The Hidden — but Very Real — Hours Not Seen
The Hidden — but Very Real — Hours Not Seen
By Richard Carmona
Past Houston Branch 122 President
Every EAS employee knows the truth: Our workday does not start at our scheduled begin tour. And it certainly does not end at our scheduled end tour.
The Postal Service may print tours on paper, but the real tour begins with the first early-morning text and ends long after the unit clears. These are the hidden hours — unseen, unacknowledged, but lived by every EAS employee.
The Day Starts Before the Day Starts
Most mornings begin before 7 a.m., with requests for data, reports and “quick updates.” By the time your official tour begins, you already have put in hours of work. And it doesn’t stop until 7:30, 8, sometimes 8:30 p.m. That’s not a tour — it’s a lifestyle.
Much of the information being demanded could be provided by AM and PM supervisors already on the clock. Yet, the expectation always circles back to the EAS manager. One manager told me she answered 42 texts before she even arrived at her unit. That’s not leadership — and it is unsustainable.
The Lunch Break That Does Not Exist
During a morning telecon, I once asked, “When should I plan my lunch today?” The response was, “When your work is done.” If that’s the standard, lunch is scheduled for retirement.
Between morning, afternoon, emergency and “quick, five-minute” telecons that last 45 minutes, the day becomes one, long meeting. Another manager told me she took her “lunch” at 6:45 p.m. in the parking lot — the first moment all day when the calls stopped.
Always On, Even Off the Clock
When we leave for the day, we don’t actually leave. The texts, emails and calls continue until the unit clears. Weekends offer no relief. Saturday has become another workday filled with early messages and late follow-ups.
These hours are damaging family life, health and morale. It’s not because of poor performance, but because of unrealistic expectations and constant micromanagement.
A Fair Approach
EAS employees are not asking for special treatment. We are asking for fairness: scheduled tours that mean something, nonscheduled days that are respected, lunch breaks that exist and leadership that trusts rather than micromanages.
The Postal Service runs on people, not endless hours. Hidden hours may have become the norm, but they never should be the expectation. It’s time for a sustainable approach that protects the leaders who keep this organization moving.