Park City ski patrol union strike enters day 6 with no deal in sight

Despite meetings on Monday and Tuesday this week with a federal mediator, the union reports no substantial progress, and both parties remain divided over wages and benefits.

PARK CITY, Utah — The Park City Mountain ski patrol union strike has entered its sixth day, with the union stating that negotiations with Vail Resorts remain far from resolution. Despite meetings on Monday and Tuesday this week with a federal mediator, and the exchange of offers, the union reports no substantial progress, and both parties remain divided over wages and benefits.

“Given the major impacts our work stoppage has had on resort operations, we are surprised the company’s counterproposal is still far from what we feel is acceptable,” said Nik Smith, vice president of the Park City Professional Ski Patrol Association (PCPSPA).

“While we’ve seen progress in some areas of the contract and are happy the company and mediator were willing to meet the past two days, the company’s current wage and benefit proposals do not adequately address the needs of our members,” said Seth Dromgoole, PCPSPA’s Lead Negotiator.

The strike, which began Dec. 27, follows months of negotiations and multiple unfair labor practice filings by the union. PCPSPA is demanding wage increases and benefits adjustments to address the high cost of living in Park City. Lead negotiator Seth Dromgoole criticized Vail Resorts’ position: “The company’s current wage and benefit proposals do not adequately address the needs of our members.”

The strike has caused operational impacts to Park City Mountain, with reports indicating the resort is functioning at 17% of normal operations during one of the busiest weeks of the season.

Visitors have voiced frustrations over long delays and limited terrain access. The Clinkenbeard family, who planned a holiday trip to Park City with several other families at Canyons Village, paid $10,000 per family for their vacation. “We chose to ski over Christmas and had other options, but we won’t do this again,” Amy Clinkenbeard said. “The amount of money spent to not ski is abysmal.”

Vail Resorts brought in patrollers from other locations to maintain safety, but the union argues this undermines local expertise.

Negotiations are set to resume Jan. 2. Union representatives maintain they will continue the strike until their demands for fair compensation and benefits are met.