Ellen Cassedy, "Working 9 to 5: A Women's Movement, a Labor Union, and the Iconic Movie" (Chicago Review Press, 2022)
Today I\xa0talked to Ellen Cassedy about her new book\xa0 Working 9 to 5: A Women's Movement, a Labor Union, and the Iconic Movie\xa0(Chicago Review Press, 2022).\nMany people may identify 9 to 5 with the comic film starring Jane Fonda, Dolly Parton and Lily Tomlin or perhaps only know Parton\u2019s hit song that served as its theme. But 9 to 5 wasn't just a comic film\u2014it was a movement built by Ellen Cassedy and her friends. Ten office workers in Boston started out sitting in a circle and sharing the problems they encountered on the job. In a few short years, they had built a nationwide movement that united people of diverse races, classes, and ages. They took on the corporate titans. They leafleted and filed lawsuits and started a woman-led union. They won millions of dollars in back pay and helped make sexual harassment and pregnancy discrimination illegal. The women office workers who rose up to win rights and respect on the job transformed workplaces throughout America. And along the way came Dolly Parton's toe-tapping song and a hit movie inspired by their work. Working 9 to 5 is a lively, informative, firsthand account packed with practical organizing lore that will embolden anyone striving for fair treatment.\nEllen Cassedy was a founder of the 9 to 5 organization in 1973. She is the coauthor with Karen Nussbaum of\xa09 to 5: The Working Woman's Guide to Office Survival\xa0and with Ellen Bravo of\xa0The 9 to 5 Guide to Combating Sexual Harassment. Ellen Cassedy is a former columnist for the\xa0Philadelphia Daily News, was a speechwriter in the Clinton administration, and has contributed to\xa0Huffington Post,\xa0Redbook,\xa0Woman's Day,\xa0Hadassah,\xa0Philadelphia Inquirer, and other publications.\nLearn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices\nSupport our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/gender-studies