Crested Butte, CO, Ski Lift Workers Vote to Authorize Strike, Begin Strike Fund

Updated 1:00 a.m. EST, January 23, 2025

Lift maintenance workers at Crested Butte Mountain Resort in Colorado have overwhelmingly voted to authorize a strike, joining a growing wave of labor unrest in the ski industry. The vote, announced Tuesday, follows recent strikes at Park City Mountain Resort in Utah and unionization efforts by workers at Keystone Resort in Colorado.

• Related: Vail Resorts Offers Credits to Visitors Affected by Ski Patrol Strike at Park City Mountain, UT

“We passed a strike authorization vote with an overwhelming majority,” the Crested Butte union said in a statement on social media. “Today, we are starting a strike fund to help cover our lost wages if and when we do go on strike. We don’t want to have to go on strike to be treated fairly, but we will do what we have to do to get a fair contract.”

The decision comes amid stalled contract negotiations between lift maintenance workers and resort management. Workers have raised concerns about wages, benefits, and working conditions, issues that have been echoed by labor groups at other ski resorts across the country.

Crested Butte stated in an email to SnowBrains that it has great respect for its lift maintenance team at Crested Butte Mountain and is working hard to reach an agreement. Crested Butte said in the email that the wage proposal presented to the union this month includes significant wage increases consistent with Crested Butte’s wage structure for all maintenance team members, non-unionized and unionized. In addition, of the 12 outstanding articles still open for negotiation, 10 of them are currently in the union’s court, and Crested Butte is awaiting their response. The next bargaining session with Crested Butte and the union is scheduled for next week. The Crested Butte Mountain Resort lift maintenance union is comprised of 12 members.

Crested Butte also stated in the email that as this is a first-time contract with a new unionized group, therefore there are more topics to discuss and work through as Crested Butte builds the contract from scratch. New contracts simply take more time, and Crested Butte has a long history of reaching agreements with unionized employee groups, the resort added. If the union decides to take drastic action, Crested Butte Mountain will remain open in service of its employees, guests, and the community, with safety as its number one priority, according to the email.

“We continue to negotiate in good faith with the union that represents the lift maintenance team at Crested Butte Mountain Resort (CBMR) and are making steady progress. We’ve reached tentative agreements on roughly half of the articles and are committed to reaching a resolution on the full contract. We have tremendous respect for our lift maintenance employees and all of our team members, who are the heartbeat of our resort,” JD Crichton, General Manager of CBMR, said in an email to SnowBrains.

This latest development reflects broader tensions in the industry. In late 2024, ski patrollers at Park City Mountain Resort went on strike, demanding a $2 pay increase from their employer Vail Resorts, which lasted roughly two weeks before an agreement was reached. Intense lift lines were reported at Park City as the strike occurred over the holidays, the resort’s busiest time of the season, and patrollers weren’t available to open terrain to diffuse crowds, greatly impacting the guest experience. Meanwhile, ski patrollers at Keystone Resort are also pushing for fair pay and better conditions in contract negotiations with Vail Resorts.

Crested Butte’s lift maintenance workers play a crucial role in ensuring the safety and functionality of the resort’s ski lifts, which serve thousands of visitors during the peak winter season. A strike could significantly disrupt operations at the popular Colorado destination. Resort management has yet to comment on the union’s vote or the launch of a strike fund. While the workers hope to resolve the dispute without resorting to a strike, they emphasize their readiness to take action if their demands for a fair contract are not met.