New York Mayor Eric Adams receives heat after making ‘low-skill workers’ comment

As a new wave of the pandemic hits America, cities and states are struggling to contain the spread of the virus and looking at shutting down businesses again. New York City Mayor Eric Adams landed in soup after insulting "low-skill" workers while making an argument to keep businesses open during the pandemic. “I don’t know if my businesses are sharing with their employees, you’re a part of the ecosystem of this city,” said Adams, reported God.DailyDot. “My low-skill workers — my cooks, my dishwashers, my messengers, my shoe shine people, those who work in Dunkin’ Donuts — they don’t have the academic skills to sit in a corner office. They need this."  

Mayor Eric Adams came after he signed an executive order to reduce fines and penalties for small businesses from a wide range of government agencies. He was addressing the press to discuss the order and ways to keep the economy going. He added that closing the economy could be “devastating for our economy.” He then pointed to his own staff as an example. "If I remotely do my job, then that store clerk is not going to be able to have the business he deserves.’ That’s what I need us to understand.”

People slammed Adams' comments for insulting workers and also for trying to guilt those who choose to stay home to protect themselves and their families. New York has witnessed a 128% increase in Coronavirus cases, and a 158% increase in deaths, over the past two weeks, according to New York Times. Adams was called out for claiming any kind of work is unskilled. Many also pointed out that intelligence or academic skills weren't necessarily the criteria for 'skilled' jobs. So many with bachelor’s and master's degrees work in the jobs described by Adams as unskilled. Similarly, people without any similar qualifications can be found in high offices and in Congress. 

Not to mention that the government officials and businesses referred to many of the workers in these professions as "essential workers" including staff at grocery stores in an effort to get them to return to work at great personal risk to their lives during the height of the pandemic. The government even honored the essential workers last year only for some of the officials to turn around and label them "unskilled labor." It didn't sit well with many who took to Twitter to call out the Mayor. Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez called out the Mayor pointing out that he was merely pushing a myth used to justify inhumane working conditions and low wages. 

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After being called out, Mayor Eric Adams tried to justify his comments, writing, "I was a cook. I was a dishwasher. If nobody came to my restaurant when I was in college, I wouldn’t have been able to survive. When you talk about closing down our city, you're talking about putting low-wage workers out of a job. I’m not letting that happen." It appears Adams is still missing the point. No one is angry at the mayor for trying to make an argument for keeping businesses open as a way to help workers, or as he says, low-wage workers. It was about ascertaining value or the need for skill to a job position based on income. A low-wage worker isn't unskilled. End of.