly to how ATMs function, cited to the USPS.
• Removed the final sentence of the subsection and its All Things Considered citation as it is a broken link, and the language reads as too promotional.
• Added statistics cited to the USPS regarding how many machines are in operation, and the exact amount of money they generated in 2023.

Please read below:

Self-Service Kiosk draft

Self-Service Kiosks In 2004, the USPS began deploying Automated Postal Centers (APCs) at USPS locations. In the early 2010s, the USPS renamed APCs to Self-Service Kiosks (SSKs). Self-Service Kiosks are automated and are able to weigh and mail parcels, letters and flats, renew postal office boxes, and print postage. SSKs only accept debit or credit cards as payment and function similarly to how an ATM operates for bank customers. As of 2023, there are 2,788 SSK machines in operation which generated $267.9 million in annual revenue. References

As a reminder, or for editors who may not have replied to my requests before, I'm an employee of the Postal Service and have a conflict of interest which is why I'm making this request.

If any editors have questions, please let me know, and I'll be standing by to respond. Thank you! Jonathan with U.S. Postal Service (talk) 19:28, 18 July 2024 (UTC)

 Declined; content additions should generally be cited only to independent sources to avoid undue promotion and maintain encyclopedic neutrality. Left guide (talk) 07:58, 19 July 2024 (UTC)

Thank you for providing feedback here user:Left guide. I would like to tag in a few editors who have been active on this Talk page in order to strike a consensus on the draft above: user:P,TO 19104 and user:STEMinfo.

If they too believe that using those USPS sources is a no-go, then I totally understand and have prepared a draft below which removes the USPS sources, including the sentences about the SSK financial figures as well as their functioning similar to an ATM. Please read below:

Self-Service Kiosks draft v2
Self-Service Kiosks In 2004, the USPS began deploying Automated Postal Centers (APCs) at USPS locations. In the early 2010s, the USPS renamed APCs to Self-Service Kiosks (SSKs). Self-Service Kiosks are automated and are able to weigh and mail parcels, letters and flats, renew postal office boxes, and print postage. References

If there are any further questions about this latest draft, please ping me and I will be available for a response. Again, I do thank you for your time in answering this request.Jonathan with U.S. Postal Service (talk) 13:36, 5 August 2024 (UTC)

 Done with the second draft. I have no objections to other uninvolved editors adding the additional content if they think it's useful. Personally I think it's a relatively reasonable WP:ABOUTSELF, but the page is already very long and I don't think this section needs that much detail. I've also kept the image until it can be replaced with the new one mentioned. Rusalkii (talk) 18:58, 18 August 2024 (UTC)

Thank you so much for implementing this, as well as all the attention you've paid to the active requests on this Talk page. Jonathan with U.S. Postal Service (talk) 19:48, 21 August 2024 (UTC)