NEW YORK CITY (WABC) — Although it’s still summer for a few more days, the Mamdani administration is already planning for snow.
On Wednesday, Mayor Zohran Mamdani and Sanitation Commissioner Gregory Anderson announced that they are raising emergency snow shoveler pay from $19.14 to $30. Shovelers will receive $45 an hour, instead of $28.71, if they complete a 40-hour week.
Their goal is also to streamline the process of becoming snow shovelers by adding an early registration in the fall and paid orientation in December. Snow shovelers will also get paid faster, receiving their paychecks within two weeks of working.
“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,” Mamdani said.
These changes, the administration added, will also build on the success of this previous winter’s program, which saw more than 7,800 New Yorkers take up shoveling.
To sign up, shovelers must be at least 18 years old, authorized to work in the United States and able to perform physically demanding work in intense winter conditions.
Those who register at a DSNY registration event before Nov. 30 will be eligible to be paid for the four-hour orientation in December.
The first registration event will be held on Sept. 19, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Taft High School on 240 East 172nd Street in the Bronx.
To those interested in registering, you must bring:
– A valid phone number and email address
– Social Security card
– Completed W-4 (Federal Withholding) andIT-2014 (NYS Withholding)forms
– CompletedI-9 formalong with its required supporting identification documents
Click here for more information on how to register.
Last winter, DSNY dispatched snow shovelers to shovel during snowfall and added evening shifts to speed up removal. With this initiative, they cleared 135,000 crosswalks, 34,000 bus stops and 29,000 fire hydrants.
Copyright © 2026 WABC-TV. All Rights Reserved.