WASHINGTON, DC - JULY 12: Brooklyn Borough President and New York City mayoral nominee Eric Adams talks to reporters outside the West Wing following a meeting with U.S. President Joe Biden and U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland about reducing gun violence at the White House on July 12, 2021 in Washington, DC. The meeting included law enforcement leaders, elected officials, and others. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
New York City Mayor Eric Adams’ choice of words while speaking about the economy of the city had social media buzzing. He faced criticism after urging the city’s big businesses to reopen for the sake of “low-skilled workers.” According to Newsweek, he pleaded with the companies to allow in-person work at least a few times a week during a Tuesday press conference.
“That accountant, I need him to go to the cleaners. I need him to go down to Dunkin’ Donuts.” Mayor Eric continued, “I need him to go to the restaurant. I need him to bring in the business traveling. And if we say that, ‘Well I don’t have to go in. I’m still getting my salary,’ then you are not helping those New Yorkers who need us to come in.”
Per the mayor’s sentiments, the city’s smaller businesses rely on the bigger businesses. This comes after several large businesses such as JP Morgan and Citibank, opted for remote work during the next two weeks.
Their reasoning is the ever-present Covid-19 virus. New York has seen an explosion of cases. According to data from The New York Times, the city’s daily average of new cases rose to 39,132 from last month’s 1,729.
During his talk, Mayor Eric handed off the responsibility of the economy to the businesses and its employees. He said businesses need to remind employees that they form the “ecosystem” of New York.
“My low-skilled workers, my cooks, my dishwashers, my messengers, my shoe-shine people, those who work at Dunkin’ Donuts, they don’t have the academic skills to sit in the corner office,” Mayor Eric said.
Following the online backlash, Mayor Eric published a tweet addressing his comments.
“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,” Mayor Eric said. ‘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.”
As previously reported, he was elected to the position back in November 2021—becoming the city’s second Black mayor. His tangled words at the press conference comes days after he first took office on January 1, 2022.
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