Park City Mountain’s ski patrollers are back on the slopes.
The workers at the largest ski resort in the U.S. ended their nearly two-week strike, which caused skiing delays and consumer strife during the busy holiday season, last week, The New York Times reported.
The Park City Mountain Professional Ski Patrollers Association, representing over 200 members, came to an agreement with Vail Resorts, the parent company of Utah’s Park City Mountain and 41 other ski areas across the globe, late last Wednesday. The new contract will raise the ski patrollers and other safety workers’ starting salary to $23, a $2 per hour increase; more experienced employees, meanwhile, will see a bump of $7.75 per hour. The agreement also gives workers expanded parental leave polices and educational opportunities, according to the NYT.
“This contract is more than just a win for our team—it’s a groundbreaking success in the ski and mountain worker industry,” lead negotiator Seth Dromgoole, who has been a Park City patroller for 17 years, said in a statement. “This effort demonstrates what can be achieved when workers stand together and fight for what they deserve.”
The Park City Mountain Professional Ski Patrollers Association initially went on strike on December 27, seeking a raise in their hourly base salary. As a result, only 2,277 out of 7,300 skiable acres were open for business due to a lack of mountain staff, causing lengthy lift lines and limited terrain for visitors.
“We look forward to welcoming back the Park City Mountain patrollers in the coming days and moving forward together as one team,” Bill Rock, president of Vail Resorts’s Mountain Division, said in a statement. “We apologize to our guests who were impacted by this strike and are incredibly grateful to our team who worked hard to keep the mountain open and operating safely over the past two weeks.”
The Park City Mountain strike wasn’t the only walkout as of late. In November, nearly 2,500 San Francisco hotel workers joined the picket line in search of raises, better health care, and increased staffing from the area’s three biggest hotels, among other properties. Both sides came to an agreement just before Christmas.
As for other luxe ski resorts to head to this winter, destinations from Alaska to Patagonia are offering up pristine slopes for an over-the-top experience. Happy shredding!
