Keystone’s new ski patrol union is negotiating its first contract with its home mountain and parent company, Vail Resorts.
“I would say we are cautiously optimistic,” ski patroller Jake Randall tells Krystal 93 news director Phil Lindeman. “Negotiations have been productive so far. But we’ve only recently submitted our economic proposal that has all of our wages and benefits in it. We do expect things to get a little harder going forward.”
Randall is part of the patrol union bargaining team. All this is new to him and Keystone. Patrollers voted to unionize in March, after a failed union push in 2021.
“Each time we meet with the company it is something different we learn,” Randall says. “We’ll go to this one and talk about our economic package for the first time. You never know what to expect going in, and every time we hit one of those (moments) we try to adapt.”
Top of their wish list right now is pay. Keystone patrollers make $21 per hour. They want $23 per hour, plus more for specially trained patrollers, like those with snowmobile or avalanche certification.
“If we can get some substantial pay increases to the majority of our patrollers then we’re going to call it a win,” Randall says.
These negotiations began in August. They are now in their fourth round.
But what about a strike?
Ski patrollers in Park City recently authorized a strike. They are butting heads again with Vail Resorts.
Randall tells Krystal 93 the Keystone union is not there – yet.
“I wouldn’t say that we’re close to a strike, but that is one of the levers we hold,” he says.
This Wednesday, Keystone union patrollers are hosting a “walk in.” They will don union gear to show they are serious about these wage talks.
But Randall makes one thing clear: These negotiations have not interrupted their work on the mountain.
“At the end of the day, we go to work and we are friends with each other,” he says. “We might disagree and butt heads about a lot of these things, but we will still go to the bar and get a beer together. We are still friends. We are keeping that at the forefront through these negotiations.”