New Yorkers who answered Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s call for emergency snow shovelers during recent blizzards may not receive payment for their work until spring, according to city workers and sanitation department officials. As the Bronx was hammered by the historic blizzard that prompted the city to declare an emergency and open warming centers, the demand for additional workers became critical.
Dan Bennette, a 38-year-old Queens resident from South Ozone Park who began shoveling snow for the city on Jan. 26, has not received payment more than a month after completing his work, he told a local news outlet. Bennette said city officials informed workers that payment would come “at the end of the season, when everything is finished.”
Joshua Goodman, a spokesperson for the sanitation department, said workers who responded to this week’s call for shovelers may receive payment in two weeks, though he noted this timeline is not guaranteed. Last year, the city took between four and six weeks to pay emergency snow workers, according to Goodman. The city’s 311 website warns that payment for emergency snow shoveling work could take up to 12 weeks.
The delayed payment system has frustrated some workers and deterred others from returning. One worker walked out of a sanitation garage this week after learning the Department of Sanitation would not pay until March, according to Bennette’s account.
A mother identified as Yasmine said her son shoveled snow for the city after Dec. 14 snowfall and waited until early February to receive payment. When DSNY called him in January and again this week asking if he wanted to work, he declined both times, instead choosing to shovel private properties where he received same-day payment.
“I believe more people would help if they paid them in an ample amount of time,” Yasmine said.
Despite payment delays, the mayor’s direct appeal through social media proved highly effective at recruiting workers. Mamdani promoted the program online and announced a pay raise from $19.14 to $30 per hour due to blizzard conditions.
The recruitment drive generated strong response numbers, according to the sanitation department. Last month, 1,500 people signed up to work as snow shovelers over several days. During this month’s blizzard, 1,400 people registered to work as shovelers within the first 24 hours alone.
Peter Moskos, a professor at John Jay College of Criminal Justice, signed up after seeing Mamdani’s social media push and worked a shift at an Astoria garage. Before starting their 12-hour shift, a sanitation employee briefed Moskos’s crew about the payment situation.
“He said, ‘Mamdani gave you a raise, and Mamdani wants four feet wide,’” Moskos recalled, referring to the regulation requiring four-foot-wide cleared paths to accommodate wheelchair users on sidewalks.
The work proved challenging and disorganized. Moskos said his crew was supposed to travel in a van to clear intersections, fire hydrants and bus stops, but the designated driver never appeared, forcing workers to walk through the blizzard on foot.
“It’s all kind of chaotic and half-assed, but, you know, I wasn’t expecting a fine, well-oiled machine,” Moskos said.
The department eventually provided a van for workers to warm up, but after approximately three hours of shoveling in harsh conditions, the number of active workers began declining. When a van arrived at 4 a.m. to collect workers before their 8 a.m. shift end, Moskos chose to leave early.
For Bennette, who has been unemployed for eight months, the longest period without work in his life, the snow shoveling opportunity provided more than just potential income. The newlywed and aviation operations worker said the job offered a chance to stay active and contribute to the community while waiting for payment.
“This will get me up out of the house, off the couch and going out and being a productive person in society,” Bennette said.
