Working 9 to 5

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 organising lore that will embolden anyone striving for fair treatment.

'A must-read for any activist or reader in search for a piece of inspiration.' - Liz Shuler, president, AFL-CIO

'This is an entertaining and occasionally enraging reminder of just how long and hard the fight for women's equality has been.' - Publishers Weekly

'The 9 to 5 movement inspired organizers and working women everywhere. Finally, sexism that was a part of working women's lives was exposed and became a rallying cry to address what so many women endured just to earn a living. This engaging book by Ellen Cassedy gives a behind-the-scenes look at the organizing behind this important movement, and how it inspired a generation of women to stand up for themselves and their sisters for fairness on the job.' - Cecile Richards, cofounder, Supermajority; former president, Planned Parenthood

'In these days of hard times for unions and workers, it's good to have Ellen Cassedy to remind us of a struggle that looked pretty hopeless when it started but made a big difference. Women's work is still undervalued and underpaid, so what are we waiting for? Read Working 9 to 5 for the story of a not-so-distant past that could help us figure out how to make a better, fairer future.' - Katha Pollitt, The Nation

'A fresh and timely resource for labour educators that underscores the power of workers to change conditions inside and outside the workplace.' - Mary Bellman, president, United Association for Labor Education (UALE)