Peter Nystrom, a Minnesota resident, saved for months in order to treat his family to a once-in-a-lifetime vacation at the biggest ski resort in the country.
However, a union strike that resulted in unsafe conditions and three-hour wait times for ski lifts caused his family’s recent vacation at Park City Mountain Resort in Utah to soon turn sour.
After spending almost $20,000 on travel, meals, and lodging for his wife, four boys, and in-laws, Nystrom told NBC News, “We thought it would be a fun kind of Christmas gift, to go do this kind of once-in-a-lifetime ski trip.”
The Park City Professional Ski Patrol Association started a workers’ strike on December 27 over compensation and health benefits, trapping Nystrom and hundreds of other winter visitors.
Nystrom claimed that the lack of openness was the most annoying aspect, adding that he was unaware of the continuing conflict prior to his trip. When we arrived at the resort, we learned that a strike was taking place.
We wanted to see some actual mountains, he remarked, even though Park City skiing is pricey. During his trip, a Park City day pass cost $288.
As the ski area continued to function at a reduced capacity, mediation between the union and Vail Resorts, the owner of the Park City resort, resumed Tuesday.
Quinn Graves, a union board member, told NBC News that union workers are demanding greater health coverage and a pay raise from $21 to $23 per hour.
Ski patrol members respond to medical crises and carry out mountain safety tasks like avalanche mitigation.
Graves stated, “We think it’s very fair to just ask for wages to keep up with inflation.” Securing a pay and benefit package that enables members, our unit members, to prosper is the main objective.
According to her, negotiations started eight months ago.
In a statement released on Tuesday, Vail Resorts claimed that patrol pay has risen by over 50% over the previous four seasons, “far outpacing inflation.”
The ski patrol organization wants $7 more per hour, not $2, according to the resort, which contests the amount the union is requesting.
51 more trials have opened since the strike started, according to a statement released Monday by Chief Operating Officer Deirdra Walsh, who also expressed regret for Park City Mountain’s lack of full operation.
The resort has 350 trails in total, though it was not stated how many were available prior to the addition of the 51.
“We are aware that this was not the desired holiday skiing and riding experience,” Walsh stated in the statement. I want to apologize to everyone for the lengthy wait periods over the busiest Christmas season and for not being able to open the terrain we had hoped for by now. In a strike, no one prevails.
This includes visitors to Park City who are departing the well-known resort feeling let down and as though their money was squandered.
Mike Evans, a New York resident who spent months organizing his vacation, stated, “This is our first and probably only trip to Utah.”
In order to enjoy an unforgettable ski vacation, he and his family went 12,000 miles and spent thousands of dollars, he told Salt Lake City’s NBC News affiliate, KSL-TV.
Because of the 90-minute wait times and 1,000-person lines, Evans only used the elevators four times.
He stated that it was unquestionably not worth it.
Nystrom expressed his desire for the strike to end quickly.
“I would strongly encourage the resorts to find a way to cooperate with the union,” he said.
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