Telluride Ski Patrol/CWA members ratified their second contract by a vote of 56-0 on November 6, 2017. This agreement covers all Ski Patrollers, Dispatchers, Snowmobilers and International Exchange Patrollers through August 31, 2020.
With one year left on the existing agreement, the process began as Ski Patrol Leaders met with management over the off-season to negotiate recognition and compensation for Patrollers with specialized skills such as avalanche control, dog handlers and incident investigators. Once the process was underway, both sides agreed that it made sense to incorporate the changes into a new agreement.
Telluride Ski Patrol Unit President Tony Daranyi said, “This agreement is the result of a united workforce working together with a committed management team who acknowledges the danger of our work, the specialized skills required to provide the best service to our resort guests, and the importance of having a professional, career-minded patrol. It also reflects the economic realities of living in or near a resort town. CEO Bill Jensen was directly involved in negotiations, and the finished product is a win-win agreement.”
Highlights of the agreement include base wage increases, and a specialty skill set compensation scale for the next three years.