Ski patrol strike at largest resort in US leads to long lines, closed trails

Vail Resorts

31/12/2024 23:37

Dec 31 (Reuters) - Holiday skiers at Utah's Park City,
the biggest U.S. ski resort, reported on social media that they
were encountering long lift lines and some closed trails on
Tuesday as a strike by ski patrol workers entered its fifth day.
    Nearly 200 ski patrol and safety workers are on strike over
demands for higher pay at Park City Mountain Resort, which is
owned by Vail Resorts Inc  MTN.N , demanding an entry-level base
wage of $23 an hour, up from the current $21, according to posts
by the ski patrol union on social media.
    This week is the busiest ski week of the year.
    Park City remained open on Tuesday, and many of the ski
patrol were still working, Vail Resorts said in an emailed
statement. The company did not say how many ski patrol workers
were on duty.
    The union representing the ski patrollers, the Park City
Professional Ski Patrol, did not immediately respond to requests
for comment. The union, in a post on social media, said Vail
Resorts had "flown in scabs" from other resorts to work at Park
City.
    Sara Huey, a spokesperson for Vail Resorts, said in an email
that the company had met 24 of the union's 27 demands since the
ski patrol's contract expired in April. She provided no
specifics on the demands the company had not met. 
    Huey said Vail had increased ski patrol wages by more than
50% during the past four ski seasons, with an average hourly
wage now over $25.
    The 7,300-acre ski resort did not sell lift tickets this
week, according to local media reports and a Park City employee
who declined to provide their name, leaving the resort open only
for annual pass holders. 
    Vail Resorts operates more than three dozen ski resorts,
including Vail and Breckenridge in Colorado, Whistler Blackcomb
in British Columbia, Canada, and Stowe in Vermont. 

    

 (Reporting by David Gaffen in New York, Heather Timmons in
Washington and Brad Brooks in Colorado; Editing by Leslie Adler)
 ((Brad.Brooks@tr.com; +1-512-516-5615; Twitter @bradleybrooks;
Reuters Messaging: brad.brooks.thomsonreuters.com@reuters.net))