9 to 5 wasn't just a comic film--it 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.
About the Author :
Ellen Cassedy was a founder of the 9 to 5 organization in 1973. She is the coauthor of 9 to 5: The Working Woman's Guide to Office Survival (with Karen Nussbaum) and The 9 to 5 Guide to Combating Sexual Harassment (with Ellen Bravo). Cassedy has been a columnist for the Philadelphia Daily News, a speechwriter in the Clinton administration, and a contributor to HuffPost, Redbook, Woman's Day, Hadassah Magazine, the Philadelphia Inquirer, and other publications.
Hillary Huber is one of the most successful voice talents in Los Angeles. Recent books read for Blackstone Audio include Him, Her, Him Again, the End of Him by Patricia Marx, A Field of Darkness by Cornelia Read, and A Map of Glass by Jane Urquhart.
Jane Fonda is an Academy Award-winning actor as well as a producer, author, and longtime activist. She lives in Los Angeles.
Review :
"A behind-the-scenes look at the organizing behind the 9 to 5 movement and how it inspired a generation of women to stand up for themselves and their sisters for fairness on the job."
-- "Cecile Richards, former president of Planned Parenthood"
"A fresh and timely resource for labor educators that underscores the power of workers to change conditions inside and outside the workplace."
-- "Mary Bellman, president of the United Association for Labor Education"
"Exactly the right book at the right time."
-- "Lane Windham, author of Knocking on Labor's Door "
"Remind[s] us of a struggle that looked pretty hopeless when it started but made a big difference...The story of a not-so-distant past that could help us figure out how to make a better, fairer future."
-- "The Nation"
"The women of 9 to 5 were among the first in modern labor history to model the significance of community-labor partnerships...We are their legacy. And we owe it to them to continue the fight."
-- "Erica Smiley, executive director, Jobs With Justice; coauthor of The Future We Need "
"Their battles fought at the intersection of the women's movement and the labor movement are even more relevant today...A must-read for any activist or reader in search of a piece of inspiration."
-- "Liz Shuler, president of AFL-CIO"
"This audiobook is an inspiring listen...Huber's passion, humor, and authenticity pull listeners in."
-- "AudioFile"
"This book provides a great model for organizing in 2022 and beyond."
-- "Elise Bryant, president, Coalition of Labor Union Women"
"This is an entertaining and occasionally enraging reminder of just how long and hard the fight for women's equality has been."
-- "Publishers Weekly"
