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Civil Service Committee honors union expert Evelyn Seinfeld

One of DC 37’s best resources is tucked away in an office on the fifth floor at union headquarters.

A 35-year veteran in the Research and Negotiations Dept., Associate Director Evelyn Seinfeld is the go-to person on civil service. She plays a key role by doing background research and helping shape union policy.

“If you are in the miners’ union, you need to understand the mining industry,” said Seinfeld, who worked as a Librarian at the Brooklyn Public Library before joining the DC 37 staff. “As public employees, our ‘industry’ is civil service and we need to know the rules and regulations that define our workplace and protect us.”

At its Oct. 14 meeting, the DC 37 Civil Service Committee honored Seinfeld’s outstanding contributions as an adviser to the group, which helps establish the union’s agenda on civil service issues, educate local leaders and members, lobby for reforms and press the city to give exams and make appointments from lists.

Recently she presented union criticisms of the city’s plan to switch hundreds of jobs into the noncompetitive class at city and state hearings.

“Evelyn is very committed and very knowledgeable,” said John Townsend, chair of the DC 37 Civil Service Committee. “We count on her to provide us with clear information about a complex subject.”