Estimated read time: 3-4 minutes
- Almost 200 Park City ski patrollers and mountain safety workers began an unfair labor practice strike Friday.
- Vail Resorts is bringing in patrol personnel from other resorts to replace striking workers.
- The union accuses Vail of bad faith tactics and urges community boycott.
PARK CITY — Almost 200 ski patrollers and mountain safety workers did not clock in to work Friday, instead, joining what the Park City Professional Ski Patrol Association calls an unfair labor practice strike.
The decision to strike came suddenly, following a negotiation meeting with a mediator Thursday night, according to Deirdra Walsh, vice president at Park City Mountain Resort. Another meeting was scheduled for Friday.
"We are deeply disappointed the patrol union has walked away from mediation and chosen drastic action that attempts to disrupt mountain operations in the middle of the holiday season, given we invested significantly in patrol with their wages increasing more than 50% over the past four seasons, and we have reached agreements on 24 of the 27 current contract terms," Walsh said in a prepared statement.
In an earlier release on Sunday, Walsh reported that Vail Resorts was "prepared to deploy our Patrol Support Team, which consists of experienced patrollers from Park City Mountain and our other mountain resorts."
Union representatives accuse Vail Resort of using "bad faith tactics," stalling and refusing "to give a counteroffer on wages or benefits in the last two weeks," according to a press release sent Friday. Margaux Klingensmith, a union business manager, told KSL.com in an earlier interview that patrollers have had to work full shifts before going to negotiations exhausted, calling the drawn-out bargaining "unsustainable."
Multiple unfair labor practice accusations have been filed by the union with the National Labor Relations Board, the release says, and the group is calling on the community to boycott any company-owned business.
"Don't buy day tickets, don't purchase food from the lodges, don't use Vail-owned tune and rental shops, don't stay at Vail Resorts-owned lodging," the press release says.
The replacement ski patrol staff will be "provided with training and resources to specialize in the terrain area they are assigned," according to Walsh, and two on-site medical clinics will be staffed for skiers.
Walsh called a strike in advance of mediation "drastic action," and says returning patrollers will see a 4% wage increase this season, plus a $1,600 equipment allowance. Union representatives contend that 3.5% of that wage increase is from company-wide merit increases from last season, which are being withheld as leverage.
Walsh said ski patrol roles are very competitive, with almost 3,000 applications for 300 jobs. "Park City Mountain seasonal patrol wages have increased more than 50% over the past four seasons, far outpacing inflation," her statement says, and the company's wage offer "aligns with agreements accepted by patrols at our other mountain resorts, both unionized and nonunionized."
A GoFundMe* started by the union has raised over $32,000 to help compensate for lost wages during the strike.
The ski patrol association is planning to have members picket at the Canyons and Mountain villages at Park City Mountain until a contract is set in place.
*KSL.com does not assure that the money deposited to the account will be applied for the benefit of the persons named as beneficiaries. If you are considering a deposit to the account, you should consult your own advisers and otherwise proceed at your own risk.
