Park City, Utah — Despite months of negotiations, significant gaps remain in the contract negotiations between the Park City Professional Ski Patrol Association and Vail Resorts.
Today, the Park City Professional Ski Patrol Association announced that negotiations have stalled regarding wages, benefits, and educational opportunities. According to the Park Record, this led to them walking out of a Thursday night meeting with Vail Resorts.
Deirdra Walsh, who’s the VP and COO of Park City Mountain Resort, said the following to the Park Record regarding the walkout:
“The union walked out of negotiations when we were prepared to discuss their wage proposal. We were ready to continue conversations, and it was disappointing to see them refuse any dialogue and leave the discussion abruptly…Our offer would provide returning patrollers at Park City Mountain this season with an average wage increase of 4%, plus a $1,600 equipment allowance.”
In addition, the union unanimously approved authorizing a strike. It should be noted that authorizing a strike does not mean that they’re going on strike right now or that such a move is imminent. The unanimous decision to authorize a strike means that they can declare a strike when they believe the time is right to do so. The next meeting is planned for Monday, December 14th. The Park Record reports that Vail Resorts plans to bring Bill Rock, the head of the Mountain Division for the corporation, to the meeting.
In response to Thursday’s meeting, Deirdra Walsh issued the following statement to Unofficial Networks:
“We are deeply disappointed the union has decided to vote to authorize a strike after refusing to negotiate in good faith or discuss mediation on Thursday, and this approach does not acknowledge that Park City Mountain patrol wages have increased more than 50% in the past four seasons to an average wage of $25/hour. We want to reassure our community, our employees, and our guests that Park City Mountain will remain open with safety as our top priority, regardless of the union’s actions.”
For more information regarding the negotiations, check out PCPSPA’s press release below and a response by Vail Resorts.
Park City Professional Ski Patrol Association Authorizes a Strike and Provides Update on Contract Negotiations with Vail Resorts
PARK CITY, UT – December 14, 2024 – The Park City Professional Ski Patrol Association (PCPSPA) continues to encounter significant challenges in its ongoing contract negotiations with Vail Resorts. Despite months of meetings, including the most recent bargaining session on the evening of December 12th, little progress has been made on a proposed wages, benefits, and education package.
PCPSPA presented its initial proposal on wages and benefits on September 20th. Since then, Vail Resorts has passed virtually the same economic counterproposal back three times without substantial revisions, despite PCPSPA making significant concessions. Vail’s current proposal removes critical wage parity protections offered in the expired contract, secured in 2022. To address mounting frustrations at these unacceptable offers, PCPSPA held a strike authorization vote this week in which 100% of the membership who voted, voted yes to authorize a strike. This vote underscores the urgency of resolving these critical issues and the solidarity of the union’s membership.
During the negotiations session on December 12th, PCPSPA members and supporters gathered for a demonstration outside of negotiations. The demonstration drew around 120 attendees, showcasing the strength of the union’s commitment to securing a fair contract that reflects the value of ski patrollers and mountain safety patrollers and their essential work.
PCPSPA’s key priorities include:
● Securing a wage and benefit package that allows members to thrive and aligns with the documented cost of living in the Park City area.
● Establishing a wage structure that encourages career longevity among employees, fostering a highly skilled and experienced patrol. This benefits both patrollers and Vail Resorts by maintaining safety and excellence on the mountain.
● Decompressing the pay scale to ensure tenured patrollers are compensated for their skills, knowledge, and experience. This includes maintaining an industry-leading education and training package.
● Keeping wages in step with inflation since 2022. Starting wages were raised to $21 per hour in 2022, but rising costs equate to what should be a $23 starting wage today. Neighboring resort, Deer Valley, recently raised their starting wage to $23.50 and Powder Mountain-another Utah ski resort-starts ski patrollers at $26 an hour.
“These priorities go beyond fair pay—they are essential for creating sustainable careers in ski patrol and ensuring the safety and quality of service on the mountain,” said Kate Lips, PCPSPA president and 7th year Ski Patroller. “We need Vail Resorts to come to the table with a proposal that reflects the value of our work and the cost of living in this community.”
PCPSPA remains committed to advocating for its members and urges Vail Resorts to prioritize meaningful negotiations. The union will continue to provide updates to the community as discussions progress.
For media inquiries or additional information, please contact:
Quinn Graves or Margaux Klingensmith
PCPSPA Business Managers
pcpspassociation@gmail.com
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The Park City Professional Ski Patrol Association is part of CWA Local 7781, The United Professional Ski Patrols of America. Through Local 7781, The Communications Workers of America represent Ski Patrollers at Park City, Utah; Solitude, Utah; Crested Butte, Colorado; Steamboat, Colorado; Telluride, Colorado; Keystone, Colorado; Whitefish, Montana; Stevens Pass, Washington; and Lift Maintenance departments at Park City, Utah and Crested Butte, Colorado. The CWA is committed to improving the working conditions of Ski Patrollers and other mountain workers – who statistically have one of the most dangerous jobs in the United States and Canada – and within the ski industry in general.
Facts from Park City Mountain:
- Park City Mountain patrol wages have increased more than 50% over the past four seasons, far outpacing inflation.
- The average wage for a seasonal patroller at Park City Mountain is over $25/hour and the resort’s more experienced seasonal patrollers with specialized skills make an average of 35% more than entry level patrollers.
- Our patrol wages and benefits are attracting strong talent with nearly 3,000 applicants for only 300 open patrol roles across our North American mountain resorts.
- Returning patrollers at Park City Mountain this season will receive an average wage increase of 4%, plus a $1,600 equipment allowance, with our wage proposal.
- The wages and benefits in our proposal to the Park City Mountain patrol union are consistent with those accepted by all our other patrols – both unionized and non-unionized – reflecting specialized skills and the unique needs of individual resorts.
Image Credits: Park City Professional Ski Patrol Association, Park City Mountain Resort
Update 12/14 6:20 p.m.: This article has been updated to provide more statements from Vail Resorts.
