In the end, Park City Mountain’s ski patrollers got their $2 an hour, and more.
Members of the Park City Mountain Professional Ski Patrol Association voted Wednesday to accept the contract proffered to them by Vail Resorts after 10 months of negotiations and nearly two weeks on strike. A statement released Wednesday night by the union did not say what the vote count was, only that it had passed.
“The ratification of this contract after ten long months of negotiations is a step toward strengthening our patrol and mountain safety teams and fostering a safer, more financially-sustainable workplace,” union president and seven-year patroller Kate Lips said in the statement.
For months, the union and Vail Resorts — Park City Mountain’s parent company — struggled to close the gap on the final three of 27 total contract articles. Those articles pertained to benefits, such as parental leave, a healthcare stipend during working months, and pay for experienced and beginner patrollers. One of the demands laid out by the union was a $2 raise, from $21 to $23, for starting patrollers.
When about 200 members of the patrol went on strike Dec. 27, amidst the holiday crush and the first of a series of snow storms, it threw Park City Mountain into disarray. Long lines, lack of open terrain and anecdotes about slow or inadequate responses to emergencies because of the lack of patrollers rankled many of the skiers and snowboarders who visited the mountain. And when those guests took to social media and the comments section of stories to vent their frustrations, Vail Resorts’ perceived reluctance to agree to that raise was the issue for which it took the most flak.
When the ink dried, however, the patrollers got that $2 starting bump. They also won “substantial increases” for tenured patrollers. That includes an average wage increase of $4 per hour, though snow safety specialists — those that clear avalanches, among other risky tasks — and the most experienced patrollers will see an average increase of $7.75 per hour, according to the union’s statement. The wage scale has also been restructured, the union announced, “to encourage long-term career growth and ensure the retention of highly skilled patrollers.
In terms of benefits, the patrollers secured some parental leave as well as educational opportunities. The statement made no mention of stipends for health care or gear.
Bill Rock, the president of the mountain division for Vail Resorts, said in a news release that the contract terms are “consistent with our company’s wage structure for all patrollers, non-unionized and unionized, while accounting for the unique terrain and avalanche complexity of Park City Mountain.
“We look forward to welcoming back the Park City Mountain patrollers in the coming days and moving forward together as one team.”
The union opened contract negotiations in March, a month before its previous contract was set to expire. In late December, the two parties agreed to mediation. They met with the mediator most days last week as well as Monday and Tuesday this week, all while the patrollers were on strike.
(Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune) Park City ski patrollers officially go on strike, citing unfair labor practices and marking the latest chapter in the union’s negotiations with Park City Mountain and its owner, Vail Resorts on Friday, Dec. 27, 2024.
The patrollers seemed well-situated to extend the strike if needed, however. The Go Fund Me they set up as a strike fund received more than $300,000 in donations over the course of 12 days. Had the strike gone another three days, the patrollers also would have gotten $300 a month from the Communication Workers of America.
However, late Tuesday night negotiators for the union and Vail Resorts finally found common ground.
“The road to this agreement was anything but easy,” Seth Dromgoole, a 17-year patroller and lead negotiator for the union, said in a statement. “Negotiating with Vail Resorts has been an incredibly challenging process, marked by months of persistence and dedication from our board, negotiators, and union members.
“This contract is more than just a win for our team — it’s a groundbreaking success in the ski and mountain worker industry.”
The patrollers said they plan to return to work on the mountain Thursday. With them back in action, Park City Mountain said in its statement that it expects to begin opening more terrain. Stated priorities include Tombstone, Dream Peak and McConkey’s. During the holidays, Park City Mountain opened just 17% to 30% of its terrain, compared to 50% to 90% at most other Utah ski areas.
