{"id":933,"date":"2026-08-26T15:39:58","date_gmt":"2026-08-26T15:39:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/atlaslivingmedia.com\/?p=933"},"modified":"2026-08-26T15:39:58","modified_gmt":"2026-08-26T15:39:58","slug":"dolly-parton-was-a-proud-union-sister","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/atlaslivingmedia.com\/?p=933","title":{"rendered":"Dolly Parton Was a Proud Union Sister"},"content":{"rendered":"<article>\n<p>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 <em>9 to 5<\/em>, 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.<\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/atlaslivingmedia.com\/?p=931\">If Democrats Want to Win, They Have to Drain the SWAMP<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Workers everywhere knew what Parton meant when she sang about \u201cbarely gettin\u2019 by, it\u2019s all takin\u2019 and no givin\u2019,\u201d and complained, \u201cThey just use your mind and they never give you credit. It\u2019s enough to drive you crazy if you let it.\u201d That song appeared on a remarkable solo album by Parton, <em>9 to 5 and Odd Jobs<\/em>, which also included songs such as \u201cWorking Girl\u201d and \u201cPoor Folks Town\u201d by Parton, along with a poignant cover of \u201cDeportee (Plane Wreck at Los Gatos,\u201d Woody Guthrie\u2019s reflection on the racist treatment of migrant farm workers.<\/p>\n<p>The album\u2019s title track warned, \u201cIt\u2019s a rich man\u2019s game no matter what they call it. And you spend your life puttin\u2019 money in his wallet.\u201d It also reminded working women, \u201cThere\u2019s a better life and you think about it, don\u2019t you?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>So it came as no surprise that the news of Parton\u2019s death on Tuesday elicited heartfelt expressions of mourning\u2014and respect\u2014from unions that counted her as one of their own.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDolly Parton knew what it was like to struggle as she fought for working families her whole career,\u201d recalled the AFL-CIO. \u201cFrom providing free books to kids to giving working women our \u20189 to 5\u2019 anthem, she was an icon and an inspiration. Rest in power to our union sister. We will always love you.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Parton was, indeed, a union sister for the better part of 60 years\u2014carrying the card of multiple labor organizations that on Tuesday celebrated the talent and humanity that earned the country singer, actress, and philanthropist universal admiration.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cRest in peace, Dolly. Thank you for the music and the solidarity,\u201d declared the American Federation of Musicians of the United States and Canada (AFM), the AFL-CIO-affiliated labor union that represents 70,000 professional singers and players, including Parton. AFM recalled a member whose \u201cinfluence went far beyond the boundaries of country music, but she never lost track of who she was and her values.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBefore she was an icon, Dolly was a working musician,\u201d explained AFM International president Tino Gagliardi, who got his start as a New York\u2013based trumpet player. \u201cDolly never forgot the musicians who helped bring her music to life. By standing firm for solidarity and treating every player with dignity, she elevated our entire profession.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/atlaslivingmedia.com\/?p=929\">\u2018This Man Will Almost Certainly Die\u2019<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Dave Pomeroy, the bass player who serves as president of the AFM\u2019s powerful Local 257 in Nashville, noted, \u201cThroughout her 58 years as a proud member in good standing of Local 257, she set the gold standard for supporting her band and fellow musicians,\u201d he recalled. \u201cDolly and her team consistently filed AFM union contracts for gigs, sessions, and tours, ensuring that the bands, singers, and studio musicians working alongside her received the benefits of union membership.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Similar sentiments were expressed by entertainment industry unionists in Hollywood and nationwide.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cShe was a member of SAG-AFTRA for more than five decades, joining the union in 1969,\u201d recalled the Screen Actors Guild\u2013American Federation of Television and Radio Artists, which proudly counted Parton among the 160,000 singers, recording artists, actors, announcers, broadcast journalists, dancers, DJs, news writers, news editors, program hosts, puppeteers, stunt performers, voiceover artists and other media professionals it represents.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe passing of Dolly Parton will be deeply felt throughout our membership. Her life and legacy of joy and creativity had an indescribable impact on the world. As a singer, songwriter, performer, business leader and all-around visionary, Dolly Parton\u2019s talent is revered across generations,\u201d said SAG-AFTRA president Sean Astin (the veteran actor who played Samwise Gamgee in <em>The Lord of the Rings<\/em> trilogy). \u201cHer basic humanity is known to the world, and she is simply beloved by countless millions. Personally, from \u20189 to 5\u2019 when she effortlessly advanced the cause of professional women, to her <em>Islands in the Stream<\/em> collaboration with Kenny Rogers, I\u2019m a true and forever fan. On behalf of SAG-AFTRA and my family, we send thoughts of love and condolence to her family.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>SAG-AFTRA National Executive Director &amp; Chief Negotiator Duncan Crabtree-Ireland, a longtime social, economic justice, and LGBTQ+ rights campaigner, hailed Parton as \u201ca once-in-a-generation artist and, just as importantly, someone of true generosity and decency.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAs a fellow native Tennessean,\u201d he recalled. \u201cI\u2019m humbled by what she did with her platform: putting books in the hands of millions of children through the Imagination Library, standing up for people being treated unfairly, and modeling real inclusion, including as a steady friend to the LGBTQ+ community well before that was easy to do. SAG-AFTRA and the entire creative community mourn her loss.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>And, of course, Service Employees International Union Local 925, which can trace its roots to the 1970s organizing of women office workers that helped to inspire Parton\u2019s iconic film, added its voice of solidarity. \u201cWe\u2019re not in the habit of recognizing celebrity deaths here at 925. That said, Dolly Parton is a national treasure and some folks here joke that Dolly is our Local\u2019s patron saint,\u201d declared the union activists. \u201cAfter all, her song \u20189 to 5\u2019 is our anthem.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/atlaslivingmedia.com\/?p=927\">Pramila Jayapal at the PanAmerican Congress<\/a><\/p>\n<\/article>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Nation Magazine<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":932,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[22],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-933","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-obituary"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.6 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Dolly Parton Was a Proud Union Sister - Atlas Living Media<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/atlaslivingmedia.com\/?p=933\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Dolly Parton Was a Proud Union Sister - 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