Whitefish Mountain Resort's Ski Patrol Is Unionizing
The Whitefish Mountain Resort Professional Ski Patrol (WMRPSP), which patrols Montana's famous Whitefish Mountain Resort, announced via Instagram on February 11, 2024 that they intend to unionize under the United Professional Ski Patrols of America/CWA.
According to WMRPSP's mission statement, they have yet to reach an agreement with Whitefish Mountain Resort at this time, but is looking, "...forward to reaching a mutual agreement... to ensure a strong patrol that will continue to serve our guests."
Whitefish Mountain Resort Professional Ski Patrol
The Whitefish Professional Ski Patrol is joining the United Professional Ski Patrollers of America, a branch of the Communications Workers of America.
Dubbed LOCAL 7781, the union currently represents 700+ members at nine resorts across the mountain west including: Park City Mountain Resort, Steamboat, Telluride, Stevens Pass, Breckenridge, and Big Sky Resort.
The WMRPSP officially filed for union representation with the National Labor Relations Board on February 12, 2024 after a super majority of 77% of patrollers approved.
The WMRPSP has laid out the following goals in their mission statement:
Fairly compensate all employees of WMRPSP. This will reflect our community's changing economic challenges and directly incentivize patrollers who take on the added responsibilities of various critical and technical skills.
Adequately equip our patrollers with the gear needed to fulfill their duties, including but not limited to creating a yearly gear allowance to provide equipment that we must rely on for our own and guests' safety.
Provide paid opportunities for education, which will add value to WMRPSP and our community.
Provide benefits to allow patrollers to maintain good physical and mental health throughout the season through paid time off, sick leave, and healthcare stipends.
Maintain a professional and supportive culture at WMR, where all employees are treated with dignity and respect, free from harassment, fear, and job insecurity.
The desire for ski patrollers to unionize is increasing in popularity as the cost of living continues to dramatically rise while wages stay stagnant across most mountain towns.
POWDER has reached out to both WMRPSP and Whitefish Mountain Resort for comment. We will continue to cover this developing story in future articles.
Stay tuned.
UPDATE (1:40 PM PST): A spokesperson for Whitefish Mountain Resort has responded to our request for comment and has provided the following statement:
"We were informed of this effort Monday morning and are just beginning to process what it may mean for the resort. We value our ski patrol and what it brings to our overall operation, and we intend to work to chart the best path forward."
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