NYC Mayor Comes Under Fire After Remark About ‘Low-Skilled Workers’ and ‘Academic Skills’

New York City Mayor Eric Adams (D) is receiving backlash for a remark he made about “low-skilled workers.”

During a press conference Tuesday, Adams said, “I don’t know if my businesses are sharing with their employees, ‘You are part of the ecosystem of this city.'”

He added, “My low-skilled workers, my cooks, my dishwashers, my messengers, my shoe shine people, those that work in Dunkin’ Donuts, they don’t have the academic skills to sit in the corner office. They need this. We are in this together.”

https://twitter.com/Breaking911/status/1478594096499503104

Several took to Twitter to criticize Adams for his remarks, including Rep. Alexandria-Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.).

“The suggestion that any job is ‘low skill’ is a myth perpetuated by wealthy interests to justify inhumane working conditions, little/no healthcare, and low wages,” Ocasio-Cortez wrote.

She added, “Plus being a waitress has made me and many others better at our jobs than those who’ve never known that life.”

Check out more reactions below:

https://twitter.com/LeslieMac/status/1478560112113500166

https://twitter.com/AliseNavidad/status/1478564775437164546

Adams was asked about the remark during an interview with CBS News.

“I was a cook. I was a dishwasher,” Adams said, explaining the point he was trying to make was that “when you talk about closing down our city, if you are a dishwasher, you can’t remotely do your job.”

He said the goal is to open the city “so low-wage employees are able to survive,” adding, “If no one came into that restaurant when I was paying my way through college, I would not have been able to survive… People are going to try to take everything I say and distort it.”

Concluding his response, Adams told the outlet, “But I’m focused, I’m disciplined, and I’m grinding to bring my city back.”