Listen: Women’s History Month Special

FDNY trailblazer Brenda Berkman.

By Bob Hennelly

This is the first Monday of Women’s History Month. Last Women’s History Month, a woman still had the reproductive rights that were enshrined in the landmark Roe. Vs Wade decision that affirmed a woman’s constitutional right to an abortion. On June 24, 2022 the US Supreme Court took that away. The reality is we can’t assume social progress — that merely the passage of time-advances our human condition to a more perfect union. No, it’s only disciplined collective and courageous action that can advance us forward with no backsliding. 

In this edition of the Stuck Nation Labor Radio Hour we hear from two women who bent the arc of history in a way that altered its course for the better.

Retired FDNY Captain Brenda Berkman was the lead plaintiff in the landmark 1980’s lawsuit that opened the door for women to become New York City firefighters. Not taking 'NO' for an answer, Berkman legally challenged the FDNY's physical  fitness test which had been cooked up to exclude women after the passage of federal laws that prohibited race and gender based job discrimination. She prevailed in court and along with 40 other women would be sworn in as New York City's first female firefighters. 

In the second half of our show we will speak with Ellen Cassedy, journalist and author who has chronicled her experience as a member of the original 9 to 5 female office worker collective from Boston that inspired a national union and the iconic movie by the same name starring Jane Fonda, Lily Tomlin and Dolly Parton.

Her book, “Working 9 to 5-A Women’sMovement, a Labor Union and the Iconic Movie", is published by Chicago Review Press and includes an introduction by Jane Fonda.