Ski resort prepares for possible strike as contract negotiations continue

PARK CITY – A group of ski patrollers and mountain safety personnel are raising money if they go on strike, which could happen at any moment.

The group, called the Park City Professional Ski Patrol Association, said they’re dissatisfied with their contract negotiations with Vail Resorts, which owns Park City Mountain.

They held a strike fund fundraiser Sunday at O’Shucks White House to raise money to cover their bills in the event they do stop work.

“A lot of our articles are tentatively agreed to, but we kind of hit a bit of a wall when we initially proposed our wage proposal back on September 20, ” Margaux Klingensmith, PCPSPA business manager, said.

She said they don’t want to go on strike, but they will if they feel like they can’t reach an agreement.

Park City Ski Patrol authorizes strike after unanimous vote

Klingensmith said with the way compensation is now, it’s hard to make this job a career.

“We have patrollers who are in their fourth and fifth years making the same or more than patrollers who have been tenured with us for 15, 20 years,” she said.

She said they’ve been going back and forth with the company on counterproposals.

“Those counter proposals would affect a very small amount of our unit, and essentially result in no wage increase for anyone in our unit,” Klingensmith said. “I think it affects like 20 to 30 people, maybe at this time, out of over 200.”

PCPSPA is asking for a base wage increase.

“From $21 an hour to $23 an hour, the reason for that number is simply keeping up with inflation,” she said.

Park City Mountain told KSL TV seasonal patrol wages have increased more than 50% over the last four years. It said the average pay for a patroller is more than $25 an hour, and experienced patrollers earn 35% more than entry-level positions.

Park City Mountain said under its proposal, returning patrollers would get a 4% wage increase this season, and a $1,600 equipment allowance.

If there is a strike, Park City Mountain Vice President and Chief Operating Officer Deirdra Walsh said they have patrollers from that property and others ready to work, what the union calls scabs.

“Bringing in scabs is undermining the safety of the resort,” Klingensmith said.

She said putting people on the mountain who don’t know the terrain as well can put guests in danger.

“I’ve only worked out of the Canyons base area, and it took the entire first year just to learn the terrain. And I’m still learning about spots that I’m finding, and this is my sixth season patrolling,” Klingensmith said.

Walsh with Park City Mountain said they’re prepared to stay open and operate safely even if there is a strike.

“Park City Mountain has plans in place to safely operate the resort all season long. We agreed to the patrol union’s request to schedule mediation this week; however, the union has continued to state that they may call a strike at any time, including in advance of mediation. If the union takes this drastic action, Park City Mountain will remain open to serve our employees, guests, and the community. If necessary, we are prepared to deploy our Patrol Support Team, which consists of experienced patrollers from Park City Mountain and our other mountain resorts. We are proud of this team’s deep skills, certifications, and professionalism. Patrol Support Team members are provided with training and resources to specialize in the terrain area they are assigned. In addition, we have two on-site medical clinics. Safety is always our number one priority.”

Both the patrol union and Park City Mountain agreed to mediation this week.

“We are incredibly hopeful that the company comes to the table with mediation, and we see a change in what their counterproposal proposals have been,” Klingensmith said. “However, we feel that what we’ve seen from the company is stall tactics. Up until this point, it’s been over nine months. There have been several weeks where the company was unable to meet. Just in the last week, we did not receive a counterproposal on wages or benefits from the company, and we had two sessions this week where they could have done that.”

She said the union’s goal is to raise $50,000 for their strike fund, which they’ve done before.

“Several years ago, we had another fund similar to this that was intended to help patrollers pay bills in the event of a strike. That raised over $100,000. And our original wording with that initial strike fund years ago was that if we didn’t have to use it, we would give it back to the community and to local organizations, to assist patrollers in times of need, and to assist local labor forces,” Klingensmith said.

She said they’re prepared to do the same this time around. Their executive board can also choose to strike at any time.

“The entire point of this nine-month-long process is to get a contract that is fair and reasonable,” she said.

Park City Mountain said its proposal is aligned with proposals accepted by ski patrols at other resorts.