"$45 an hour to shovel snow."
New York City has urgently recruited citizens as paid snow removal workers ahead of a record-breaking snowstorm. The city announced it would raise the base hourly wage to $30 (approximately 43,000 won) and pay $45 (approximately 65,000 won) for overtime work.
According to the New York Times and Secret NYC on January 23 local time, the New York City Department of Sanitation (DSNY) launched emergency recruitment of snow removal workers after forecasts predicted up to 61 centimeters of snowfall from the winter storm. New York's paid volunteer snow removal program operates by contacting pre-registered citizens en masse when authorities need assistance.
Recruited workers are deployed to clear snow around public facilities including sidewalks, bus stops, crosswalks, and fire hydrants to ensure safety and accessibility. At a press conference, New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani said, "Anyone who wants to help their neighbors and earn extra income can become an emergency snow removal worker. Just come to your local sanitation garage between 8 a.m. and 1 p.m., and you can start working right away."
Wage conditions were also significantly improved. The base hourly rate for snow removal workers is $19.14 (approximately 27,600 won), with $28.71 per hour for overtime beyond 40 hours per week. As the snowstorm intensified, Mayor Mamdani announced the base hourly rate for emergency snow removal workers would increase to $30, with overtime paying $45 per hour.
According to DSNY, more than 2,500 people had registered as snow removal workers across New York City's five boroughs as of that morning. Approximately 500 workers were deployed for overnight shifts the previous day, and about 800 for daytime shifts on January 23.
The winter storm also dealt a direct blow to transportation networks. More than 8,000 flights were canceled or delayed through January 23 due to the storm hitting the northeastern United States, while New York experienced frequent train cancellations and a travel ban was issued.
Central Park received approximately 50 centimeters of snow. This marks the highest single-storm snowfall in a decade according to New York's official observatory records.