^Featured Image Courtesy: Park City Professional Ski Patrol Association
^PCMR ski patrollers practicing in January. Photo: Sarah Grey, Outside
A legal battling is brewing in the mountain towns surrounding multiple resorts owned and managed by Vail Resorts, according to Alexander Cramer- The Park Record.
Vail is giving all of its employees an end-of-season bonus ranging from $100-$1,500, except for the unionized ski patrol members at Park City Mountain Resort, Stevens Pass, and Crested Butte.
Vail Resorts claims that they can not alter the payment structure (whether good or bad) for unionized employees without negotiating with the union itself.
The 200 unionized patrollers at PCMR have been locked in negotiations with Vail Resorts since their most recent contract agreement expired in November of 2020.
^FACEBOOK/Crested Butte Ski Patrol
Sounds like Vail is in the clear here until you realize that the unionized employees at PCMR agreed to work without a contract agreement so that this ski season could happen.
They sacrificed their union rights for the good of the company, the local businesses, and skiers who enjoy their resorts.
^FACEBOOK/Crested Butte Ski Patrol
I have a suggestion for Vail:
Take care of your most valuable assets (ski patrollers) by spending a fraction of the billions in cash you have saved away.
Simple as that.
Here’s to hoping the ski patrollers at PCMR, Stevens Pass, and Crested Butte are compensated fairly for their hard work in the future.