Striking ski patrollers at the biggest US resort return to work claiming victory
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Two hundred Utah ski patrollers returned to work Thursday after voting to accept a new labor contract and end a nearly two-week strike that closed many trails and caused long lift lines at the ones that remained open during a busy time of year at the country's biggest ski resort.
The Park City Ski Professional Ski Patrol Association claimed victory, saying in a statement that Colorado-based Vail Resorts, which owns Park City Mountain Resort, acceded to its key demands including a $2-an-hour base-pay increase and raises for senior ski patrollers.
"This contract is more than just a win for our team — it’s a groundbreaking success in the ski and mountain worker industry. This effort demonstrates what can be achieved when workers stand together and fight for what they deserve,” ski patroller and union lead negotiator Seth Dromgoole said in a statement.
Union negotiators and Vail Resorts announced Tuesday that they had reached a tentative deal. The full union voted Wednesday to accept the agreement. The strike began Dec. 27 after negotiations that started in March bogged down and the union accused Vail Resorts of bargaining unfairly. The strike coincided with the busy holiday season and a period of more than 2 feet (61 centimeters) of fresh but difficult-to-access snowfall at the resort.
Despite the closed trails and long lift lines, some skiers expressed support for the strikers, chanting “Pay your employees!” in videos posted on social media. “We look forward to welcoming back the Park City Mountain patrollers in the coming days and moving forward together as one team. We apologize to our guests who were impacted by this strike and are incredibly grateful to our team who worked hard to keep the mountain open and operating safely over the past two weeks," Bill Rock, Vail Resorts' mountain division president, said in a statement.
