The Postal Service will begin this year’s USPS Ethics Awareness Week on Monday, Aug. 17.
The annual campaign aims to educate employees on the importance of conducting themselves with integrity and help the organization maintain its trusted reputation.
This year’s campaign will focus on the misuse of Postal Service property and time, use of USPS vehicles, the sanctity of the mail, and reporting relationships and nepotism.
In recognition of Ethics Awareness Week, Link will publish stories with ethics reminders each day during USPS Ethics Awareness Week, and the Smart Business Moments LiteBlue page also will have daily reminders.
The USPS Ethics Office will conduct an ethics training via Zoom at 3 p.m. Eastern, Thursday, Aug. 20.
Ethics tools and resources are available year-round, including the Ethics Blue page and the Ethics section of usps.com, as well as the USPS Ethics mobile app with a self-help feature.
For more information, employees can email the USPS Ethics Office or call 202-268-6346. The Ethics Office responds to questions within 24-48 hours.
One more trip for today…
Azeezaly S. Jaffer, who served as the Vice President for Public Affairs and Communications for the U.S. Postal Service from 1999 until his resignation in 2006.
A lengthy investigation by the USPS Office of Inspector General (OIG) detailing a period from January 2003 through December 2005 uncovered a massive ethics scandal involving wasteful spending, personal enrichment, and behavioral misconduct.
Key Findings of the Jaffer OIG Investigation:
Extravagant Expense Chicanery: He routinely used his USPS corporate expense account to fund a lavish lifestyle. He crisscrossed the United States on the public dime, treating himself, friends, and family members to expensive dinners. One noted receipt flagged by investigators showed a single dinner bill for three people that totaled $1,066.08, which included 16 alcoholic drinks.
Heavy Drinking and Workplace Misconduct: The watchdog report detailed heavy drinking on the job and severe behavioral issues. He was officially accused of sexual harassment and cultivating a toxic environment within his department, which oversaw 160 employees and a $20 million budget.
Family Travel and Reimbursements: He regularly billed the government for his relatives’ travel and entertainment expenses. Following the pressure of the investigation, he ultimately paid the Postal Service $3,600 to retroactively cover a portion of the bills run up by his family.
The “Endless Summer” Controversy and Resignation: The scandal intensified due to how USPS leadership handled the fallout. Instead of immediately firing or prosecuting him when the findings came to light, senior management allowed him to take a two-month paid vacation (mocked by watchdogs as an “endless summer”) before officially accepting his resignation on September 1, 2006.
The leniency of his departure sparked immense backlash from congressional oversight committees and groups like Citizens Against Government Waste, who cited it as prime evidence of a deep-seated cultural lack of accountability within the organization.
Let’s go down memory lane…
Robert Bernstock, who served as the President of Mailing and Shipping Services (an executive vice president-level role) for the U.S. Postal Service from 2008 to 2010.
A detailed investigation by the USPS Office of Inspector General (OIG) revealed a pattern of severe ethical violations concerning his outside corporate interests.
Key Findings of the OIG Investigation Misuse of Personnel: The watchdog report concluded that he improperly used postal employees, administrative assistants, and government property to conduct his private outside business interests. Staff members were directed to schedule corporate meetings, print materials for outside board meetings, and arrange personal travel.
Private Business Ties: While drawing a full-time USPS executive salary, he regularly conducted outside corporate work during office hours. He received over $250K in director fees from private companies like Nutrisystem Inc., Pantry Inc., and his own business, City Barbeque. Investigators flagged over 1,400 internal emails detailing his outside business dealings.
No-Bid Contract Steering: Beyond personnel misuse, the OIG found that he steered millions of dollars in non-competitive, no-bid postal contracts to former business associates from his past corporate roles at Vlasic Foods and Scotts Miracle-Gro.
Financial Reporting Failure: He failed to disclose all of his private business interests and financial holdings on required federal disclosure forms.
He resigned from the Postal Service in 2010 shortly before the USPS OIG published its formal report.
I always have to laugh when this comes around.
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The U.S. Postal Service (USPS) has faced major past ethics problems, including leadership financial conflicts of interest, mistreatment of injured workers, and pressure on employee timecards.
Leadership Conflicts of Interest: Louis DeJoy Investments: In 2020 and 2021, Postmaster General Louis DeJoy faced intense scrutiny over financial investments. Reports showed he held millions in stock and rental income tied to former business partners and USPS contractors like XPO Logistics.
Stock Options: Ethics watchdogs also criticized him for purchasing Amazon stock options shortly after taking office, though postal ethics officials stated he complied with disclosure rules.
Mistreatment of Injured Workers Unlawful Firings: The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) found that the USPS unlawfully fired roughly 44,000 workers who were hurt on the job during a five-year period ending around 2020.
Privacy Breaches: The agency also discriminated against thousands of injured employees by changing their duties improperly and exposing their private medical records.
Wage and Timecard Pressures: Unpaid Overtime: Investigations revealed that local supervisors altered employee time cards and cheated mail carriers out of proper pay.
Lack of Discipline: Supervisors faced heavy pressure to cut costs, but faced little punishment for shorting carrier compensation.
That’s Funny!!!!!
The lack of “ethics” is why USPS is in this mess.
time theft, nepotism, just outright corruption.
What a joke.
And a zoom at 3pm on a thursday???
Yeah, sure, all the people that have no ethics will be on
that zoom.
What a dump????