Another group of lift mechanics at a Vail property have voted to unionize. On July 1st, the lift mechanics at Crested Butte Mountain Resort voted 7 to 3 to form a union. The Crested Butte Lift Maintenance joined the Communications Workers of America (CWA) 7781. They have become the second group of lift mechanics at a ski resort in the United States that have joined a union, with the first being from Park City Mountain Resort.
On Friday, they released the following statement on their Instagram page:
“We are happy to announce that today we officially became a Union! In a 7-3 vote Crested Butte Lift Maintenance Professional Union officially joined the CWA Local 7781. We can now meet at the bargaining table as equals. Together we will work on making this a safer and more sustainable career.”
Back in May, unanimously petitioned the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) by signing union authorization cards. This move helps create a secret ballot vote so that those who voted for unionization are protected against retaliation by their employer. In order to avoid an election though, they needed Vail Resorts to recognize them. Vail Resorts unsurprisingly didn’t do that, and a union vote followed.
According to Ski Area Management, Tara Schoedinger, who is the Vice President and General Manager of CBMR, said the following in a statement released on Friday:
“As we have shared with our team, we sincerely believe that a direct relationship between our company and our team members creates the strongest connection and allows every employee’s voice to be heard, because the reality is 30 percent of the lift maintenance team voted against joining a union today.
Our team members are the heart of this resort, and we will always do the right thing for them regardless of a union. The outcome of today’s vote doesn’t change that. If today’s results are certified by the NLRB, we will comply with all applicable labor and employment laws and move forward in good faith, communicating through the representative selected by our lift maintenance mechanics and electrical technicians.”
Image Credits: Crested Butte Lift Maintenance Professional Union, Crested Butte Mountain Resort
