Why are we Unionized?
A Union is a democratic and legally-recognized body of non-management workers who bargain with their employer over wages, benefits, scheduling, workplace safety, and more. At the bargaining table, Union and employer representatives are equals in the eyes of the law. Their mutually-agreed upon Union contract, unlike an employee handbook, is legally binding and can be enforced by Union representatives to hold the employer accountable to their workforce. Statistically unionized workers make better wages, have greater access to health and pension benefits, work in safer conditions, and retain more employees than non-union workplaces.
Fun does not pay.
Ski resort companies make it clear that large payouts to executives and shareholders are more important than providing sustainable wages and benefits to their employees. Workers in the ski industry are expected to endure inadequate pay, grueling schedules, unsafe working conditions, and few benefits in exchange for their labor. The industry has normalized this standard under the sentiment that employees are “paid in fun.” This antiquated rhetoric undermines the inherent value of all labor and dismisses the hard-won expertise of tenured industry professionals — expertise which keeps the industry functioning. Compounded with the exorbitant cost of living in ski towns, ski industry work is profoundly unsustainable, despite the inherent necessity of maintaining an experienced labor force. The resulting high turnover of employees jeopardizes safety on the job, the experience and safety of the skiing public, and the longevity of the industry as a whole.
Unions level the playing field.
We know that fun does not pay for food, gas, or rent, and our work pushes back on this status quo. UMW is leading the charge to level the playing field with ski corporations by modernizing wage structures, ensuring workplace rights and due process, procuring benefits packages, and increasing standards for workplace safety. Our work also serves to strengthen mountain communities at the local and regional level by bringing industry professionals together in collaborative bargaining, advocacy, and shows of solidarity.
Through collective action We, the workers, can gain power and improve not just our own lives, but also the lives of those who follow our footsteps in these professions. We are led entirely by ski resort professionals with years of experience, we are self-represented at the bargaining table, and we operate within a radically transparent and democratic system. Our goal is a future in which all ski industry workers are guaranteed a sustainable livelihood and the working class of mountain towns can thrive.
