Documentary "9to5" Highlights Cleveland Women Working of 1970s

By Rachel Rood

Published January 28, 2021 at 7:13 PM EST

9to5 Cleveland holds an action in protest of National City Bank. [Steve Cagan]

The 1980 movie 9 to 5 starring Dolly Parton and Jane Fonda became a working women's anthem, but the movement that inspired the movie was started by real office workers across the country, including in Cleveland, demanding better pay, benefits and respect.

This hour on The Sound of Ideas, host Jenny Hamel talks to the award-winning filmmakers who chronicled the 9 to 5 movement in a new documentary premeiring on PBS Monday night at 10pm. We'll also hear from Cleveland activists who helped create change for working women in the 70s and 80s. And we'll discuss what happened to the fight for gender parity after 9 to 5 ended.

Later in the hour, a local nursing home leader discusses the process of vaccinating staff and residents.

-Julia Reichert, Filmmaker, 9to5: The Story of a Movement

-Steve Bognar, Filmmaker, 9to5: The Story of a Movement

-Mary Jung, Former Community Organizer & Fundraiser, Cleveland Women Working

-Anne Hill, Former Organizer, SEIU District 925

- Yuvette Bozman, Executive Director, McGregor