My name is Duane Davis, and I’m a proud father of my beautiful five-year-old daughter. I worked at Juicy Couture’s flagship store on 5th Avenue in New York City for almost four years in the stock department, filling Juicy’s shelves with $200 track suits. When I started, I got 40 hours a week and was able to support my family. I was happy and proud employee, because I thought finally, this is a good retail job - rare, but not impossible to have in the industry. However, that all changed when Juicy started cutting my hours down to 14 hours per week.

As I begged for more hours, reminding them that I have a daughter to support, I noticed they were cutting all full-time workers’ hours, while hiring more part-time employees! My co-workers and I struggled to get by and to support our families. After several months of working only 15 hours a week, I was forced out.

Working in retail isn’t easy because it’s common for us to be short-shifted. I’d commute into Manhattan from the Bronx, just to be schedule for four hour shifts -  and sometimes managers would even try to send me home before my four-hour shift was scheduled to end. I already pay $5 a day to go to work and I’d barely work enough hours to cover my transportation expenses. On those days I was on the train longer than I am at work!

By keeping hours under 30 per week, Juicy is avoiding their legal requirement to offer their workers affordable health care  – part of the Affordable Health Care Act’s plan to make sure more working Americans like me have basic health care. Further, I was told I’m only eligible for paid time off in case my daughter or I am sick once I work 1400 hours per year. At 14 hours per week, I’d never see one paid sick day!

I am here to fight for changes in the retail industry. Juicy Couture’s 5th Avenue store sets the precedent for many retail companies. The part-timing and short-shifting of their workforce needs to stop. Workers’ livelihoods are at stake. Our families’ livelihoods are at stake. Join me and my co-workers in demanding Just Hours at Juicy.

Editor's note: You can sign the petition calling on Juicy Couture to remove restrictions on hours and provide full-time opportunities for employees! Click here to add your name: http://www.coworker.org/petitions/juicy-take-care-of-your-workers