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Mayor Eric Adams' remarks about "low-skill" workers set off a firestorm of responses.

Sometimes it's surprising how quickly politicians can step in it, even when they're trying to say something legitimately important or helpful.

In trying to convince the public that people who can't work remotely need the support of other New Yorkers during the current wave of COVID-19 infections, New York City Mayor Eric Adams artlessly referred to cooks, messengers, shoe shiners and Dunkin' Donuts employees as "low-skill workers" who "don't have the academic skills to sit in a corner office."

To be fair, he was trying express support for the workers he seems to insult, but it came across all wrong. His remarks set off a firestorm of responses from people who have worked as service workers and who took issue with the idea of those jobs being "low-skill."

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Have you ever felt like you're being watched? It's creepy.

Image by PublicDomainPictures/Pixabay.

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Labor unions have been on the decline for decades after reaching their high-water mark in 1955, when they represented nearly 35% of the workforce.

Some (like my father-in-law) say that because they bargain for fewer and fewer people, they should just go away. Or that “they had a purpose at one time, but not anymore."

But others say the decline of unions is one of the primary reasons that income inequality in the U.S. is so extreme.

For example, economist Robert Reich shows in his movie “Inequality for All" how the ascent of labor unions decreased the income gap and grew the middle class. You can see the correlation pretty clearly here:

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SEIU

Around the country, people are marching to raise wages.

The federal minimum wage is just $7.25. Protesters are pushing to more than double it to $15 an hour.

A popular misconception is that minimum-wage employees are just college kids looking for extra spending money. But 89% of people who would benefit from an increased minimum wage are age 20 or older.

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