Ellen Cassedy is known for co-founding 9to5, an organization coordinating improved working conditions for office workers.
Biography
Cassedy was working as an office worker at Harvard University when she met Karen Nussbaum. After going to a weekend workshop for office workers, the two realized that many office workers faced challenges in the workplace. They formed the 9to5 organization in the Boston area with a group of eight other women, all located in Boston.
Cassedy wrote series of newspaper articles with Nussbaum that shared ideas from their book, 9 to 5: The Working Woman's Guide to Office Survival. They advocated for better working conditions for working secretaries. Cassedy was the editor of the 9 to 5 newsletter. She spoke against changes to affirmative action programs in 1975, and during the Reagan administration she worked on affirmative action programs.
Cassedy also wrote the one-woman play Beautiful Hills of Brooklyn that was inspired by diaries written by her great-aunt. The play was made into a film with Joanna Merlin playing the lead character, and won awards at multiple film festivals.
Selected publications
- Cassedy, Ellen; Nussbaum, Bruce (1983-10-27). 9 to 5: Working Women. Harmondsworth, Middlesex, England: Penguin Books. ISBN 978-0-14-006751-4.
- Cassedy, Ellen (2022-09-06). Working 9 to 5: A Women's Movement, a Labor Union, and the Iconic Movie. Chicago Review Press.
- Bravo, Ellen; Cassedy, Ellen (1992-05-22). The 9 to 5 Guide to Combating Sexual Harassment: Candid Advice from 9 to 5, The National Association of Working Women (1st ed.). New York: Wiley. ISBN 978-0-471-57576-4.
- Cassedy, Ellen (2012-03-01). We Are Here: Memories of the Lithuanian Holocaust. Lincoln London: University of Nebraska Press. ISBN 978-0-8032-3012-5.
References
- MacPherson, Myra (1978-01-19). "Secretaries In Revolt". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 2023-05-16.
- Bakos, Susan Crain (1984-09-12). "Women's labor groups: stoking fires of change". The Fresno Bee; Fresno, California. Retrieved 2024-11-02.
- Hoffman, Marilyn (1983-12-03). "9-to-5 workers winning more respect". The Palm Beach Post; West Palm Beach, Florida. pp. , . Retrieved 2024-11-02.
- Cassedy, Karen; Nussbaum, Karen (1983-10-23). "Surviving 9 to 5". The Indianapolis Star Indianapolis, Indiana. Retrieved 2023-05-16.
- Seaberry, Jane (1980-02-23). "Group Assails Banks' Job Practices". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 2023-05-16.
- McCormack, Patricia (1983-11-04). "Office workers bring '9 to 5' to life". The Knoxville News-Sentinel; Knoxville, Tennessee. Retrieved 2023-05-16.
- Cowan, Edward (1976-09-16). "Labor Department Offers Proposal to Spur Affirmative Action Hiring". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2023-05-16.
- Upi (1981-10-06). "AFFIRMATIVE ACTION IS BACKED". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2023-05-16.
- Rousuck, J. Wynn (2004-04-15). "Aunt's diary furnishes the material for show". The Baltimore Sun; Baltimore, Maryland. pp. . Retrieved 2024-11-02.
- Lore, Diane C. (2003-12-08). "Play about CSI prof sings her praises as a lifeline for seniors". Staten Island Advance; Staten Island, New York. pp. . Retrieved 2024-11-02.
- Russakoff, Dale (2010-09-27). "The New Old Age Blog: Recalling a Simple Life in Brooklyn". The New York Times. Retrieved 2024-11-02.
- Reviews of 9 to 5: Working Women
- Yenckel, James T. (1983-12-14). "CAREER FILE". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 2023-05-16.
- "Pink collar workers seek survival". Calgary Herald; Calgary, Alberta, Canada. 1983-11-17. Retrieved 2024-11-02.
- Review of Working 9 to 5
- "A movement that surprised, and changed, the world". Wisconsin State Journal; Madison, Wisconsin. 2022-09-04. pp. . Retrieved 2024-11-02.
- Reviews of The 9 to 5 Guide to Combating Sexual Harassment
- Noble, Barbara Presley (1992-07-12). "At Work; When the Subject Is Harassment". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2023-05-16.
- Reviews of We Are Here
- Marlow, Jennifer (2012-10-01). "We Are Here: Memories of the Lithuanian Holocaust". The Polish Review. 57 (3): 112–114. doi:10.5406/polishreview.57.3.0112. ISSN 0032-2970.