Sick Of Shoveling Snow? Try Being A Plow Driver
ST. LOUIS PARK, Minn. (WCCO) -- In January, the Twin Cities received a trace of snow 27 out of the 31 days. And then there was all the snow we had in November and December.
If you think you have been busy shoveling or snowblowing your driveway and steps, think about those people whose jobs it is to clear away snow.
Most residents gripe if they don't think their streets and highways cleared off quickly enough. But this season the folks who have been clearing snow have been working non-stop.
It's been stressful for them and for budgets.
In St. Louis Park, the heavy snows meant heavy overtime. From Nov. 16 to Jan. 1 there were 960 hours of overtime for snow removal.
In January, there were 115 hours of overtime.
"We have worked every holiday since Veterans Day in November. We have worked Veterans Day, Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve, Christmas and New Years. We worked all five of them," said Jeff Stevens who runs the City of St. Louis Park's maintenance department.
What made it really hard on workers is that the snow has been falling on weekends.
"We have worked the first five out of the seven weekends in November and December," said Stevens. "The families don't like it."
A MnDOT supervisor said of the state snowplow workers, many have worked more than 25 days straight in December. The state is still adding up the overtime costs but the bottom line is that it has been significant.
