Park City Ski Patrol authorizes strike after unanimous vote
Dec 14, 2024, 9:58 AM
Ski patrollers demonstrate Nov. 23 in Park City after union negotiations with Vail Resorts reach a standstill. The Park City Ski Patrol Association announced Saturday that a strike authorization vote held this week passed unanimously. (Collin Leonard, KSL.com)
(Collin Leonard, KSL.com)
PARK CITY — The ski patrol union in Park City announced Saturday that they have authorized a strike, following a contentious negotiation session with Vail Resorts on Thursday.
“Despite months of meetings, including the most recent bargaining session on the evening of Dec. 12, little progress has been made on a proposed wages, benefits and education package,” according to a union press release.
Regular picketing demonstrations have taken place across the mountain town since late November. During the Thursday negotiations, over 100 demonstrators gathered outside to support the group, the release says.
The meeting ended early, Vail Resorts Vice President Deirdra Walsh told the Park Record.
“The union walked out of negotiations when we were prepared to discuss their wage proposal,” Walsh told the paper. “We were ready to continue conversations, and it was disappointing to see them refuse any dialogue and leave the discussion abruptly.”
Union representatives say that Vail Resorts “has passed virtually the same economic counterproposal back three times without substantial revisions” since their initial compensation proposal on Sept. 20, despite the ski patrol group “making significant concessions.”
A strike authorization vote was held “to address mounting frustrations at these unacceptable offers,” the release says. The vote passed with 100% approval.
In previous statements, the union’s lead negotiator, 17-year patrol veteran Seth Dromgoole, said the group is proposing an increase to the starting wage from $21 to $23 per hour.
The union claims the nearby Deer Valley resort has recently raised their starting pay to $23.50 an hour, and Powder Mountain is paying $26. These figures could not be immediately verified independently.
It is not clear what this means for the Park City Mountain resort. Walsh previously told KSL.com that “there are no impacts — and will be no impacts — to our mountain operations.” A strike authorization gives the ability to organize a strike but does not necessarily mean one will happen.
The ski union and Vail Resorts were not immediately available for comment.
