Crested Butte lift maintenance crew votes to unionize following Park City’s lead

A mountain with trees and clouds. Photo: Caleb Jack

CRESTED BUTTE, Colo. — The lift maintenance crew at Crested Butte Mountain Resort has passed a vote to become the second lift maintenance crew in the nation to move to unionize on Thursday.

The lift maintenance crew at Park City Mountain became the first to unionize last year.

The lift maintenance crew at Crested Butte is requesting voluntary recognition from Vail Resorts. This would sidestep the 4-6 week delay that an National Labor Relations Board election would cause, and allow Vail Resorts/CBMR management and the lift maintenance crew to begin the process of bargaining for a first contract that would address safety concerns, compensation, and other workplace conditions.

“Our union has 100% support from its members, and we are committed to forming our union regardless of the path we have to take to achieve it,” said Rob Alexander, a lift mechanic with three years of experience at Crested Butte Mountain Resort.

“Not many people understand what it really takes to maintain these machines,” said second-year lift mechanic Thomas Pearman. “We want our mountain to prosper, but when all the decisions are being made in Broomfield boardrooms, we are left out.”

Tara Schoedinger, general manager of Crested Butte Mountain Resort said in a statement “My number one priority is working together as one team to ensure a positive employee experience, which includes sharing and addressing concerns together. I believe a direct relationship with our team works best rather than through a third party, and at the same time, am dedicated to working closely with our team whichever decision they make.” 

Representative from the Crested Butte crew say that lift mechanics and electricians at the resort face dangerous working conditions, high turnover, and a lack of support for professional development. By unionizing, they will be able to address these issues to build a highly professionalized lift maintenance crew and a safer working environment.

Correction: An earlier version of this article incorrectly indicated that the Crested Butte Mountain Resort lift maintenance crew has already unionized. The lift maintenance crew has voted with 100% support to proceed with creating a union but has not yet held the union creation vote.