Dickason, Gladys (1903–1971)

American labor activist. Name variations: Gladys Marie Dickason. Born Gladys Marie Dickason, Jan 28, 1903, in Galena, Oklahoma; died Aug 31, 1971, in New York, NY; dau. of Simon Milton Dickason and Linnie (Kellerman) Dickason; University of Oklahoma, AB, 1922; Columbia University, AM, 1924; attended London School of Economics; throughout life, had a close relationship with, and was possibly briefly married to, Arthur S. Harrison (building contractor).

Labor economist who saw a similarity between the women's-rights movement and the labor movement in the fight to grant people the power to shape own lives, taught at Hamilton Grange School in New York City, at economics department at Sweet Briar College in Virginia, and at political science department at Hunter College in NY (1920s–30s); began work with Amalgamated Clothing Workers of America (ACWA, 1933); worked with the industrial committee of National Recovery Administration's Cotton Garment Code Authority (1933–34); was research director of ACWA (1936–54); as special cotton-garment representative, led campaign against Cluett, Peabody & Co., the largest shirt manufacturer in US (1937) and won (1941); campaigned for minimum-wage standards in Fair Labor Standards Act (1938); participated in cotton garment industry national negotiations (1946); led ACWA campaign to raise minimum wage (1948–49); was head of ACWA southern department (mid-1940s) and became ACWA vice president (1946); among other work with US government commissions, visited Japan on US Army sponsorship, speaking to workers and studying role of women in labor movement (1951); honored by National Council of Negro Women for work on behalf of women in labor movement in Japan and US (1951); retired from ACWA (1963).