Keystone, Colorado — Ski patrollers at Park City Mountain Resort aren’t the only group of workers employed by Vail that are unionized. Over at Keystone Resort, ski patrollers voted to unionize last year, and are currently negotiating a contract with Vail Resorts.
As part of the negotiations, the Keystone Ski Patrol Union is trying to get wage incentives for specific skills and certifications. The Keystone Ski Patrol Union alleges that Vail Resorts is proposing the removal of pay incentives for these specific skills and reducing wages for those who have more comprehensive medical certifications.
In response to this statement, Keystone issued a press release of its own, alleging that the union was being dishonest. Here’s what Shannon Buhler, the Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of the Colorado resort, wrote to employees in an email sent to them on Sunday:
“I am reaching out to you today to share some updates about our ongoing negotiations with the union that represents Keystone Ski Patrol. I recognize that there may be different perspectives and opinions when it comes to the topic of unions, and I respect our employees’ right to voice their opinion. And it is important to be sure there is no misinformation about this process.
Last week, we met with the union and presented our proposal on wages and benefits. This included proposals for skills-based pay, including EMT and medical certifications. It was a productive and respectful meeting. Since that meeting, the union has shared inaccurate information regarding that discussion and the skills-based pay the resort proposed. Some of our team members have asked me questions and raised concerns about what they have read, so I want to make sure you have the facts:
FACT: Keystone Resort is not questioning, nor have we ever questioned, the need or value for patrollers to have advanced medical care skills. We recognize, appreciate, and are proud of the frontline care our patrollers provide to our guests, and our proposal includes individualized skills-based pay for medical certifications.
FACT: Keystone Resort is not reducing wages for patrollers with higher medical certifications. Our latest proposal offers individualized skills-based pay for both EMT certifications and advanced EMT certifications. Employees with certifications like Advanced EMT, Paramedic, and RN will receive skills-based pay.
FACT: Keystone Resort is not removing specialty team skills-based pay and individualized skills-based pay for patrollers. This is an important element of the patrol wage structure for the company, and there has been no discussion about taking it away. And our latest skills-based pay offer actually exceeds those requested by the union for several patroller levels and positions.
FACT: We remain committed to negotiating in good faith and reaching an agreement with our patrollers at Keystone Resort. We are looking forward to our next bargaining session scheduled for Jan. 30. We have offered to meet with the union before then to discuss any feedback they have from our last meeting.
We have an enormous amount of respect for all our Keystone Resort employees, including our ski patrollers, who are an important part of our resort team and the Keystone experience. We remain committed to a respectful and productive negotiation process aligned to our values and to reaching agreement.
Our resort is made up of thousands of employees across numerous departments and it takes all of us to open this mountain and operate safely each and every day. There is no one department that alone makes this mountain safe, it takes all of us, working together as one team.”
We’ll keep you posted here at Unofficial Networks on the latest developments regarding the contract negotiations between various unions (like the Crested Butte Lift Maintenance Union and Keystone Ski Patrol Union) and Vail Resorts.

Image Credits: Keystone Resort, Keystone Ski Patrol Union