A majority of the employees on the summer bike patrol and trail crew are members of the Park City Professional Ski Patrol Association, the union representing winter ski patrollers at Park City Mountain.
Syd Hyer, the union’s Mountain Village vice president, said the bike patrol and trail crew have a wide range of tasks.
“They are responsible for responding to any medical situations that were to happen on the mountain when it’s open, and also the trail crew specifically will do a lot of sawyer work,” Hyer said. “So they are actively using chainsaws and heavy equipment, and they make the mountain fun to ski in the winter, because they cut back all the brush in the summer.”
Hyer said summer patrollers are tasked with responding to any medical emergencies at the resort, whether that’s a mountain bike crash or an accident on the alpine slide.
By petitioning to organize the bike patrol and trail crew are moving to become their own union. The group would be represented by the Communications Workers of America, which represents the ski patrol and lift maintenance team at Park City Mountain.
Hyer said summer workers want to bring up wages to match those offered during the ski season.
“We’re hoping to have union representation for these people, because they are required to have medical certifications,” Hyer said. “They’re asked to participate in lift evacuation exercises and many other skilled and dangerous jobs, just like in the winter. And they feel that these dangerous scenarios that they are put in and all of the skills that they are required to have warrant higher wages.”
The group has not provided details to KPCW on what summer workers are currently paid, or how many employees would make up the summer union.
During the Park City Mountain ski patrol strike this past winter, the union sought to increase base wages from $21 to $23 per hour. The minimum wage for all workers at the resort is $20 per hour.
Hyer said a super majority of summer workers signed the petition to form a new union.
“We’re great friends with our supervisors, and any push to unionize is never a negative reflection on them,” she said. “It’s just a reflection of the unit coming together to bargain for what they think they need.”
They’re now waiting to hear back from the National Labor Relations Board. The group did request voluntary recognition from Vail Resorts.
“We are aware of the petition filed by bike patrollers and trail crew at Park City Mountain,” a resort said in a statement. “We believe a direct connection to our employees fosters the strongest working relationship between our employees and their resort leaders, but we respect their right to file this petition and are engaging in this process.”
Bike haul is offered for three months during the summer at Park City Mountain, along with an additional month of reduced operations. It is not currently a profitable line of business, according to the resort spokesperson.
Park City Mountain’s spokesperson also said summer employees who perform lift evacuations are compensated extra for their work. They added that operations duties at the resort during summer are less complex than in winter.
Note: Syd Hyer is a former KPCW DJ.
