Park City Mountain’s summer bike patrol won the vote to unionize with the Communications Workers of America as the Park City Bike Patrol Association, the group announced Friday afternoon.
After filing a petition to unionize on Aug. 1, bike patrollers voted to unionize on the 28th, creating year-round representation for more than 50 full- and part-time mountain patrollers.
The outcome follows a summer of organizing that mirrored last winter’s labor tensions between the ski patrol union and Park City Mountain’s parent company, Vail Resorts.
Many bike patrollers are also members of the Park City Professional Ski Patrol Association during winter operations, but until now they lacked union protections during the resort’s summer season. By forming their own bargaining unit, they secured recognition of their medical training and technical responsibilities, which include treating injuries, conducting rescues, clearing hazards and evacuating lifts.
According to the press release, members of the union filed two unfair labor practice charges this summer after they said they were subjected to mandatory captive audience meetings during daily briefings — a practice the National Labor Relations Board ruled unlawful in 2024. Captive audience meetings are mandatory sessions led during work hours, where employees are required to listen to the company’s views, often about unionization, politics or otherwise, according to the National Labor Relations Board.
“This illegal meeting played out the same as many that have been recorded online. While there were no direct threats of retaliation, management described ways that the job would become more difficult following unionization. What I found most disappointing is that the work we do does not seem to be appreciated by our managers, who are further removed from day-to-day summer mountain operations,” said Jonny Marguet, a third-year bike patroller.
A Park City Mountain spokesperson said Friday that the resort does not hold captive audience meetings and has not yet received any copies of the unfair labor practice filings from the union.
The decision to unionize builds on momentum from last December, when ski patrollers staged an unfair labor practice strike over stalled contract talks that lasted 12 days before resolution. The ski patrol union secured higher wages and benefits in their resulting contract, which will last through April 2027.
“While we believe that a direct relationship between our managers and employees creates the strongest team, we respect the outcome of this vote and remain committed to supporting all of our team members at Park City Mountain. Following certification by the National Labor Relations Board, we will work in good faith with the Communications Workers of America, the union representation chosen by our summer bike patrollers,” said Deirdra Walsh, COO of Park City Mountain, in a statement on Friday.
Park City Mountain’s summer bike season began June 14 and will run through September, with riders accessing more than 450 miles of trails between Canyons and Mountain Village.