Two hundred Utah ski patrollers returned to work Thursday after voting to receive a recent labor deal and complete a nearly two-week strike that closed many trails and caused long lift lines at the ones that remained open during a busy period of year at the country’s biggest ski resort.
The Park City Ski Professional Ski Patrol Association claimed win, 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 boost and raises for elder ski patrollers.
“This deal is more than just a triumph for our throng — it’s a groundbreaking achievement in the ski and mountain worker industry. This attempt demonstrates what can be achieved when workers stand together and fight for what they deserve,” ski patroller and union navigator negotiator Seth Dromgoole said in a statement.
Union negotiators and Vail Resorts announced Tuesday that they had reached a tentative deal. The packed union voted Wednesday to receive 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 period and a period of more than 2 feet (61 centimeters) of fresh but challenging-to-access snowfall at the resort.
Despite the closed trails and long lift lines, some skiers expressed back 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 throng. We apologize to our guests who were impacted by this strike and are incredibly grateful to our throng who worked challenging to keep the mountain open and operating safely over the history two weeks,” statement Rock, Vail Resorts’ mountain division president, said in a statement.
Pointing to steep expense boost since 2022, the Park City Professional Ski Patrollers Association sought a pay boost from $21 to $23 an hour. It said $27 is a livable wage in Park City, which is also home to Deer Valley Resort.
Park City, about 30 miles (48 kilometers) east of Salt Lake City, is a resort town of about 8,000 people where the average home worth tops $1.5 million and living costs are well above average.
The raises include a $4-an-hour average boost for elder ski patrollers, with some specialized long-period workers getting an average of $7.75 more, according to the union.
The union also sought higher pay for the longest-serving patrollers. The current scale tops out after five years on the job.
Vail Resorts, which with 42 properties on three continents calls itself the globe’s largest mountain resort operator, said it already had been charitable with the Park City Mountain Resort ski patrollers, pointing to a 50% base-pay boost from $13 to $21 an hour in 2022. It had been offering a 4% pay boost for most patrollers and $1,600 each year for their equipment.
Ski labor negotiations aren’t rare, but this strike happened after talks went much longer than usual, drawing attention during a busy period, observed Alex Kaufman, a former ski resort marketing executive and podcaster.
“The issue was probably never really about the money or benefits. It was a conscious selection by Vail Resorts to let it bleed into the holidays,” Kaufman said. “They overplayed their hand and paid the worth.”
Ski patrollers maintain safety by monitoring terrain, responding to accidents, hauling injured skiers downhill and reducing avalanche uncertainty, such as by releasing built-up snow with explosives when nobody is nearby. Many work other jobs in the summer, including as fly-fishing, mountain biking and whitewater rafting guides.
Labor unions have secured meaningful employer concessions in recent months following strikes by Boeing factory workers, dockworkers at East and Gulf coast ports, video game performers, and hotel and casino workers on the Las Vegas Strip.
