The Park City Professional Ski Patrol Association began striking on Friday morning after mediation with Vail Resorts broke down, leaving the company’s ski patrol union without a contract. The action was prompted by the lack of a counterproposal on wages and benefits from the company.
Union leaders said that Vail Resorts had refused to negotiate in good faith, repeatedly violating the National Labor Relations Act. The strike is an unfair labor practice strike related to charges filed last week with the National Labor Board against Vail Resorts.
The union aims to use this picket line to “amplify their fight for better wages and working conditions.” Union business manager Quinn Graves said that they had tried to avoid the strike, but the company continued to not bring counterproposals regarding wages and benefits to the table.
Park City Mountain Vice President and Chief Operating Officer Deirdra Walsh stated that the union’s action was surprising and that the company remained committed to reaching an agreement. However, she noted that the negotiating team must now shift focus to operational continuity due to the strike.
The ski patrol union had been working without a contract since April, with minimum hourly wages for patrollers at $21 since March 2022. The main goals of the Park City Professional Ski Patrol Association are raising base rates to $23 an hour, addressing wage compression for tenured patrollers, and improving benefits.
The strike has raised over $47,922 through a GoFundMe page set up by the union, in addition to other community-led initiatives.
Source: https://www.parkrecord.com/2024/12/27/park-city-ski-patrol-goes-on-strike