Ski patrollers at Utah's Park City Mountain returned to the slopes triumphantly Thursday after a nearly two-week strike over union wages and benefits. The strike shut down the nation's largest ski resort during the busy holiday period and sparked online outrage about deepening economic disparities in the rural mountain region.
Late Wednesday, the Park City Pro Ski Patrollers Association approved a deal with Vail Resorts, which owns Park City and more than 40 other ski areas, to increase starting wages for ski patrollers and other mountain safety staff to $2 an hour. It was raised from $23. The most experienced patrol officers receive an average pay increase of $7.75 per hour. The union said the agreement expands parental leave benefits for workers and provides “industry-leading educational opportunities.”
The ski patrol was overjoyed. “This contract is not just a victory for our team, but a landmark success in the ski and mountain worker industry,” Seth Dromgoole, lead negotiator and former Park City patrolman for 17 years, said in a statement. Ta. “This effort shows what can be achieved when workers come together and fight for what they deserve.”
Bill Locke, president of Vail Resorts' mountain division, said in a statement that the agreement “takes into account Park City Mountain's unique terrain and avalanche complexity, while ensuring that non-union workers can join the union. “This is consistent with our pay structure for all patrol officers, including those who are employed.” ”
The Ski Patrollers Association, which represents 204 ski patrollers and mountain safety personnel, went on strike on Dec. 27, accusing Vail Resort of unfair labor practices. The strike attracted national attention as a battle between the haves and have-nots at a global corporation. Nearly $10 billion in value to essential workers who support and protect skiers on property.
Only about a quarter of Park City Mountain's terrain was open during the strike because there were few ski patrollers to keep trails open, respond to accidents, and provide avalanche mitigation.
Park City skiers and snowboarders quickly erupted in anger, taking to social media and national news outlets to denounce long lift lines and compare Vail executives' high salaries and high ticket prices to resort workers' relatively low salaries. Contrasted with salary.
“Vail Resorts is killing skis, ski towns, and ski culture everywhere they go,” one person wrote on Instagram.
“We apologize to the guests affected by this strike and sincerely thank our teams who have worked so hard over the past two weeks to keep the mountain open and operating safely,” Vail Resorts' CEO Locke said in a statement. ” he said.
The strike also highlighted the role patrols play in the operation of major ski resorts and the risks they take. Typically, professional ski patrollers must be certified as emergency medical personnel and trained in avalanche mitigation and search and rescue. They have to ski in difficult terrain and are required to successfully maneuver a heavy toboggan carrying an injured skier. Snow safety personnel, who are also unionized, ensure guest safety by skiing on avalanche terrain and throwing explosives to trigger avalanches.
The strike also highlighted the problem of rising costs of living that is increasingly being seen in many rural and mountain communities supported by tourism. In Park City, a city of about 8,400 people, the cost of living is 33 percent higher than the national average, according to the Institute for Economic Research. Some estimates are even higher. According to realtor.com, the median price for a new home in Park City is nearly $2 million, and more than 70 percent of the homes are vacant or used as second homes. Park City's living wage is $27 an hour, much higher than the $23 starting salary for new ski patrollers, according to the Park City ski patrol union.
During the strike, Park City's ski patrol gathered widespread support from the public, receiving more than $300,000 in GoFundMe funds and more than 4,000 people donating.
Since 2021, the number of unionized ski resort employees (mainly ski patrollers and lift operators) in the U.S. has roughly doubled, according to industry publication Ski Area Management. United Mountain Workers, part of the Communications Workers of America, currently represents approximately 1,100 ski industry employees in 16 bargaining units in four Western states, including 13 Park City ski patrollers. represents.
At other resorts around the country, ski patrollers were heartened by the success of their strikes.
Ryan Anderson, vice president of the ski patrol union at Breckenridge Ski Resort, owned by Vail, Colorado, said the Utah outcome could be a step toward ending what he calls “extractivism in mountain towns.” He said there is.
“I hope this strike has the effect of saying that these communities should be seen as serious partners in the success of our businesses, not just as a source of labor to be exploited,” he said. Ta.
John Jamieson, a second-year Park City ski patroller, called the resolution “very emotional and brought me to tears.”
“When you sit down at the table of this giant company, what comes first is a group of people who are always beating the time clock,” he said. “It's really good to think this is a turning point.”
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