Ski patrol strike at largest resort in US results in lengthy traces, closed trails By Reuters

(Reuters) -Trip skiers at Utah’s Park Metropolis (NYSE:), crucial U.S. ski resort, reported on social media that that they had been encountering prolonged carry traces and some closed trails on Tuesday as a strike by ski patrol workers entered its fifth day.

Virtually 200 ski patrol and safety workers are on strike over requires for elevated pay at Park Metropolis Mountain Resort, which is owned by Vail Resorts Inc (NYSE:), demanding an entry-level base wage of $23 an hour, up from the current $21, primarily based on an emailed assertion from the ski patrol union.

This week is the busiest ski week of the yr.

Park Metropolis remained open on Tuesday, and plenty of the ski patrol had been nonetheless working, Vail Resorts acknowledged in an emailed assertion. The company acknowledged in an e mail that it doesn’t disclose staffing figures.

The union, the Park Metropolis Expert Ski Patrol, acknowledged in its e mail that there are generally 120 people on patrol, nonetheless that on Tuesday there have been between 30 and 35.

The union, in a submit on social media, acknowledged Vail Resorts had “flown in scabs” from completely different resorts to work at Park Metropolis.

Sara Huey, a spokesperson for Vail Resorts, acknowledged in an e mail that the company had met 24 of the union’s 27 requires given that ski patrol’s contract expired in April. She equipped no specifics on the requires the company had not met.

Huey acknowledged Vail had elevated ski patrol wages by larger than 50% all through the earlier 4 ski seasons, pushing the frequent hourly wage to over $25.

The 7,300-acre ski resort didn’t promote carry tickets this week, primarily based on native media evaluations and a Park Metropolis employee who declined to supply their establish, leaving the resort open only for annual transfer holders.

Vail Resorts operates larger than three dozen ski resorts, along with Vail and Breckenridge in Colorado, Whistler Blackcomb in British Columbia, Canada, and Stowe in Vermont.