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Season 3, Episode 198

Working 9 to 5: The story of a women’s labor movement

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Guest Name:


Ellen Cassedy

Guest Website:


ellencassedy.com

Guest Social Media:


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Ellen Cassedy, a founding member of 9to5, the National Association of Women Office Workers,  joined the America’s Work Force Union Podcast and explained how the organization was founded, which inspired the movie “9 to 5” that starred Jane Fonda and featured the Dolly Parton song of the same name. 

Cassedy is also the author of “Working 9 to 5: A women’s movement, a labor union, and the iconic movie.”

9to5 was established in 1973 as a grassroots collective for female office workers and addressed issues such as low pay and lack of opportunities for advancement. Early in its history, the group won a class action lawsuit against several Boston publishing companies, with female plaintiffs awarded $1.5 million in back pay.

Cassedy spoke about the evolution of the organization and the successes it brought for women. She explained how an activist connection between actress Jane Fonda and one of the members led to the development of the movie and Parton's song, which became an anthem of female empowerment in the workplace.

Cassedy then discussed the current state of union organizing and the myriad of challenges workers face today. She said it is great that workers are standing up together through solidarity, but ultimately, workers must forge their own path.

Listen to the entire episode to learn more about these topics.


America’s Work Force is the only daily labor podcast in the US and has been on the air since 1993, supplying listeners with useful, relevant input into their daily lives through fact-finding features, in-depth interviews, informative news segments and practical consumer reports. America’s Work Force is committed to providing an accessible venue in which America's workers and their families can hear discussion on important, relevant topics such as employment, healthcare, legislative action, labor-management relations, corporate practices, finances, local and national politics, consumer reports and labor issues.

America’s Work Force Union Podcast is brought to you in part by our sponsors: AFL-CIO, American Federation of Government Employees, American Federation of Musicians Local 4, Alliance for American Manufacturing, Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield, Brotherhood of Maintenance of Way Employes-IBT, Boyd Watterson, Columbus/Central Ohio Building and Construction Trades Council, Communication Workers of America, Mechanical Insulators Labor Management Cooperative Trust, International Association of Heat and Frost Insulators and Allied Workers Local 50, International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers, International Union of Bricklayers and Allied Crafts, International Union of Painters and Allied Trades District Council 6, Ironworkers Great Lakes District Council, Melwood, The Labor Citizen newspaper, Laborers International Union of North America, The National Labor Office of Blue Cross and Blue Shield, North Coast Area Labor Federation, Ohio Federation of Teachers, United Labor Agency, United Steelworkers.

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