Ski patrol strike at largest U.S. resort results in lengthy strains, closed slopes By Reuters

(Paragraph 9 corrects to indicate that same-day carry tickets had been solely suspended on Monday, not that they had been suspended on Monday and Tuesday.)

(Reuters) – Skiers vacationing at Park Metropolis, Utah (NYSE:), the most important U.S. ski resort, reported on social media that they had been dealing with lengthy strains on Tuesday in ski lifts and a few slopes closed, as a ski patrol strike entered its fifth day.

Almost 200 ski patrollers and safety guards are on strike demanding increased wages 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 present $21, in accordance with an emailed assertion from the ski patrol union.

This week is the busiest ski week of the yr.

Park Metropolis remained open Tuesday and plenty of ski patrollers had been nonetheless working, Vail Resorts stated in an emailed assertion. The corporate stated in an electronic mail that it doesn’t disclose its workforce.

The union, Park Metropolis Skilled Ski Patrol, stated in its electronic mail that there are often 120 individuals on patrol, however on Tuesday there have been between 30 and 35.

The union, in a social media publish, stated Vail Resorts had “transported scabs” from different resorts to work in Park Metropolis.

Sara Huey, a spokeswoman for Vail Resorts, stated in an electronic mail that the corporate has met 24 of the union’s 27 calls for because the ski patrollers’ contract expired in April. She offered no particulars concerning the requests the corporate had not responded to.

Huey stated Vail has elevated ski patrol salaries greater than 50 % over the previous 4 ski seasons, pushing the common hourly wage to greater than $25.

The 7,300-acre ski resort didn’t promote same-day carry tickets Monday, however resumed same-day tickets Tuesday, Huey stated.

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