Telluride Ski resort. Photo: Murray Foubister // Wikimedia Commons
It was all but certain that the Telluride Ski Patrollers would strike this winter, but now it is official. On Tuesday night, the Telluride Professional Ski Patrol Association (TPSPA) voted to go on strike starting Saturday, December 27, as The Colorado Sun reports.
“Tonight, after painful consideration, the Telluride Professional Ski Patrol has authorized a work stoppage to begin Dec. 27 with a 99 percent yes vote,” wrote the union in a statement on social media. “Despite extensive effort and movement from TPSPA to avoid this outcome, the company continues to push a 2.5-week-old LBFO that does not address our concerns. The $65,000 gap between three-year proposals reflects unwillingness from the company to fix a broken wage structure. We need a pathway to attract and retain, and the current proposal from Telski is simply a Band-Aid, not a long-term solution. It does nothing for the longevity of this institution.”
The contract between the TPSPA and the resort expired at the end of August. In November, the union’s 72-members voted unanimously to authorize a strike after a deal was not reached. Two weeks ago, all but one of the union-members rejected what resort owner Chuck Horning called his “last, best and final offer.”
“It seems like they are more interested in trying to belittle us rather than talk with us and negotiate with us,” ski patrol union president Graham Hoffman told The Colorado Sun. “I find it utterly laughable that they talk about impacts to the community when we are a part of this community. This company has shown time and time again that it just does not care. I do not think this company has ever made a decision that benefits this community.”
The parties did return to the negotiating table one more time, but no further progress was made. As patroller and interim safety director for the union Andy Dennis told the Sun, the union adjusted their proposal to approach the resort’s demands, but Telluride merely presented an identical offer to the one previously rejected by TPSPA. “We had a session. I would not say there was any negotiating,” he said in an interview.
As to how long the strike will last, only time will tell. But Dennis is optimistic that union members will be able to hold strong. “I think the solidarity is strong enough to hold us as long as it takes,” he told the Sun. “The support from the community has been outstanding.”
