Working 9 to 5
A Women's Movement, a Labor Union, and the Iconic Movie
Published on 23. September 2025
Book
Paperback/Softback
272 pages
978-0-89733-641-3 (ISBN)
Description
"A must-read for any activist or reader in search of inspiration." --Liz Shuler, president, AFL-CIO 2022 Sarton Awards Finalist for Memoir
2023 Independent Publisher Book Awards Gold Medalist - Women's Issues category 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.
2023 Independent Publisher Book Awards Gold Medalist - Women's Issues category 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.
More details
Language
English
Place of publication
Chicago
United States
Product notice
Paperback (trade)
Illustrations
Illustrations
Dimensions
Height: 218 mm
Width: 142 mm
Thickness: 15 mm
Weight
295 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-89733-641-3 (9780897336413)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Persons
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 is a former columnist for the Philadelphia Daily News, was a speechwriter in the Clinton administration, and has contributed to HuffPost, Redbook, Woman's Day, Hadassah Magazine, the Philadelphia Inquirer, and other publications. She lives in New York City. Jane Fonda is an Academy Award-winning actor as well as a producer, author, and longtime activist. She lives in Los Angeles.