NEW YORK (PIX11) — It is not even autumn yet, and New York City officials are already thinking about winter by hiring Emergency Snow Shovelers soon, Mayor Zohran Mamdani announced Tuesday.
Emergency Snow Shovelers remove snow and ice from public areas, including bus stops, crosswalks and fire hydrants. Last season, over 7,800 signed up for the program, and for the first time, they were digging out during the storm and in the evening to remove the snow at a quicker pace.
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This year, the city has moved up registration to be a snow shoveler to the fall. According to officials, this is to reduce the paperwork and administrative process to ensure that snow shovelers are ready when needed. It also allows the city to pay the shovelers more quickly.
“If this past year of blizzards, thunderstorms and heat waves taught us anything, it’s that it’s never too early to prepare for extreme weather,” said Mayor Mamdani. “This year, we’re raising their pay and making it easier to join the program — because when the snow comes, our city needs to be ready.”
For the season, snow shovelers will earn $30 an hour and will increase to $45 per hour after working the first 40 hours in a week, according to the Mayor’s Office.
Emergency Snow Shovelers must be at least 18-years-old and be legally allowed to work in the United States. They must be able to physically perform heavy and demanding work in adverse winter weather conditions.
Shovelers who register before Nov. 30 will be eligible for a paid four-hour orientation in December.
The first registration event takes place on Saturday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Taft High School in the Bronx.
To register, individuals must bring:
Additional registration events will be announced on the Department of Sanitation social media channels and at NYC.gov/snowemploy.
Andrew Cruz is a digital content producer. A native New Yorker, he joined PIX11 in 2009 as a weather producer. More of his work can be found here.
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