When I started my first job in the union movement at the International Ladies Garment Workers Union in New York, Evy Dubrow was already an experienced lobbyist for the union – and she was already a legend. As time passed and I had the chance to get to know her, I understood why.

Evy had a rare combination of intelligence, wit, pragmatism, compassion and charm. She was so beloved and so persuasive that she could open doors and win victories on Capitol Hill for working people when no one else could. And although her heart and soul were always with the most progressive representatives and senators like John Kennedy and Hubert Humphrey and Tip O'Neill, she also counted staunch conservatives like Barry Goldwater and Bob Dole as her friends---and more than once, she won their support.

Evy joked that she would have been a terrible lobbyist for the oil companies, but behind the joke was the core of who she was. I'm convinced that the biggest reason she won so many victories over the years was that she was lobbying for a cause she loved with all her heart: the women and men of her union.

All of us who were her friends are remembering her and sharing our own stories of her. But I believe that the best eulogy of Evy Dubrow was actually said years ago by a senator: "Evy Dubrow is the union label.” It was true then and it will always be.

Contact: Esmeralda Aguilar (202) 637-5018