Park City Mountain ski patrol goes on strike over contract dispute

Park City Mountain ski patrollers form a picket line during their strike at Canyons Village, drawing attention to ongoing labor negotiations. Photo: TownLift // Laura Modena

“All we really know is that the experienced patrol officers who are familiar with this terrain are on the picket line right now.” “We hope that this has no impact on the safety of the guests and we hope that everyone on the mountain at this time Stay safe.” Quinn Graves, PCPSPA Executive Director

PARK CITY, Utah – Nearly 200 members of the Park City Professional Ski Patrol Association (PCPSPA) began a strike against unfair labor practices on Friday, December 27, citing fraudulent negotiations and violations of the National Labor Relations Act by Vail Resorts, the parent company, called Park City Mountain.

Instead of coming to work, ski patrollers and mountain safety personnel lined up outside the main entrances to Park City Mountain. From the picket line, Quinn Graves, PCPSPA Business Manager, said: “Today we went out at 7:30. “The company forced this strike because it repeatedly negotiated in bad faith and violated the National Labor Relations Act.”

The strike follows nine months of negotiations in which the union claims the company failed to submit counteroffers on wages or benefits for more than two weeks.

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Deirdra Walsh, vice president and COO of Park City Mountain, said: “We want to reassure skiers and snowboarders, our employees and this community that despite the union’s actions, Park City Mountain will remain open with safety as our top priority and the entire proposed area.” will be open thanks to patrol leaders from Park City Mountain and our other mountain resorts. In addition to over 50% pay increases over the last four seasons, the current Park City Mountain Patrol proposal increases pay for the majority of patrol officers by an additional 4% and provides $1,600 per patrol officer for equipment. We remain committed to reaching an agreement.”

Graves shared, “All we really know is that the experienced patrol officers who know this terrain are currently on the picket line. We hope this has no impact on guest safety and we hope everyone on the mountain remains safe at this time.”

The union has filed multiple unfair labor practice charges with the National Labor Relations Board, accusing Vail Resorts of prioritizing anti-union tactics, including flying in scabs, over addressing workers’ concerns.

Graves emphasized the importance of experienced patrols in ensuring safety on the mountain while expressing frustration with the company’s approach to responding to union demands. “It seems like they’re spending more time, effort and money bringing scabs or scabs here from other resorts” rather than simply negotiating with us in good faith to give us the very sensible economic package and benefits that we demand.”

PCPSPA’s key priorities include:

• Ensuring a pay and benefits package that enables members to be successful and is consistent with the documented cost of living in the Park City area.
• Creating a pay structure that advances employees’ careers and promotes a highly qualified and experienced patrol. This benefits both patrol officers and Vail Resorts by maintaining safety and excellence on the mountain.
• Relieving the pay scale to ensure that permanent patrol officers are compensated for their skills, knowledge and experience. This includes maintaining an industry-leading education and training package.
• Wages have been kept in line with inflation since 2022. Starting wages increased to $21 an hour in 2022, but the rising costs equate to a starting wage of $23 today.

The decision to strike came after an overwhelming majority of union members voted earlier this month. On December 13, 98.5% of PCPSPA members participated in a strike authorization vote, with 100% voting in favor of the work stoppage. Graves shared, “We went to mediation yesterday with our federal arbitrator and it didn’t go well, and that’s actually why we went to this strike today. “We met for seven hours and it’s nothing came out of it.”

After mediation efforts failed, Graves urged the community to show support by redirecting spending away from Vail-owned businesses and toward local facilities. “While we strike: Do not purchase day passes, do not purchase food at the lodges, do not visit Vail-owned music and rental stores, do not stay in Vail Resorts-owned accommodations,” Graves said. “We are asking our community to help us tell Vail Resorts to negotiate in good faith. As the union pushes for better wages and benefits, please support us and our great community by shopping at local stores instead.”

Graves emphasized: “This strike is not intended to be directed against our local management. We love and respect our local management. The strike is intended to show the resorts that we take our work seriously and want to ensure a fair contract for our unit.”

This strike reflects a broader struggle within the ski industry. Unionized ski patrollers at Keystone Resort and lift maintenance workers at Crested Butte Ski Resort have also called for better wages and working conditions.

PCPSPA members stressed that the safety and experience of the ski public is at risk until an agreement is reached. “Everyone is sad that we are not at work. Everyone wants to be at work, but more importantly, we want to ensure a fair contract for our entire unit,” Graves shared.

The picket lines will remain in place from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily until a solution is found. Updates can be found on the union’s social media channels, @pcskipatrolunion on Instagram and Facebook.

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