Forgot Your Password?

New to The Nation? Subscribe

Print subscriber? Activate your online access

.nation-small__b{fill:#fff;}

Dolly Parton Was a Proud Union Sister

Organized labor is celebrating the life and legacy of an artist who championed working women and carried a union card for almost 60 years.

Dolly Parton in a scene from 9 to 5.

Dolly Parton, the brilliant songwriter and beloved country singer who has died at age 80, wrote one of the great anthems of the American working class. The title song from 9 to 5, the 1980 classic about battling gender inequity in the workplace that starred Parton, Jane Fonda, and Lily Tomlin, spoke so much truth that it became a hit on the pop and country charts, gained an Academy Award nomination for Best Original Song, and collected two Grammys.

Workers everywhere knew what Parton meant when she sang about “barely gettin’ by, it’s all takin’ and no givin’,” and complained, “They just use your mind and they never give you credit. It’s enough to drive you crazy if you let it.” That song appeared on a remarkable solo album by Parton, 9 to 5 and Odd Jobs, which also included songs such as “Working Girl” and “Poor Folks Town” by Parton, along with a poignant cover of “Deportee (Plane Wreck at Los Gatos,” Woody Guthrie’s reflection on the racist treatment of migrant farm workers.

The album’s title track warned, “It’s a rich man’s game no matter what they call it. And you spend your life puttin’ money in his wallet.” It also reminded working women, “There’s a better life and you think about it, don’t you?”

So it came as no surprise that the news of Parton’s death on Tuesday elicited heartfelt expressions of mourning—and respect—from unions that counted her as one of their own.

“Dolly Parton knew what it was like to struggle as she fought for working families her whole career,” recalled the AFL-CIO. “From providing free books to kids to giving working women our ‘9 to 5’ anthem, she was an icon and an inspiration. Rest in power to our union sister. We will always love you.”

Parton was, indeed, a union sister for the better part of 60 years—carrying the card of multiple labor organizations that on Tuesday celebrated the talent and humanity that earned the country singer, actress, and philanthropist universal admiration.

“Rest in peace, Dolly. Thank you for the........

© The Nation