Lift Mechanic’s At Crested Butte Vote To Unionise

A different set of lift mechanics working at a Vail property have made the decision to unionise. On July 1st, the lift mechanics at Crested Butte Mountain Resort voted 7 to 3 in favour of establishing a union. This resulted in Crested Butte Lift Maintenance becoming part of the Communications Workers of America (CWA) 7781. They are now the second group of lift mechanics at a ski resort in the United States to join a union, following the example set by the lift mechanics at Park City Mountain Resort.

In May, these lift mechanics unanimously submitted union authorisation cards to the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), seeking their support. This action aimed to facilitate a secret ballot vote, ensuring that those in favour of unionisation would be safeguarded against any retaliation from their employer. However, in order to avoid going through an election process, they needed Vail Resorts to acknowledge their union. As expected, Vail Resorts did not recognise them, leading to the subsequent union vote.

On Friday they announced on their Instagram: “We are happy to announce that today we officially became a Union! In a 7-3 vote Crested Butte Lift Maintenance Professional Union officially joined the CWA Local 7781. We can now meet at the bargaining table as equals. Together we will work on making this a safer and more sustainable career.”

According to Ski Area Management, Tara Schoedinger, who is the Vice President and General Manager of CBMR, said the following in a statement released on Friday:

“As we have shared with our team, we sincerely believe that a direct relationship between our company and our team members creates the strongest connection and allows every employee’s voice to be heard, because the reality is 30 percent of the lift maintenance team voted against joining a union today.

Our team members are the heart of this resort, and we will always do the right thing for them regardless of a union. The outcome of today’s vote doesn’t change that. If today’s results are certified by the NLRB, we will comply with all applicable labor and employment laws and move forward in good faith, communicating through the representative selected by our lift maintenance mechanics and electrical technicians.”