NEW YORK \u2013 Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani and Department of Citywide Administrative Services (DCAS) Commissioner Yume Kitasei today announced a first-of-its-kind partnership with organized labor unions to revitalize the civil service system and speed up hiring for jobs in City government.<\/p>\n
The Civil Service Modernization Advisory Committee is comprised of government and labor partners and will prioritize both in-house solutions and legislative recommendations to improve the civil service system.<\/p>\n
DCAS Commissioner Yume Kitasei will chair the committee, with DC 37 Executive Director Henry Garrido serving as vice-chair. Committee members include:<\/p>\n
Deputy Mayor for Operations Julia KersonOffice of Labor Relations (OLR) Commissioner Renee CampionOffice of Management and Budget (OMB) Director Sherif SolimanLaw Department Corporation Counsel Steve BanksChief Counsel Ramzi KassemDepartment of Social Services (DSS) Commissioner Erin DaltonCWA Local 1180 President Gloria MiddletonSEIU Local 246 President Joseph A. ColangeloSSEU Local 371 President Anthony WellsCOBA President Benny Boscio Jr.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt should be easy, fast and fair to find a good-paying job serving the city we call home,\u201d said Mayor Mamdani. \u201cIn this historic partnership with labor leaders, our administration is prioritizing the quick fixes and long-term solutions that speed up hiring in City government. From addressing the current time to hire to advancing new and innovative testing strategies, this committee is already at work coming up with ideas to build a civil service system truly worthy of our city.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe civil service system is a foundational component of municipal work, and after over a hundred years, it is time to update,\u201d said DCAS Commissioner Kitasei. \u201cThrough our first-ever modernization committee, we\u2019ll be working with partners from across the city to make the civil service system faster, more transparent, easier for workers to navigate and aligned with the 21st-century workforce and operational needs.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cA strong, efficient civil service system is vital to both our municipal workforce and the New York City residents who rely on city services every day,\u201d said OLR Commissioner Renee Campion. \u201cBy partnering closely with our labor leaders, we can cut through administrative hurdles and build a faster, more modern hiring framework. This committee is a crucial step forward in ensuring we continue to attract and retain the dedicated talent our city deserves.\u201d<\/p>\n
The New York City civil service system, administered by DCAS, promotes fair, merit-based hiring and promotion, creates career pathways for job seekers and employees and provides important legal protections for the workforce.<\/p>\n
Though New York was the first state to adopt a civil service system in 1883, the system suffers from outdated technology, burdensome administrative processes, lengthy timelines and fragmented responsibility across agencies \u2014 limiting its ability to meet today\u2019s needs.<\/p>\n
The Civil Service Modernization Committee will put forth recommendations for in-house solutions and legislative actions to create a hiring system that is fast, transparent and modern. Key priorities include:<\/p>\n
Fast and high-quality process: Faster ways to hire qualified talent while still ensuring a system of integrity.Transparent and trustworthy: A fair, merit-based, easy-to-navigate system that attracts top talent.Clear pathways: Easy access to City service opportunities and career advancement.Modern tech systems: A digital interface that meets the demands of the 21st-century and allows for seamless navigation for City workers and agencies alike.<\/p>\n
Since taking office, the Mamdani administration has prioritized connecting New Yorkers with job opportunities in City government. In July, Mayor Mamdani announced free civil service exams<\/a> for New York City high school students and first-time test takers. In August, DCAS doubled the Civil Service Pathways Fellowship<\/a>, creating a direct pathway from college to City government careers for 400 New Yorkers. And just last month, the Mayor opened the Jobs NYC Center<\/a>, a walk-in hub connecting New Yorkers to good-paying jobs in public service.<\/p>\n The administration has also advanced new and expanded programs to increase opportunities and improve daily life for current City workers. Mayor Mamdani opened The Little Apple,<\/a> the City\u2019s first free child care center for municipal employees and their families and launched the City\u2019s first undergraduate scholarship program<\/a> for City workers.<\/p>\n The City of New York employs one of the largest workforces in the nation, with more than 300,000 employees; approximately 80% of positions are typically filled through the civil service system via an exam. This includes positions like sanitation worker, electrician, caseworker and staff analyst. DCAS administers about 175 exams per year.<\/p>\n \u201cThe civil service system levels the playing field for entry into the public sector and ensures candidates have the baseline knowledge and skills to perform the job,\u201d said Henry Garrido, Executive Director of DC 37. \u201cA well-trained, well-qualified workforce is essential to providing efficient services for New Yorkers.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThis task force gives us a chance to explore ways of improving and strengthening the civil service process and system,\u201d said Anthony Wells, President of SSEU Local 371. \u201cThe Civil Service system has provided an even playing field and pathway to government service, and I look forward to participating in the task force.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAs a veteran civil servant, working in the New York City Department of Correction for nearly thirty years, and as a proud union president for over six years, I\u2019m very grateful for the opportunity to participate in the DCAS civil service task force,\u201d said Benny Boscio Jr., President of COBA. \u201cI look forward to collaborating with my union colleagues to examine ways to revamp and potentially enhance the civil service hiring process so the City of New York can continue to hire the best-qualified men and women to serve as essential civil servants.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI look forward to participating in the newly created committee, working with my fellow labor leaders and DCAS Commissioner Yume Kitasei\u2019s team to modernize and improve the civil service exam process,\u201d said Joseph A. Colangelo, President of SEIU Local 246. \u201cSince the establishment of the New York City Municipal Civil Service Commission in 1884, this process has given thousands of New Yorkers rewarding careers serving the citizens of this great city.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI am honored to serve on the Civil Service Modernization Advisory Committee and to have the opportunity to bring the voices and experiences of our members directly to the table,\u201d said Gloria Middleton, President of CWA Local 1180. \u201cThe civil service system has a tremendous impact on our members\u2019 careers, from hiring and promotions to advancement opportunities and workplace protections. As the City looks at ways to strengthen and improve that system, it is critical that the workers who navigate it every day are part of the conversation. I look forward to working with the task force to help identify meaningful changes that make civil service more responsive, equitable and effective while protecting the merit-based system that public employees depend on.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cCivil service is one of the great democratic promises of government, but a promise only matters if people can reach it,\u201d said State Senator Robert Jackson, Chair of the Senate Civil Service and Pensions Committee. \u201cModernization means opening the doors of public service wider, shortening the distance between talent and opportunity and moving qualified New Yorkers through the system faster without sacrificing the merit and fairness at its foundation. I commend Mayor Mamdani, Commissioner Kitasei, DC 37 and labor leaders for bringing government and workers together to build a civil service prepared for the New York of tomorrow.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAs Chair of the NYC Council Civil Service and Labor Committee, I am committed to improving our City\u2019s workforce pathways and modernizing our civil service system,\u201d said Council Member Shirley Aldebol. \u201cThe new Civil Service Modernization Advisory Committee is a massive step forward in these efforts. By bringing together a diverse coalition of experts across government and labor from the start, this committee effort has the real potential to break through the roadblocks that halted past efforts. Throughout my career, I have experienced the challenges facing our City workforce system from all angles \u2014 first as a City social worker, then as a union organizer and now as an elected official. I know firsthand the tangible impacts of long-term vacancies, slow hiring timelines and high turnover on City workers and services. I am grateful to Mayor Mamdani, DCAS Commissioner Kitasei, DC37 Executive Director Henry Garrido and all other partners for their readiness to tackle the challenges facing our City\u2019s municipal workforce systems head-on. I look forward to working in partnership with the coalition moving forward.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cMunicipal employees are the backbone of our city, and we must foster opportunities in our efforts to hire and retain a diverse workforce,\u201d said Council Member Carmen De La Rosa. \u201cAs the former Civil Service and Labor Chair at the Council, our committee spent years tracking and raising alarm over double-digit vacancies that plagued our agencies and impacted services to New Yorkers. Our public sector needs to be that beacon of opportunity and upward mobility once again, and waiving fees for first-time applicants under Local Law 57 of 2025 removes barriers to entry. People want work, meaningful work, so they can afford to live and have secure employment that isn\u2019t at the mercy of mass corporate layoffs. Why not make it easier to serve the greatest city in the world?\u201d<\/p>\n ###<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"NEW YORK \u2013 Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani and Department of Citywide Administrative Services (DCAS) Commissioner Yume Kitasei today…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":365143,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[9,24,55,54,56],"class_list":["post-365142","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-new-york-city","tag-new-york","tag-new-york-city","tag-new-york-city-headlines","tag-new-york-city-news","tag-ny"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/365142","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=365142"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/365142\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/365143"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=365142"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=365142"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=365142"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}