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s high schoolers, we are taught with the assumption that all of us will attend college. This idea is so pervasive that we often look down upon or ignore the other options for high school graduates. COVID has sparked a national appreciation for essential workers, like doctors and EMS. My brother, Justus Saunders, is one of these essential workers, but the work he and others in his trade do often goes unnoticed. While medical professionals do their best to fight the virus, people like Justus put themselves through hell to keep the world turning on a more local level. “Snow removal.” The job description sounds easy enough, or so Justus thought when he was hired to do snow removal at age sixteen. At age twenty, he admitted he had no idea what he was getting himself into. “My very first year…I was on my own. I had applied and got the job the same day and ended up going out that night. I had no idea what my responsibilities were…I just knew the pay sounded good,” said Justus.
BRAVING THE WINTER BY: DYLAN SAUNDERS
Even after a 12 hour shift, Justus wasn’t finished clearing and salting in Strongsville. Justus would be financially responsible for any injuries caused by the icy sidewalk. Photograph by Justus Saunders. 16
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TH E ROYA L NEWS
Having worked in concrete and landscape during the summer, Justus felt more than prepared for the snow removal position. “I’d say it was probably around negative nine to twelve degrees [my first night],” Justus said. “I had a little feed scoop and a five gallon bucket, and I was told to load up 2,000 pounds of salt.” Like any newly-hired teenager, Justus felt the need to prove himself to his employer. He worked a 26-hour shift without proper gloves, boots, and equipment. “I was shocked because the most that I had ever worked...pouring concrete…was around 12 or 14 hours,” Justus continued. “Snow removal was labor intensive the entire time for 26 hours straight.” Justus was under the impression that snow management would be like shoveling his own driveway on a larger scale. To his surprise, Justus ended up shoveling and salting miles of sidewalks at up to 16 different businesses in the surrounding area. In his four years working as a Justus laces up his worn work bo subcontractor for CUI, snowstorm. Snow removal workers Justus has experienced the forecast calls f some extreme work conditions. “About two years ago, we did three days straight [of work],” said Justus. “[Our customers] have a zero-tolerance policy for snow and ice…as soon as you get to the end of the route, you restart at the beginning. To put this into perspective, we had 15 shovel men quit about 8 hours into their shifts last week.” Justus explained that even as a teenage subcontractor, he was financially responsible for any snow-related accidents or injuries on the properties he took care of. If someone slipped on ice or a car got stuck, for example, the victim’s compensation would come directly out of Justus’s paycheck. Snow removal workers need to develop a deep un-
