Harold Joseph Patrick Gibbons (April 10, 1910 – November 17, 1982) was an American trade unionist and labor leader.
Born the youngest of 23 children in Archibald Patch, Lackawanna County, Pennsylvania, he nonetheless matriculated at the University of Chicago. He became a St. Louis union leader of Warehousemen, when St. Louis was America's fifth largest entrepot because of its situation on the Mississippi and Missouri Rivers, and a major rail hub. The Warehousemen and Department Store Worker merged into United Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Employees of America, and that local union merged into Teamsters Local 688 in St. Louis. The International Brotherhood of Teamsters was the third of three international trade union vice presidencies he held. He was also a vice president of the teachers' union and the AF of L. He was a delegate to Democratic National Convention from Missouri in 1952. He was vice-president of the Alliance for Labor Action to promote social concerns and to organize the unorganized. He was a member of the American Civil Liberties Union and NAACP.
The St. Louis union was considered to be one of the most progressive in the United States. It initiated health care centers for members, vacation centers at Lake of the Ozarks, and militated for good pension plans for its members. Under Gibbons the Union researched and submitted plans for the desegregation of schools which was promoted by the editorial page of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Gibbons and Local 688 were also noted for their support of public housing, and were instrumental in the construction of the large Council Plaza housing development, which has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places since 2007.For a time, Gibbons was widely considered to be the heir apparent to Jimmy Hoffa. But Gibbons' work and political stances landed him on the master list of Nixon political opponents. Nixon's Chief Counsel, Charles Colson, directed White House Counsel John Dean to initiate tax audits on Gibbons, but Dean did not follow through. Gibbons' opposition to the Vietnam War led to Hoffa moving to marginalize him. Hoffa supported the war, while Gibbons had been a founder of Labor for Peace, and had visited Hanoi. Another source of friction was Bobby Kennedy, who had hounded Hoffa, and whom Gibbons had befriended. While Gibbons remained head of the Teamsters in St. Louis, he was maneuvered out of posts in which he could influence policy.
Gibbons died, from complications of a ruptured aortic aneurysm, in Los Angeles, California, November, 17. 1982. Interment was at Memorial Park Cemetery, St. Louis, Missouri.
The site of the original Sportsman's Park baseball stadium in St. Louis, now a neighborhood playground, was named "Harold J. Gibbons Field" for him.
Gibbons' papers are in the archives of Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville which he was instrumental in founding, because Illinois union members who wished to pursue higher education had to make exhausting commutes to attend university in Carbondale.
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Some of their strengths
Harold J. Gibbons has many admirable traits.
Based on spiritual traditions from around the world, they are someone who can be described as Brave, Honest, Energetic, Generous, Truthful, Helpful, and Imaginative.
Independent and Brave
According to Mysticism’s Astrology tradition, Harold J. Gibbons is someone who is an independent, brave, and honest person who approaches life with energy, intuition, passion, and generosity. A person who is charismatic and resourceful.
Adaptable and Versatile
Based on Daoism’s Ba-Zi or ‘Chinese Zodiac’ tradition, people who know Harold J. Gibbons well know them as someone who can be adaptable, flexible, and polite, like a flower or a sapling.
Truthful and Kind
According to Hinduism’s Jyotisha or ‘Vedic Astrology’ tradition, many would also describe Harold J. Gibbons as someone who is honest, compassionate, imaginative, and instinctual.
A person who enjoys new challlenges, is a magnet for attracting other creative types, good at identifying opportunities, and who is good at forming loyal, lifelong friendships.
Dynamic and Imaginative
Based on the Mayan Tzolk’in or ‘Mayan Astrology’ tradition, Harold J. Gibbons is someone who can bring a purifying element to situations, and who is a risk-taker with vision and imagination.
They are also someone who is intuitive, imaginative, and an agent of change, and who is always dreaming of life's great possibilities and partnering with people to try to achieve those possibilities.
Independent and Dynamic
According to Judaism’s Kabbalah tradition, Harold J. Gibbons tends to be someone who is independent, dynamic, and courageous. Who can be positive, energetic, self-reliant, and adventurous, and who can make friends easily.
Some of Harold J. Gibbons's challenges
While Harold J. Gibbons has many strengths, nobody is perfect. They also have some challenging traits they need to manage.
For example, Harold J. Gibbons can be Short-tempered, Impulsive, Unrealistic, Indecisive, Worrying, Stubborn, and Demanding.
Short-tempered and Impulsive
One of Harold J. Gibbons's key challenges is that they are someone who can come across as short-tempered and impulsive.
Harold J. Gibbons must also exercise caution as they can have difficulty dealing with responsibility, authority, or criticism.
Unrealistic and Indecisive
Harold J. Gibbons is someone who can be unrealistic, indecisive, and lacking in confidence, who can be impulsive when it comes to making important decisions, have difficulty collaborating with others, can be argumentative and not willling to accept criticism, and who can be disappointed by the high expectations they place on others.
Aggressive and Domineering
Finally, Harold J. Gibbons also can be aggressive, impatient, impulsive, and short-tempered.
