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‘Business as usual’ at Tahoe Vail resorts amid Park City ski patrol strike

GREATER LAKE TAHOE AREA, Calif/Nev. – Members of the Park City Professional Ski Patrol Association went on strike Friday morning, Dec. 27 amid contract negotiations. Park City Mountain Resort has remained opened despite the strike with the use of their Patrol Support Team consisting of patrol leaders from Park City Mountain and other Vail mountain resorts.

It appears the recruitment of ski patrols from other Vail resorts won’t impact Tahoe Vail resorts much. “It’s business as usual here at our Tahoe resorts,” Vail’s Senior Communications Manager for the Tahoe Region, Ashlee Lambert, told the Tribune on Tuesday as the Park City was preparing for a potential strike and preparing their support team.

Vail has not provided the number or ski patrollers pulled from the Tahoe region.



The Park City Professional Ski Patrol Association unanimously authorized a strike mid-December during on-going contract negotiations. The authorization vote gave the union’s executive board the power to call a strike at any point.

On Thursday, Dec. 26, the union and company participated in mediation. The morning following, the union issued this statement on their Facebook page Friday morning, Dec. 27, announcing the strike.



“This morning, at 7:30am, our membership hung up their jackets and walked out of the locker room and formed a picket line in solidarity to amplify our fight for better wages and working conditions.

“Vail Resorts forced this walkout by bargaining in bad faith and repeatedly violating the National Labor Relations Act. Consistent with Vail’s bad faith tactics, after yesterday’s seven hour negotiation session with a mediator present, the company continued to refuse to give a counteroffer on wages or benefits. They have had two weeks to prepare a counter proposal.

Multiple unfair labor charges have been filed against Vail throughout this bargaining process. Additionally, the company continues to impose their anti-worker strategy by flying in scabs rather than coming to the table with a reasonable offer.

We are asking all of you to show your support by halting spending at Vail Resorts properties for the duration of this strike. Do not purchase day tickets or food from Vail owned dining. Do not use Vail-owned rental shops or retail stores. Do not stay in Vail-owned hotels. Instead, buy and support local businesses!

We did everything in our power to avoid this work stoppage. Our goal has been and continues to be to secure a fair contract.”

Park City Mountain Resorts Chief Operating Officer, Deirdra Walsh, issued the following statement in response to the strike:

“We are deeply disappointed the patrol union has walked out of mediation and chosen drastic action that attempts to disrupt mountain operations in the middle of the holiday season, given we invested significantly in patrol with their wages increasing more than 50% over the past four seasons, and we have reached agreements on 24 of the 27 current contract terms.  

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 all planned terrain will be open thanks to experienced patrol leaders from Park City Mountain and our other mountain resorts.  

In addition to the over 50% increase in wages over the past four seasons, the current Park City Mountain patrol proposal increases wages another 4% for the majority of patrollers and provides $1,600 per patroller for equipment.  

Again, we are surprised by the union’s action given we had planned for a full day of productive mediation today before they walked out. Unfortunately, that will not go forward as planned, as our negotiating team must now shift focus today to operational continuity. We remain committed to reaching an agreement.”


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