Nearly 200 unionized ski patrollers and mountain safety staff walked off the job at Park City Mountain this morning after months working without a contract. The escalation comes a day after mediation between Vail Resorts and the Park City Professional Ski Patrol Association failed to produce an agreement. “We are deeply disappointed the patrol union has walked out of 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,” said Deirdra Walsh, VP & COO for Park City Mountain. “We want to reassure skiers and snowboarders, our employees, and this community that despite the union’s actions, Park City Mountain will remain open with safety as our top priority, and all planned terrain will be open thanks to experienced patrol leaders from Park City Mountain and our other mountain resorts,” she continued.
After hanging up their jackets, the union and supporters spent the day picketing at both Canyons Village and Mountain Village in full view of guests. The union stopped short of telling the public not to ski but urged the public not to patronize Vail Resorts restaurants, retail stores, rental shops and ski schools. “Vail Resorts forced this walkout by bargaining in bad faith and repeatedly violating the National Labor Relations Act,” said the union, which is part of United Mountain Workers, itself a unit of the Communications Workers of America. “Consistent with Vail’s bad faith tactics, after yesterday’s seven hour negotiation session with a mediator present, the company continued to refuse to give a counteroffer on wages or benefits. They have had two weeks to prepare a counter proposal,” the union said.
Patrollers are seeking a $2 wage increase for new hires from $21 to $23 per hour with an annual cost of living adjustment. They are also calling for improved wages for senior patrollers and an equipment allowance for all members, among other benefits. In addition to the strike in Park City, the union organized an informational picket tonight in front of Vail-owned Epic Mountain Gear in Frisco, Colorado. The majority of United Mountain Workers’ roughly 1,100 members work in Colorado. The union represents patrollers, lift mechanics and electricians at 13 resorts in four states.
Vail Resorts prepared for a strike in Park City, making clear in advance the mountain would continue operating and flying in patrollers from across the company to stand in for workers who walked out. Park City patrol managers and supervisors are not part of the union and remain working alongside colleagues from other states. The company calls this the “Patrol Support Team” with the union preferring the term “scab.” Vail also created a website outlining the company’s position, including recent compensation increases and contract proposals.
Strike-related impacts on mountain operations were not entirely clear. Today was a powder day on the heels of historically low snowfall, resulting in limited terrain open before the strike started. High winds also impacted lift operations and this holiday week is always crowded. Still, many lifts opened hours late, frustrating guests. One employee who wished to remain anonymous said, “As a long time Park City skier and employee this definitely feels abnormal. Tombstone not opening is very, very unusual.” More than 20 lifts did open, however, a number similar to yesterday. The employee said a lack of normal on-snow signage was noticeable. “Generally the vibe here is that guests are mad,” they said. “In my experience about 50% are mad at Vail and 50% are mad at patrol.”
Lift Blog 
Personal opinion but I don’t think this will go well for the patrollers. The public isn’t very likely going to back them as much as they would like, given that the public is already paying high prices for the cost of a lift ticket and what not, and the prices would only go up more in order to pay the employees more. Yeah it’s hard to make a living on wages that are paid right now, but if there are people willing to work for what is being paid right now then the strike won’t mean much.
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I’d 100% be in favor of a small bump in pass/ticket prices in order to properly compensate the folks handling explosives and AEDs. Small price to pay for life-saving services.
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I would as well, despite how my post above may have come across.
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Not to mention that in many areas, people don’t have the best opinions of unions. I’m not saying this is one of those cases, but still…
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From what I can tell the major sticking point is the demand for year-round health benefits.
The $2/hour salary increase, I can understand (especially if it’s about keeping up with the cost of inflation), and amounts to pocket change. If that was all this was about, the negotiations would probably go off without a hitch.
But the health benefits are almost certainly much more expensive, and I can see Vail Resorts wanting to prolong the negotiations until that demand is dropped / the strikers have to come back to work because they desperately need the money to pay their bills and whatnot.
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Damn, looking for a $2 raise for new hires. That’s a position that requires a lot of the patroller and requires a lot of training and skill. Where I last worked uncertified new hire instructors make $21 and the patrollers are worth more than that.
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Here’s a detailed list of Vail Resorts executives and their 2024 compensation, based on available SEC filings:
Kirsten Lynch, Chief Executive Officer: $6,288,586
Salary: $1,086,908
Stock Awards: $2,456,356
Stock Options: $2,456,542
Other Compensation: $29,587
Robert Katz, Executive Chairman: $2,202,070
Salary: $1,086,908
Stock Awards: $1,091,661
Other Compensation: $23,501
Angela Korch, Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer: $2,183,196
Salary: $688,896
Stock Awards: $1,467,293
Other Compensation: $27,007
David T. Shapiro, Executive Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary: $2,162,634
Salary: $371,443
Stock Awards: $1,782,113
Other Compensation:$9,078
Gregory J. Sullivan, Executive Vice President, Retail/Rental and Hospitality: $975,715
Salary: $491,042
Stock Awards: $451,804
Other Compensation: $32,869
William C. Rock, President – Mountain Division: $1,652,847
Salary: $604,388
Stock Awards: $1,029,866
Other Compensation: $18,593
Disclaimer:
This information is based on publicly available SEC filings.
Well……. we’ll all be relieved to know that these shameless, soulless, ghouls as Executives at Vail (Fail) Resorts will be able to struggle through this strike knowing they’re paid 400 times their average company employee. I have no idea how shameful this sad sack of clowns can be, led by the biggest thief of all in Chairman Robert Katz and his Wall Street cronies…. stealing from the coffers of WhistlerBlackcomb for 30 years now. How do you sleep… $21-23 per hour pay to Patrol…..are you f..k..g serious….. how do you survive on that by yourself, let alone feed your family……
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Heh, Big Biz baby.
I’m not sure mgt. even cares if the upper lifts open, nor the depth hoar laden upper elevation E. facing Wasatch slopes…soon to be slabbed over (well maybe someday if it actually snows).
There was a pic of Jake Hutchinson on the picket line. https://www.sltrib.com/news/2024/12/27/park-city-mountain-ski-patrollers/
You can look him up, sad circumstances for his removal, but that’s business. Jake helped me out one day (~20 yrs ago?) when I broke a binding on the Squaretop ridge. We jury rigged my tele binding and made it down to the ski area (and they stopped the lift for me to download)
Guess I should spend a few hours on the picket line next week: I support PC Patrollers!
-Kurt
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FYI…
https://the-high-route.com/from-the-avalanche-review-the-canyons-avalanche-trial/
-Kurt
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Squaretop slid Wall-to-Wall, plus more of the PC ridgeline to the North of there, apparently a natural. Anyone missing a snowboarder at Park City?
https://utahavalanchecenter.org/avalanche/90652
Now, this is OB, but indicitive of the PC Ridgeline Terrain that PC/The Canyons Patrol deals with (or perhaps would be dealing with if they were working). Alas, the upper lifts are not spinning, and lift tickets were not for sale today at the window. Gotta hand it to Vail for negotiating such a fine deal with the Patrollers <sarc>. Many reports of long lift-lines and very unhappy holiday visitors. Local news also stated that Vail is back to moderation with the Patrol’s Union, a few days ahead of schedule.
-Kurt
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Yeah? So? That’s the perks of being owner/operators/high ups. You get paid well. If you want to get paid well then go be one instead of insisting how others need to spend their money.
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Plus I imagine the vast majority of the public don’t know who the people who run Vail Resorts are. If anything, they’re more likely to take their frustrations out on the striking patrollers than on the Vail Resorts execs because of who’s a “frontline” worker and who isn’t.
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Kudos to PCPSPA for sticking to their guns for a righteous cause. Shame on Vail Resorts for not negotiating in good faith, and for failing to make a counteroffer before the holiday.
Skiers shouldn’t cross the picket line (spend money at VR-owned outlets or on-mountain) during this time.
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You can be absolutely certain that both sides of a labor dispute will accuse the other of negotiating in bad faith. It’s part of the process. There is a deal to be made but it requires both sides to meet in the middle.
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The big question will be who the public will be behind. I mean, those who aren’t there are more likely to be behind the patrollers, while those waiting in the long lines are likely to be more mad at the ski patrollers for various reasons. Not much of an expert on labor disputes, sadly…
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Skiers shouldn’t cross the picket line (spend money at VR-owned outlets or on-mountain) during this time.
People have a right to go where they want. But I imagine the vast majority of skiers won’t really care about the plight until it affects them in a significant way, such as a lift having to be rope-evacuated.
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This is crazy. I hope PC can restore order soon
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probably time to get another new VP of Mtn Ops (previous one wasn’t any better), new COO, new President of the Mtn Division, new CEO…..
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both sides digging in their heels and refusing to negotiate leaves the customers as the losers. Expensive vacations planned in advance can’t easily be rescheduled. Big disappointment
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Nobody is stopping anybody from skiing.
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So, has a new VP/COO been appointed? How about a new VP or Mtn Ops?
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