Ski patrollers at Araphoe Basin voted to join the movement for unionization. This comes after similar efforts at other ski resorts across the country. The vote passed 30-22 and will still need to be certified by the National Labor Relations Board.
Across the country, at popular ski resorts, workers have been unionizing. Ski patrollers at Araphoe Basin voted on Saturday to join the movement. Denver7 first shared this story in November when Arapahoe Basin ski patrol announced they would file for union representation with the United Professional Ski Patrols of America. Ryan Dineen is the local organizer for CWA local 7781, The United Mountain Workers.
Dineen shared with Denver7, the vote passed 30-22 and still needs to be certified through the National Labor Relations Board, which could take a couple of days. 'We all want to go to work, we enjoy our jobs, we love our jobs, but if we're not able to do them, effectively under the surface current circumstances, then we have to take advantage of everything we can,' Dineen said. Che Caballero is in his eighth season with A-Basin ski patrol. He described the community and camaraderie he has found working alongside other ski patrollers. As thrilling as it is working on the mountain, he described the other challenges that come with the job. 'I think that over the years things have come and gone, obviously the price of living has gone up dramatically, especially since Covid-19 and that we've all felt that that kind of crunch up in the county and around the mountain communities in general. I do believe that we've had some wage increases and things throughout the years, but, it's time for a little bit more,' Caballero said. Over the next few weeks, the needs of patrollers will be outlined, Caballero explained. Wage is top among them, along with communication over scheduling. 'Another point that we want to emphasize being the longest-running ski area operation in Colorado from October until June is some sort of idea for when people could start,' Caballero explained. 'You know, we talk a lot about this being a career, it's pretty hard to plan your life around random start dates, random end dates.'Denver7 spoke with another ski patroller, Jack Western, in November when efforts for unionizing were starting up. He sent over a statement following the vote on Saturday saying in part: 'It's normal for ski patrols to be really tight groups, especially given the nature of the job, but when we're all standing together to fight for a higher standard at our workplace as well I don't think you could find a more caring and committed group of people. We love the mountain, we love skiing and all the different intricate parts of our job, and we're excited to continue to raise our standard for ourselves and for everyone that visits.' Unionization efforts were recently on display at Park City Mountain Resort in Utah where a ski patrol strike lasted nearly two weeks before a new contract was reached. 'I would say that the strike in Park City is definitely one of the more flashpoint topics of the whole unionization process, but we anticipate, cordial bargaining with our management and that's been achieved with pretty much every other patrol union throughout the United States,' Caballero said. Denver7 reached out to A-Basin and was sent the following statement: 'We respect the decision made by Arapahoe Basin Ski Patrollers to have the Communication Workers of America (CWA) union represent them. Our focus remains on supporting our patrol team – and all of our employees – by providing competitive wages, good benefits, a safe working environment, and opportunities for professional growth.
UNIONIZATION SKI PATROL ARAPHOE BASIN WORKERS' RIGHTS COLORADO
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