After 13 days on strike, the Telluride Professional Ski Patrol Association has accepted a new contract offer from Telluride Ski & Golf to end the work stoppage that has created economic trouble in the town and pitted residents against one another.
Graham Hoffman, president of the ski patrollers’ union, confirmed that 70 members of the union accepted the offer, which was made earlier this week and included raises for the patrol. The decision wasn’t unanimous, but overall, he said the union is proud of its efforts and where bargaining landed. (Hoffman declined to share specifics of the new wages.)
“Retention continues to be an issue for us, and better retention does equal better safety. We’ll address that next time around, but we made significant progress,” Hoffman said. “We are happy to go back to work for this community and get the mountain open as soon as we can.”
The same day the bargaining stalemate ended, Telluride also received its first significant snowfall in many weeks. Telluride Ski Resort said in a statement that Lift 4 will open on Saturday with the additional runs of Butterfly, Lower Misty Maiden and Boomerang. The next objective will be to open the “Super Loop” with more lifts and terrain to follow.
The news comes nearly two weeks after the union went on strike, demanding better wages. Resort ownership chose to cease all operations at that time, leaving the town’s small business and workforce without their main economic engine.
‘Pow to the people.’ Telluride residents take to the streets as ski resort closure divides town.
The resolution comes on the heels of local calls for an agreement. On Wednesday, about 100 residents and business owners gathered in the streets to ask the two sides to end the impasse before it was too late to salvage the season.
Locals breathed a collective sigh of relief after the news broke Thursday afternoon, with many saying they hope to make the most of the rest of the season. Mayor Teddy Errico, however, noted that there is a “long road to recovery” for the workers and businesses impacted.
“We have to work harder than ever to prove to the visitors to come see us in Telluride and experience how magical it really is,” Errico said in a statement.
Still, the overall reaction was one of positivity. Luke Brown, owner of Wild Oak property management company, said he was “over the moon, elated, emotional, and excited to get back to work and the business of taking care of our amazing mountain and community.”
Courtney McClary, director of operations for event company SBG Productions, plans to make February’s Telluride Gay Ski Week a banner opportunity to celebrate. “I’m hoping the rest of the winter we get some snow, and for us, that Gay Ski Week can be a statement piece,” she said. “We’re excited for what’s to come with all our programming.”
The strike began on Dec. 27 after many months of negotiating failed to reach a compromise. In addition to higher wages, the patrollers were advocating for a pay structure that incentivized employee retention. Both were essential, they said, to ensure the longevity of its membership and the safety of the mountain.
The pay structure was not worked out this session, Hoffman said, but the union plans to continue to address it in future bargaining.
After the strike began, Telluride Ski Resort decided to close. The decision came during the height of holiday tourism, leaving the many travelers who chose to spend New Year’s Eve in the Western Slope town without the main attraction they came to enjoy.
Though town officials tried to push other activities, such as snowmobiling, ice skating and snowshoeing, lodging bookings plummeted in the wake of the resort’s closure. The damage was swift and severe – business in January was down around 40% at local restaurants, several proprietors previously told The Denver Post. The dip in business resulted in widespread layoffs and furloughs in many sectors, such as lodging and hospitality.
Bryan Thames, who owns the Wine Merchant stores in Mountain Village and in Telluride, said the strike was very telling about how important the ski patrol is to the fabric of winter. His business in Mountain Village, in particular, took a significant blow.
“I hope they (the patrollers) got a raise and they’re happy. I’m just excited that everyone can go about their business,” Thames said.
Hoffman thanked locals who supported the union and continue to do so. “We know things definitely took a turn in the community this week, but we are so incredibly grateful for those people, for the businesses and everyone who continues to support us,” he said. “To them we say thank you from the bottom of our hearts; they mean the world to us. We are going to do everything we can to support the community, in turn, going forward, and get this thing back open for all employees and people.”
