Yankee Stadium Waitress Sues Eric Adams Over Athlete Vax Exemption

NEW YORK CITY — A former Yankee Stadium waitress is taking a swing at the “hypocrisy” of Mayor Eric Adams’ controversial exemption that allows unvaccinated professional athletes play ball in the city.

A class action complaint filed this week by Virginia Alleyne effectively asks a simple question: why should athletes and performing artists get special treatment over workers who aren’t unvaccinated against COVID-19?

Adams’ executive order gives famous people a carve out that firemen, police officers, teachers, sanitation workers, restaurant workers and other private sector workers do not have, the lawsuit contends.

“This Executive Order is quite frankly the greatest affront to the NYC workforce since March 2020,” the complaint states.

“If an unvaccinated professional athlete can play in a baseball game, a bartender should be able to serve alcohol or a waitress should be able to serve food at the same venue.”

Alleyne is suing on behalf of thousands of workers like herself who refused to get vaccinated against COVID-19 and were fired under a city mandate.

She worked at Yankee Stadium for 17 years before she was terminated in September, the lawsuit states.

Adams has faced a barrage of criticism over the exemption, which he said helped close a competitive disadvantage for New York City-based athletes and performers who couldn’t play in the city, while their out-of-town counterparts could.

"We're talking about a small number of people," Adams said of those affected by the executive order, "that are having a major impact on our economy."

But critics — including author Stephen King, who tweeted, "NY Mayor lifts vaccine mandates for famous people” — argued the rule set a double standard.

Alleyne’s lawsuit argues that workers should be afforded the same exemption for athletes. It argues that Adams is picking winners and losers.

“Has the mayor asked the aforementioned terminated NYC employees if they care if the Nets, Knicks, Yankees or Mets are at a competitive disadvantage when they can no longer support their families?” the lawsuit states.

Read the complaint here.