Hi. We’re Debbra and Phillesia, and we’ve been part-time workers at Victoria’s Secret’s Flagship store in New York City for several years. The majority of our store’s approximately 700 workers struggle because we’re classified as part-time – only managers are considered full-time. Our hours fluctuate wildly, so we never know how much our paychecks will be, and since we don’t have guaranteed minimum hours, our hours are slashed without notice – leaving us unable to pay our rent, succeed at school, get promotions, or take care of our families. Some of us are fortunate enough to work over 30 hours per week, but because we’re misclassified as part-time we don’t get the benefits and raises that are granted to full-time employees.

We are parents, students, and hard workers who deserve to know how many hours we work. Phillesia has been a cashier for four years, and is one of many hard-working students at Victoria’s Secret. Debbra has been a support stock associate for close to three years, and struggles to pay her student loans on unstable paychecks.

Over 100 of our coworkers have joined the Retail Action Project’s Just Hours Campaign to address these unpredictable and unfair scheduling practices. Last week, we delivered a letter to our District Manager, asking them to meet with our committee for Just Hours. So far they have refused.

Victoria’s Secret claims they have an open door policy. Instead, they responded to our efforts by cutting our hours, intimidating us, increasing surveillance, and harassing us. Management is individually targeting workers who they suspect are fighting for equal opportunity, fair wages, and respect.

Instead of the opportunity to have stable jobs with benefits, we’re being denied access to jobs with enough predictable hours. We can’t afford to have our hours slashed. Part-time should be a choice, instead of a dead end.

That’s why we need your help. Victoria’s Secret is a prominent women’s retailer that should do the right thing and respect their employees’ right to earn a living. Sign our petition asking Victoria’s Secret to guarantee a minimum of 30 hours per week with benefits for the majority of our store’s employees!