Park City Mountain ski patrol says Vail Resorts violated labor contract

Park City Mountain ski patrollers say Vail Resorts violated their labor contract, reopening a fight that already forced a 13-day strike at the state’s largest ski resort and rattled holiday operations across Summit County.

The Park City Professional Ski Patrol Association says the new dispute centers on whether Recovery Time Off, a benefit in the January 2025 agreement, applies to Park City workers. For patrol teams that handle mountain safety, avalanche response and guest rescues, the issue goes beyond pay. It affects how many patrollers are available on the hill, how quickly the resort can respond to incidents and whether terrain can stay open when crowds are heaviest.

The conflict grew out of a contract that expired on April 30, 2024. Over the next 10 months, the union and Vail Resorts negotiated while operating under the old agreement. The union later filed multiple unfair labor practice charges with the National Labor Relations Board, including allegations that Vail failed to provide timely and relevant bargaining information and refused to meet at reasonable intervals. One case filed Dec. 30, 2024, in Park City was later closed after a withdrawal request.

Negotiations finally broke down in late December 2024, when patrollers walked off the job during the holiday rush. Park City Mountain brought in workers from other resorts, and the strike created long lift lines and partial mountain closures. Park City Mayor Nann Worel urged Vail to end the uncertainty, saying the City Council wanted the dispute resolved and signaling support for the essential workforce that keeps the resort running.

The strike ended after a tentative agreement was announced Jan. 7, 2025. Union members unanimously ratified the contract the next day, and patrollers were expected back on the hill Jan. 9. The new deal included hourly raises ranging from $2 to $7.45, and later reporting said about 200 patrollers received an average increase of roughly $4 an hour, with more experienced workers seeing larger bumps.

Now, with the original contract again in dispute, the Park City patrol’s fight has become more than a workplace disagreement. It is a test of labor relations at Vail Resorts and a reminder that in a mountain town built on ski traffic, patrol staffing is part of the local tourism economy.