Telluride Ski Patrol Union Authorizes Strike In Continued Contract Negotiations

"It's looking bleaker and bleaker. We still maintain a shred of hope, but with the signs and indications that we've gotten in just the last week-and-a-half or two weeks, it really doesn't seem like the company is preparing to offer us a contract that's going to secure the votes necessary to ratify that."

"elluride's other teams also perform essential, difficult, and often dangerous work, including snowmaking crews, overnight groomers, lift maintenance, and lift operations, but the Resort cannot pay them misaligned wages. It is not fair to create a special compensation category for this one group under the threat of a strike."

"not feasible."

Telluride Ski Patrol Union unanimously authorized a strike if negotiations with the resort remain deadlocked. Negotiations are scheduled for November 25 and early December. The union seeks pay increases to align patroller wages with comparable mountains and to make up for lagging raises, plus a health insurance stipend for patrollers without resort coverage. The resort said the pay increase is "not feasible" and argued other essential teams perform difficult, dangerous work and cannot receive misaligned wages or a special compensation category under strike threat. The resort cited entry-level parity with Park City and Breckenridge and lower skier days; the union disputes the Park City comparison and stresses Telluride's tougher terrain and institutional knowledge needs.

Read at Unofficial Networks