Park City Ski Patrol’s twelve-day strike has today come to an end after numerous negotiation meetings between Park City Mountain and the Park City Professional Ski Patrol Association ended with a tentative agreement through to April 2027.
The strike commenced on December 27, seriously impacting guest experience, safe skiable terrain and share prices for Vail Resorts. The Unfair Labor Practice strike came about after multiple Unfair Labor Practice complaints filed against the company.
The Union requested a $23 hourly entry-level rate for ski patrollers plus improved benefits. Negotiations went south and social media got ugly for the resort when Park City Ski Patrol Union called for a public boycott of Vail Resorts hospitality outlets, lift tickets and accommodation.
While patrollers were striking without pay, local businesses offered up free meals for patrollers and a public strike fund was set up on GoFundMe for patrollers families for groceries and cost of living expenses. To date the fund has raised over USD$300,000.
Employees from various Vail Resorts mountains, including Park City Mountain, were brought in to work in place of the patrollers on strike in the Patrol Support Team. Resort operations were also impacted as only limited terrain could open with less operational lifts during critical Christmas and New Year holiday period resulting in long lift lines.
On New Year’s Eve, the mountain’s Chief Operating Officer, Diedra Walsh, posted a statement on Instagram addressing operational concerns and emphasising that beginner and intermediate runs would be prioritised with the opening of expert terrain to be delayed.
The next day the CEO of Vail Resorts, Kirsten Lynch, received an open letter from ski patrol unions from Breckenridge, Crested Butte, Keystone and Park City. The letter formally objected to the creation of the “Patrol Support Team”.
By January 2 Vail Resorts shares had slipped by almost 5% and negotiations continued with little success for ski patrol.
The President of Vail Resorts Mountain Division, Bill Rock, said in a statement on January 7 that:
“We are meeting with the union nearly every day and working hard to reach an agreement, with both parties negotiating in good faith. We remain committed to safely operating Park City Mountain for our guests and employees, and this week lift lines have been under 10 minutes on average. Since the strike began, we have been able to open more than 50 additional trails and have nearly 2,300 acres of skiable terrain available for our guests thanks to our incredibly hard-working and dedicated team.”
With regard to patroller wage increase demands, Rock also said “Patrol wages have increased more than 50 percent over the past four seasons, far outpacing inflation, to $25/hour on average.The day the patrol union went on strike, their wage demands averaged $7/hour more per patroller, not $2/hour. That is wages only and does not include the value of other benefits and compensation they asked for in addition to their wage demand.”
The local council and Park City Mayor Nann Worrel weighed in on the strike in a statement published in the Park Record newspaper.
“The Park City Council and I recognize that resort communities face significant livability challenges — and it is the workforce that all too often shoulders the weight of today’s economic pressures. Supporting a professional workforce is essential to the health, safety, and vitality of our town.
After yet another weekend of confusion and disruption due to the unresolved labor dispute at Park City Mountain, the City Council and I urgently call on Vail Resorts to take immediate action to conclude negotiations and end the uncertainty.
Park City Mountain is a cornerstone of Park City’s community well-being, and it is Vail Resorts’ responsibility as an essential employer to resolve this conflict without further delay.
As we stand by ready to assist in any way necessary to help bring this matter to a resolution, we humbly ask everyone for civility and respectful behavior toward each other during this challenging time.”
A breakthrough finally occurred by the end of Tuesday, Utah time, when both Park City Mountain Resort and the Park City Ski Patrol Union released a joint statement.
Park City Mountain and the Park City Professional Ski Patrol Association (PCPSPA) are pleased to announce that they have reached a new tentative agreement through April 2027. The Union’s bargaining committee is unanimously endorsing ratification by its unit with a vote scheduled to take place on January 8. The tentative agreement addresses both parties’ interests and will end the current strike. Everyone looks forward to restoring normal resort operations and moving forward together as one team. Until contract ratification, neither party will be accepting media requests.
Once the vote passes, it is expected ski patrol will return to work within twenty four hours.
