Zohran Mamdani announces permanent pay raise of $30 an hour for NYC snow shovelers.

Mayor Zohran Mamdani Makes $30-an-Hour Rate Permanent for NYC Emergency Snow Shovelers, Streamlines Sign-Up Ahead of Winter

NEW YORK — Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani and Sanitation Commissioner Gregory Anderson announced Tuesday that New York City’s Emergency Snow Shoveler program will pay $30 an hour this winter, rising to $45 after the first 40 hours worked in a week. The change makes permanent a rate first offered temporarily during last February’s blizzard and represents a sharp increase from last season’s $19.14 and $28.71 rates.

The city is also overhauling how it recruits and pays the temporary workers. Registration is moving to the fall, well before the first snow. Those who sign up at Department of Sanitation events before Nov. 30 will receive a paid four-hour orientation in December and expedited payroll, with the goal of checks arriving within two weeks of work. Photos will now be taken on-site, removing a previous requirement that applicants bring printed pictures.

“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. “Last winter, thousands of New Yorkers stepped up to help their neighbors dig out from heavy snow and ice. 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.”

Last winter more than 7,800 New Yorkers — a record — signed up amid heavy snow, blizzard conditions and freezing temperatures. Working alongside regular DSNY crews, they helped clear 135,000 crosswalks, 34,000 bus stops and 29,000 fire hydrants. For the first time, shovelers were also dispatched while snow was still falling and assigned evening shifts.

“New York’s Strongest prepare year-round for winter snowfalls,” Anderson said. “From adapting to a changing cityscape to applying lessons learned from previous years, we constantly update and innovate to ensure a safer city after winter weather events. This year, we plan to enter snow season with Emergency Snow Shovelers prepared as well.”

Emergency snow shovelers clear snow and ice from public spots that plows often miss: bus stops, crosswalks, fire hydrants and step streets. The program dates back more than a century. Applicants must be at least 18, legally authorized to work in the United States and physically able to do heavy labor in harsh winter conditions.

The first registration event is today, Saturday, Sept. 19, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Taft High School, 240 East 172nd Street in the Bronx. Additional events are scheduled across the boroughs, including Sept. 26 in Manhattan, with more dates to be posted at nyc.gov/snowemploy and on DSNY social media.

Applicants should bring a valid phone number and email, Social Security card, completed federal and state tax-withholding forms, and I-9 documentation. After registering, workers receive a confirmation email, attend orientation if eligible, and are assigned to a DSNY garage based on borough needs and their location preference.

The $30 starting rate is funded through the city’s existing snow-removal budget. Officials say the combination of higher pay, earlier recruitment and faster payment is designed to ensure a ready workforce when the first major storm hits.

New Yorkers interested in earning extra money while helping keep sidewalks, bus stops and hydrants clear this winter can find the latest registration schedule at nyc.gov/snowemploy.