The union’s last contract with Park City Mountain expired in April, and the group has held 17 bargaining sessions with resort management since then.
Quinn Graves serves as business manager for the Park City Professional Ski Patrol Association, which represents over 200 ski patrol and mountain safety staff at Park City Mountain. Graves said there’s been progress towards a final contract in recent weeks.
“We have tentatively agreed to the vast majority of the articles in our contract with only a few outstanding, which is very positive,” Graves said. “This round of negotiations, up to this point, has been a lot more respectful and we’ve made better progress up to this point than the last round of negotiations. So that’s a great thing.”
Beginner ski patrollers currently earn $21 per hour. Graves couldn’t comment on how high they hope to bump up that number due to ongoing negotiations.
She said the union’s top concern is wage compression.
“A lot of our most tenured patrollers, like folks who have been there for 10 plus years, are making relatively similar wages to people who’ve been there for four to five years," Graves said. "Because at that four to five year mark, with how our wages are currently structured, you kind of hit a plateau.”
At the end of the day, she said the union’s main point is they want ski patrolling to be a viable career financially.
“We need to be paid adequately so we can continue to work this job we love and be able to actually thrive living in and around a mountain community instead of just surviving paycheck to paycheck,” Graves said.
During the last round of negotiations in 2022, the union voted to strike amid ongoing struggles to reach an agreement. A walkout was averted after the sides reached a deal in their 50th bargaining session.
Graves said a strike remains a last-resort option.
“Since we’re working without a contract, we have the full legal right to do that,” she said. “But our hope is that we can come to an agreement with the company without having that process come to a strike. Because at the end of the day, both Vail [Resorts] and the union, our main goal here is to have a team of highly trained professionals, both in the ski patrol and mountain safety departments, and we also want our retention rate to be high.”
Park City Mountain Vice President of Mountain Operations Mike Lewis said in a statement that negotiations "have been respectful and productive and we remain committed to working in earnest toward a new contract."
“We deeply value all of our team members and are proud of the recent investments we've made into the employee experience," Lewis said. "The entire team at Park City Mountain is looking forward to delivering our guests a great experience this upcoming winter season.”
The union and resort management are scheduled to meet next in mid-November. Park City Mountain is scheduled to open Friday, Nov. 22, weather permitting.
