With the primary night inching closer, New York City mayoral candidate and current Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams continues to rack up endorsements. Nothing has changed on that front.
Joseph Geiger, executive secretary-treasurer of the New York City District Council of Carpenters, said Adams is the right candidate to lead New York to post-pandemic prosperity.
“The pandemic knocked New York City to the ground, and we need a mayor who is going to lift us all back up, and there is no one better than Borough President Eric Adams to do just that,” said Geiger. “If you care about good jobs, if you care about safety, if you never abandoned New York City and want a mayor who will never abandon you, then there is only one choice on June 22nd: Eric Adams.”
Adams promised to be the mayor of all people, but particularly the working class.
“I will be a blue-collar mayor to lift up all New Yorkers, with the blue-collar values that put working families first,” Adams said. “I am so proud to have the broadest support from my hard-working brothers and sisters in labor, from our carpenters and cooks to our bus drivers to our building cleaners. Together we will build a future for New York City that is safer, fairer, and more equitable for all of us.”
It’s not the only union Adams has been endorsed by. The Brooklyn borough president has been endorsed by the likes of 32BJ SEIU, UNITE HERE! Local 100, and DC37. He’s also been endorsed by the Uniform Fire Officers Association and the Uniformed EMS Officers Union.
Adams continued to show his union bonafides by joining Department of Sanitation enforcement agents during a news conference discussing filing a U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission claim. Thirteen enforcement agents are calling out the city for, allegedly, favoring white males in the workplace right up to salaries.
According to the City Council, a 2020 study found that Black workers in the sanitation department make $7,600 less a year than white workers. Sanitation Enforcement Agent Maria Figaro said that Sanitation Commissioner Kathryn Garcia, a current mayoral candidate, didn’t show urgency with the situation.
“When Kathryn Garcia was the commissioner, sanitation enforcement agents consisting of mostly minority women faced oppressive working conditions paying us less than our white male counterparts,” stated Figaro. “She was aware of the numerous problems that the enforcement division had during her tenure. She turned a blind eye instead of changing the discriminatory culture that existed the entire six years Kathryn Garcia was commissioner.”
For his money, Adams said that citizens of the five boroughs should have an equal chance and should be able to live and work free from discrimination.
“This is New York; we built this city on diversity, and equality for all must follow,” said Adams. “The city must immediately correct these pay inequities and institute steps to prevent them in the future. Under an Adams administration, we will put in place policies and reporting requirements to eliminate pay inequities while improving agency performance by rewarding workers based on merit.
“There will be zero tolerance for any discrimination while I’m mayor.”
Jakwan Rivers, first vice president of the Law Enforcement Employees Benevolent Association, stated that Adams has represented all protected classes during his tenure as captain of the New York Police Department and will continue to do so in City Hall.
“Eric Adams will be a great mayor for all the citizens of New York City,” said Rivers.