Park City Mountain Bike Patrollers vote to unionize

Photo: TownLift // Rayne Moynahan

PARK CITY — Bike patrollers at Park City Mountain have voted to unionize, aligning with the Communications Workers of America to form the Park City Bike Patrol Association.

The Aug. 28 decision follows a summer petition drive led by patrollers and trail crew members. The new unit represents more than 50 full- and part-time workers. Many also serve as ski patrollers in the winter, where they have long been unionized, but until now lacked similar protections during the summer season.

“We have a livable wage in the winter after the successful negotiations last season,” Joe Kim, a business manager for PCPSPA and a member of the resort’s trail crew said. “And we are using similar skill sets. So we are looking for a wage that is more in line with the skill sets we are employing every day.”

At Park City Mountain, bike patrollers handle a wide range of responsibilities — from staffing the first aid station and assisting with search and rescue calls to clearing hazards from trails, evacuating lifts in emergencies, and helping visitors navigate the mountain.

According to a recent press release, union organizers allege that during the summer season, employees were required to sit through so-called “captive audience” meetings during their daily morning briefings, sessions in which management can present anti-union messaging under the threat of discipline.

Resort officials dispute that claim. Park City Mountain said it does not hold captive audience meetings.

Some patrollers described the meetings differently, according to a report by KPCW.  “There weren’t direct threats, but management explained how our jobs might get harder if we unionized,” said third-year bike patroller Jonny Marguet.

Park City Mountain COO Deirdra Walsh issued a statement following the vote: “While we believe that a direct relationship between our managers and employees creates the strongest team, we respect the outcome of this vote and remain committed to supporting all of our team members. Following certification by the National Labor Relations Board, we will work in good faith with the Communications Workers of America.”

The resort also clarified that while it is proud to offer summer roles to ski patrollers, the summer operation is less complex than the winter season. Employees who perform lift evacuations are already paid additional compensation for those duties, a spokesperson previously said.

Park City Mountain also emphasized that its summer bike haul and trail maintenance operations are not part of a full-scale bike park business and are not currently profitable. Still, the resort said it is glad to provide those services for the Park City community and visitors.

The vote gives bike patrollers the same year-round union protections they’ve had on snow, now extended into the summer mountain biking season. It also follows a ski patrol strike last winter that gained national attention.