After a failed attempt to unionize back in 2021, ski patrollers at Keystone Resort held a unionization election on Tuesday and Friday this week. The effort passed with 90% voter support.

With the official vote count totaling 68-7, Keystone Ski Patrol Union is on its way to joining Communication Workers of America Local 7781.

Back in March, organizers told Summit Daily News that a lack of affordable housing, stagnating wages and limited resources were behind the push to unionize. Cory Cavegn, a union organizer and fourth-year ski patroller at Keystone, said the issues caused ski patrollers to not see a viable future in their careers on the mountain.

“Tenure is one of our biggest issues because we live in a fairly expensive place, and we don’t get paid a terribly large amount of money to do what we do,” Cavegn said in an interview in March. “It is hard to keep people on. The hope is that with some of the changes … keeping people around would be a more realistic thing.”

With the union vote successfully passing, ski patrollers hope that results will be certified so the union can be represented by the Communication Workers of America. 

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In response to the union vote passing, Keystone Resort Vice President and General Manager Chris Sorensen provided the following statement on Saturday afternoon, April 6:

“We care deeply about our team here at Keystone, and we are going to do what’s right for them regardless of the outcome of the vote. While we are disappointed with the result, we are grateful to those who took the time to vote.

As we have shared with our team before, we truly believe that a direct relationship between our company and our team members creates the strongest connection and allows individual voices to be heard. If the results are certified, all current and incoming team members will be represented by the Communication Workers of America. 

Over the last five years, the average wage for our patrollers has increased by 49%, we have maintained a 94% retention rate, and we have invested in many other benefits to drive employee culture and engagement. I’m proud of the strides we have made, which were the direct result of listening to our employees and taking action, and we will continue to listen and prioritize the employee experience. 

If the results are certified by the NLRB (National Labor Relations Board), we will comply with all applicable labor and employment laws and move forward in good faith, communicating through the representative selected by our ski patrol.“

Keystone Ski Patrol is the fifth ski patrol this season to file for union representation, joining Eldora, Palisades Tahoe and others.