Wages have surged for anyone in New York City who wants to sign up to shovel snow, New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani announced at a Monday press conference.
Mamdani increased the hourly wage for snow shovelers from $19.14 to $30 per hour. After 40 hours, that rate jumps even higher, to $45 an hour.
“Due to the historic nature of this blizzard, we’ve increased pay to $30 per hour. You can walk into any DSNY garage until 8 p.m. this evening and starting again tomorrow at 9 a.m. All you need to bring is two forms of ID to ensure you get paid,” Mamdani said.
The identification requirement sparked backlash over the weekend, with some Americans questioning why ID is required to shovel snow, but not to vote. Mamdani responded saying that the requirement is mandated under federal law.
Before the hourly wage increase, the program reportedly failed to attract any shovelers for hours at the NYC site, according to the New York Post. City officials said they hoped to attract a total of 1,400 public shovelers. By comparison, in 2015, the city attracted 6,454 shovelers.
During the press briefing, Mamdani also reminded New York City property owners that the mandate to clear four-foot-wide paths along all sidewalks remains in effect.
“We issued more than 4,000 violations after the last storm, we do not want to issue as many citations again,” the mayor said. “So please, if you are a property owner, do your part, clear the snow and help make our city passable for our neighbors, especially those with disabilities.”
A first offense carries a $150 fine, while a third or subsequent violation can result in penalties of up to $350. Based on the more than 4,000 violations issued after the previous storm, New York City collected anywhere between $600,000 and $1.4 million in fines from unshoveled snow.
In addition to the snow shovelers, the New York City winter weather response team includes 2,600 sanitation workers, more than 2,300 plows, and 700 salt spreaders. Mamdani reported that the winter weather response team cleared more than 1,600 crosswalks, 419 fire hydrants, and nearly 900 bus stops during the storm’s first night.
With the city’s progress, Mamdani said schools will reopen tomorrow. However, amid 15 inches of snow, parents across the city are calling for a remote learning day. The petition currently has over 100,000 verified signatures.
